This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Welcoming people you love into your home and treating them to a good meal is one of life’s little pleasures. But for many, these moments are also synonymous with stress. So much so, in fact, that many of us don’t feel up to the risk, or no longer want to commit to such draining projects. And yet, hosting can be much simpler than you think when you know the tricks. This is what chef and lover of large tables Julie Zyromski offers us in her new book “ SATURDAY “.
When we have friends or family over, we want everything to be perfect. We imagine a sparkling interior, a magnificently set table and a grand meal that has been carefully planned. But this image quickly disappears. Between hunting for good recipes, shopping, cleaning, cooking, setting up and hosting the meal, hosting can turn into a chore.
“We often forget that the art of hosting is, above all, about making sure that people feel good and have a good time with us. Not about putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves and not fully experiencing this moment with them,” says Julie Zyromski from the outset.
The chef and owner of La Petite Cachée restaurant in Mont-Tremblant knows what she’s talking about. Although she’s been hosting clients professionally for years, she also enjoys welcoming family, friends and neighbours into her home. “It’s always been a part of me since I was a child,” she admits. “And it can take all forms, from a formal dinner to a big impromptu sharing dish next to a stack of plates. It doesn’t have to be perfect or timed.”
Easier said than done, right? After all, we are not all chefs or masters of mise en place. And that is precisely why Julie Zyromski wanted to design the book SATURDAYwhich has just been published by Parfum d’encre.
The art of receiving, accessible to all
SATURDAY is more than a recipe book. It contains 60 recipes, but it is above all presented as an assortment, superbly illustrated by the photographer Patricia Brochu, of 20 three-course menus thought out and planned for all occasions. From après-ski to Thanksgiving, and from a meal around the wood fire to a festive dinner, SATURDAY is aimed at all types of cooks, from beginners to the most experienced.
“I wanted to debunk the traditional vision that we often have of a reception,” confirms the author, a fan of more relaxed meals starting with aperitifs around the island rather than at the table, and who clearly shows in this book that we can easily sublimate the usual fondue or the dull pasta salads of the picnic.
” SATURDAY has been divided in several ways, she continues. First of all by season, with several menus adapted for different occasions. Then, by level of cuisine, from the easy menu that requires little preparation to the one for special occasions to which we dedicate a day and which requires a certain mastery. I also thought about the budget and the time available, two elements that must never be forgotten.
Turnkey menus
But what makes the book SATURDAY The originality lies in the structure of each menu. The chef has not only created three recipes – a starter, a main course and a dessert – but has also planned their preparation down to the smallest detail, intertwined so that everything is ready when the guests arrive.
For example, for the “A Saturday with the Family” menu, consisting of a mango and curry salad, spaghetti bolognese and a cheese and raspberry tart, we are guided from the morning, during which we must prepare the pie crust and the bolognese sauce; in the afternoon, we are garnishing and finalizing our dessert, then making our starter. Finally, at the time of the service itself, we know when and how to do the last-minute cooking and dress the plates. Julie Zyromski has even thought about food and wine pairings, small items (a bottle, a side vegetable, etc.) that our guests can bring us, or variations to save additional time.
” SATURDAY aims to accompany the people who receive from A to Z, so that they savor this magical moment as much as the others and are proud of having made it possible,” concludes Julie Zyromski. Because ultimately, as the author Maya Angelou, quoted in the preface, so rightly writes, “people will forget what you say, they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
Little tips for successful receptions
Little tips for successful receptions
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.