A sample menu for you to host your own Cafe Leandra
Coffee table in pursuit of tray of tinned fish
This edition of The Cereal Aisle is made possible thanks to Dior.
Hosting in the spring hits different. It’s not recognized or encouraged as fervently as is hosting in the winter because the primary value of these gatherings is not collective hibernation.
No one is after coziness this time of year. It’s TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES AND GET FLIRTY season, which doesn’t have to mean you can’t lure your friends into your living room for some aperitif when you, too, want to get out but can’t because your baby has to go bed soon —
Some competitive advantages of spring hosting:
It takes less effort to get people to leave their homes, so more of your friends are likely to come, no bribes necessary
Everyone’s in a better mood
Possibly because the clothes are more fun to put on —
Also, the produce at the market is better so the actual food is better too. Or…you don’t have to work as hard to make it taste good
So my only recommendation of the week is to do it. Have your friends over. Bring them together. Embrace the creative curiosities flowing and overlapping and transiting through you. Appeal to all of your senses — sight, taste, smell and on.
Let me break it down for you —
Step 1: Set the menu
You start by making the menu. I always use what I have in my pantry and fridge to inform what will be served. Example: if I have two fennel bulbs hanging out in there, you bet your bottom dollar you’ll be eating braised fennel sticks dipped into a saffron aioli later.
Based on what I already have, I create a grocery list of what else I need to buy.
On the menu, category wise, you’ll want to have:
Easy grazing foods like: nuts, cheese, olives — I add in dried fruits (in vibrant colors — think kiwi and cantaloupe) too.
Edible vessels (served on multiple plates and stationed across the table) like veggie sticks, sliced pear, crackers (you have to try Nufs) so you can easily slam dunk into…
The bevy of legume/protein rich spreads — think hummus, think labne infused with oregano and preserved lemon, some kind of avocado spread or a miso lentil/walnut pâté (if you want the recipe, tell me below and I will drop it into our subscriber chat).
Tinned fish — namely anchovies and sardines or if you want to be ambitious, you can try a mash up of smoked trout with crème fraiche, lemon and capers. You’ll want a nice helping of butter and the best bread you can find (I like Shewolf’s multigrain loaf) for this.
A dish that looks fancy but is easy to prepare: endive slices dressed in chopped walnuts, which you can toast in a saucepan with anchovy-infused olive oil
A harder dish (still not hard, but more preparation steps than the rest) that looks fancy but will be a crowd favorite: some kind of vegetable tart (sry, I mean galette).
Other simple party tricks include sliced fig or oranges doused in olive oil with smoked salt (and flakes of cilantro for the latter)
As far as dessert, I say: don’t be a hero. Buy some chocolate covered nuts, solid cookies, maybe even throw in a bowl of Swedish candy and goodbye, end of story.
Step 2: The guest list
Or step 1 depending on what gets you more excited. For me, it’s the menu. Then that excitement gives me confidence, and the confidence opens me up to the possibility of deeper connection with my people.
So I make the guest list second-order.
I don’t have one specific group of friends — it’s more like a bunch of great people from different corners of the universe who reflect the best (and the most fun) of what I wish to see in myself intellectually, emotionally, creatively, spiritually, psychologically, etc.
I try not to think too hard about how I’m combining these friends, and tend to over invite because you never know who will or won’t show up. It is best not to take this piece personally either because it usually shapes up exactly how it’s supposed to.
Step 3: Setting the table
With food and guest list covered comes presentation, which can, tbh, make the food taste better.
And more is more, I say, as far as how to lay out the spread. Tedious as it may be to wash all the dishes after the fact, presentation makes a real difference. And the illusion of abundant variety, made possible by tons of plates (even if they contain doubles of the same stuff) populating the table creates an invitation to sit, hang, stretch into your body and appeal to its senses.
I also like to play with height on the table, ensuring when you walk into the room your eye catches different levels of nourishment. If all the plates are the same level, what I’ll do is freckle flowers throughout the table.
And there are always lit candles at the entrance, in the bathroom, and near the table.
And as far as actually eating the food, I take the notion of family style very seriously so will, generally speaking, eschew real plates in the name of paper cocktail napkins and encourage everyone to reach over each other, leave crumbs on the carpet and marvel in the togetherness.
The last thing here is on playlist. I almost always play 3rd Ritual’s ‘Summer Solstice’ playlist on Spotify. It hits all the right notes of relaxing, hopeful, lively and gentle.
What to wear
It’s a good place to take a risk, to try wearing something you’re not sure you’d wear out of the home, or to wear something that shoes ruin —
But it’s your home, so it’s really a choose your own adventure. You can always slip away and change if said adventure comes to you mid-gathering. Although in a best case scenario, you’re having such a great time that you don’t even think twice about it.
Now you have all the ingredients. Happy hosting (and feel free to invite me) (please?),
Signing off yours,
Leandra
The vibe is everyone here has good sex
I just hosted a fun Iris Apfel party, after buying four of her items from the Christie's auction. We invited a wide assortment of acquaintances and friends. We all dressed in honor of Iris, colorful!