Anyone can host a dinner party!
“I think you can be an absolutely sucky cook and still be a great dinner party host,” Natasha Feldman, author of “The Dinner Party Project: A No-Stress Guide to Food with Friends,” told the Journal.
Fun and colorful, “The Dinner Party Project” is filled with easy-to-follow hosting tips — including a clever “What Should I Make for Dinner” flowchart and timelines for dinner party prep, themed menus and more than 80 delicious recipes.
“If I had to describe my kind of cooking, I’d call it, ‘East Coast deli meets West Coast produce,’” said Feldman, who wears a black-and-white cookie necklace and whose favorite food is brisket. “It’s lighter, fresher California [cooking] that still makes you feel nostalgic and happy.”
Sections range from Noshes/Apps and Sweet Things to Tacos Get Their Own Chapter and Breakfast for Dinner. Jewish dishes include her grandmother’s borscht recipe, latke-style smash potatoes, babkaish monkey bread, the aforementioned brisket and more. It’s an easy read with tips built-in, although not all the recipes are kosher.
Feldman is a cooking show host, culinary instructor and private chef based in Los Angeles. She came to L.A. to study theater in college, but at some point decided that wasn’t her path. Feldman still wanted to tell stories; she just decided to do it through food. Feldman went to culinary school thinking she would work in food media, which is exactly what she has done.
In addition to her Webby-nominated YouTube show “Nosh With Tash,” Feldman has been both in front of and behind the camera on shows such as Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Chopped U” and “Craving Healthy.”
Feldman comes by her love of cooking and bringing people together naturally. Her great-great-grandmother Clara was a caterer in Poland, came over through Ellis Island and settled in the Lower East Side.
“They were poor, poor, poor, poor, poor,” Feldman said. “All the neighbors had money for bits and bobs, but not really enough for much of anything.”
They would all bring their groceries to Clara’s apartment, and she would turn these bits and bobs into cakes, pies, stews and soups.
“Everybody in the building was very well fed, because they brought their stuff together,” Feldman said. “Everybody was happy. And there was this really strong sense of community.”
Feldman’s mom also loved having people over.
“If I had a friend over and we were studying, they always knew they were invited for dinner,” she said.
There are a lot of cultures that have that “let me feed you” philosophy; and that’s definitely true in Judaism.
“It’s a way that a lot of us express our love for community, our love for ourselves, our love for religion,” she said.
Feldman believes dinner parties do not need to be formal. They can be messy and silly. You can even use paper plates. The food is secondary. Bringing people together is the priority.
Feldman believes dinner parties do not need to be formal. They can be messy and silly. You can even use paper plates. The food is secondary. Bringing people together is the priority.
“Find what works for you now,” she said. “Maybe it changes; you become a better cook and you host more advanced parties in the future. But you gotta start where you are, admit it and accept it. That’s how it’s the most fun.”
“The Dinner Party Project” was released on April 18. Go to NoshwithTash.com for more recipes and to learn about upcoming events.
Oops, I Forgot Dessert!
Choco-Dipped Fruit
Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cooked a really nice big meal for friends and then, after dinner, realized I hadn’t thought about dessert for even one second. But, because I am both a chocoholic and a fruit head, chocolate and fruit are two things I always happen to have around.
If you want to be all fancy, make the chocolate-dipped fruit in advance and present it on a plate à la mid-’90s Martha. OR you can drop the melted chocolate on the table with the fruit and lots of forks, à la fondue, and let people go to town. If you have random cookies, a slice or two of pound cake in the freezer, or anything else that sounds fun to dip in chocolate, you can put that out as well. One time I dipped a cucumber in chocolate just to see . . . It was not good. I’m a scientist.
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
Pick Your Fruit! (choose one or a combo)
30 to 40 (2 pounds) ripe strawberries
6 ripe, juicy peaches
12 clementines
A bag of summer cherries
A few bananas
Whatever fruit you love!
Pick Your Toppings!
Toasted unsweetened coconut
Cacao nibs
Sprinkles
Flaky sea salt
Crushed cookies
Crushed candy bar
Chopped nuts
Wash, dry, peel, and cut all fruit. Line a baking sheet with a large sheet of parchment paper.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate in the microwave for 15-second intervals until mostly melted, stirring after each time. Stop before the chocolate is completely melted. The residual heat will melt the rest of it with a stir or two.
Dip each piece of fruit into the chocolate and twirl it around to cover all sides. Let it drip over the bowl for a few seconds before putting it onto the parchment.
Once all the fruit is dipped in chocolate, sprinkle the pieces with your toppings of choice. Set aside for 30 minutes to harden before serving or put in the fridge to serve later!
Tips + Timing
1. Prepare dipped fruit up to 6 hours in advance. Store in the fridge, uncovered, and remove 30 minutes before enjoying.
2. Get whatever fruit is in season and smells fragrant and delicious! A farmers’ market is a great source if you have one in your area.
From The Dinner Party Project by Natasha Feldman. Copyright © 2023 by Natasha Feldman. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
