Aussie Rules

We sat down with Curtis
Stone, the Aussie chef known for approaching women in the
supermarket and helping them make a special meal, to get his top five
tips for making the most of summer entertaining.

1. Start with one ingredient and build on it. If you find great
asparagus, get it. If entertaining outside, picture the smell of the
grill or the cocktail in your hand and what you want to eat with the
asparagusmaybe its crispy prosciutto, parmesan cheese or scallops.
2.
Have a glass of wine. Straight away your cooking improves. People drop
their guard, and I think what holds people back in the kitchen is a lack
of confidence.
3. Do a bit of preparation. It might be that youve
made the dessert and its ready to roll. Or it might be that you make the
salad, you mix all the stuff together and you mix the dressing and its
right beside it, so its just ready to pour over.
4. Save a job for
someone when they arrive. It takes the burden off you too. A drink is a
good place to start, because everyone knows how to make a drink. Or even
a serious job like grilling. Just have everything they need ready for
them.
5. Little touches. When people entertain, and do it well,
theres a few, really small touches that make it feel as though theyve
gone to some effort for you. I usually pick a bit of fresh lavender and
stick it in the bathroom or put out some finger bowls with rose petals
and a slice of lemon.

Curtis’ cookbook Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone and cookware
both available at the Bay Downtown, 674 Granville St., Vancouver,
604-681-6211, www.hbc.com

See Joy Pecknolds sit down with Stone on todays Editors
Diary.