Three Easy Dishes to Make for a Crowd This Summer

New York Times

2 days ago

When the chef Scott Clark is cooking for a big bunch of friends, his goal is always to deliver a dish that's 'more than delicious,' he says. 'It should also show off.' For Clark, 39 — who owns Dad's Luncheonette, a diner in a historic train car in Half Moon Bay, Calif. — that might mean trying a new technique (making custard with Earl Grey tea, for instance) or plating with a little pageantry, like dolloping yogurt on a slice of cake before finishing it with a sprinkle of citrus zest.
- A Danish jewelry designer's long midsummer lunch.
- In the Caribbean, a couple's laid-back birthday party with their young son.
- A group of trans artists and activists' Filipino feast on Fire Island.
- In a Georgian vineyard, a meal inspired by a painting.
- A guide to sharing a vacation rental (and remaining friends with your housemates).
- Chefs' favorite recipes for large groups.
- An easy, crowd-pleasing cocktail to make in big batches.
For our Summer Entertaining Issue, we asked Clark and two other Bay Area chefs to share foolproof but impressive recipes that can be scaled up, prepped ahead or pulled together in a flash — ideal dishes, in other words, for feeding a crowd on vacation. For the chef Nite Yun, 42, who runs the Cambodian restaurant Lunette in San Francisco's Ferry Building, no big group meal is complete without a generous portion of quick-cooking greens. They 'pair with almost anything,' she says. When cooking for his friends, Geoff Davis, 37, the chef and owner of the soul food restaurant Burdell in Oakland, serves family-style platters that highlight summer produce, like blackened fish with sweet corn grits and tomato vinaigrette. And Clark prefers his summer spreads capped off by something cold, celebratory and indulgent, like his nostalgic icebox pie flecked with tea leaves. The rest of the menu, he says, 'depends on how much I like the people.'
Geoff Davis's Blackened Cod With Sweet Corn Grits
This recipe is adapted from a fish and grits dish that appeared on the opening menu at Burdell. The grits can be made up to a day in advance and reheated, and because the fish is blackened, it's nearly impossible to overcook. 'You're burning it on purpose,' says Davis. 'It's pretty easy to pull off and you look like a rock star.' For best results, Davis recommends waiting until Sungold tomatoes and sweet corn are at their peak in your region. Look for apricot-orange tomatoes and ears of corn with bright green husks and plump kernels.
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