Entertaining Healthy with Ease this Season in the Hamptons
Created by Arlene Rotfeld, owner of Go2EventPlanner, private chef, caterer and orchestrator of deliciousness in the Hamptons for 25 years, the below dinner party is inspired by a change to healthy cuisine.
Note: This doesn’t mean Rotfeld will ever stop offering her legendary lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, barbecue, vegetable lasagna, penne and vegetables, or lemon squares dusted with sugar.
Healthy Entertaining
How you ask, does a person who delights in cuisine, and composes, cooks and designs home luxe parties lose weight? Think European: less portions with an accent on locally grown fare.
Try serving visual vegetables, fish and berries with little to no cheese, and fewer breads. A drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and no extra fat will dazzle you and your guests.
Why the Bucolic Hamptons Is the Best Place to Entertain
Our fishermen catch the freshest fish. Our many talented farmers grow leafy greens and vegetables that can be utilized beautifully, with a little creativity, in fine cuisine.
Imagine bright buckets of ripe heirloom tomatoes, yellow wax green beans, the fragrance of tarragon, dill and basil. A parade of peaches, plums, strawberries and blueberries are perfect for the artistry of cooking.
Plus the gorgeous ambience in our backyards can transport us to Tuscany without ever leaving home. All of these things contribute to making dinner an exuberant and joyous experience.
Set the Stage: How to plan a Tuscan Style Dinner Under the Stars, Fully Designed So You Can Enjoy Playing Host
This meal celebrates the season and the abundance with a European setting. A long table is placed under the trees with cloth, white china, flatware and glasses. Short vases filled with lemons are placed going down the table. Garden chairs with provincial textiles, pillows and warm blankets as throws on some of the chairs (for when the evening gets a bit chillier). Magical twinkled votive candles are everywhere…
Greet guests with a farmhouse table accented with tomatoes on the vine, large artichokes and ceramic vases filled with local, farm-grown tall sunflowers. Stationary ceramic platters are filled with delicious bruschetta (chopped ripe tomatoes, a sprinkle of salt, fresh basil—all adorned with skinny, architectural Italian light breadsticks).
Add seared peppercorn sushi-grade tuna presented on an English cucumber and topped with wasabi and caviar (no bread or cracker—instead use vegetables as the base). Put shrimp in Meyer lemon essence and dill, or gravlax salmon with a dense mustard.
Buffet
Dinner is a grilled whitefish cooked in fresh herbs and dash of white wine and olive oil.
Grilled colorful red and yellow peppers, eggplant seared painterly.
Plattered London broil sliced (room temperature) with Portobello mushrooms and onions with a drizzle of lemon aioli accompanied by bite-size baguettes (offering less carbs is important).
A large display of orzo, arugula, sunflower seeds, sliced citrus and mint leaf salad.
Dessert
Lingering around a warming pit, guests eat fresh berries in shot glasses, tiny meringues and dark chocolate biscotti with coffee.
Healthy, lighter fare looks good and allows you and your guests to feel refreshed, even after a full meal.
Entertaining Healthy with Ease this Season in the Hamptons
Arlene Rotfeld’s Go2EventPlanner caters private events with glorious cuisine, tabletop design and styling. All her work and inspiration results in an artistic backdrop with luxe rentals, impeccable staff and, of course, fabulous food!
Rotfeld will design and implement the ultimate gathering and meal, in any theme, in your home and gardens. She works her magic conducting the culinary orchestra for a relaxed and stellar party, whether cooking in front of you for an intimate dinner with friends or catering a large event.
With accents on health, freshness and Jackson Pollock-colorful vibrancy, Go2EventPlanner offers BBQs, weekend cuisine delivered, and fresh flower arrangements.
Contact Arlene Rotfeld and Go2EventPlanner year round for deliciousness at 516-909-8580 or Go2EventPlanner.com.