For the Table: Easy, Adaptable, Crowd-Pleasing Recipes

by Anna Stockwell

From food stylist and editor Anna Stockwell, For the Easy, Adaptable, Crowd-Pleasing Recipes is a toast to the art of the dinner party.

Hosting a dinner party is a special kind of occasion. You welcome old and new friends into your home and gather around the table. You put out platters of food prepared just for that table of people, passing them around until everyone’s had their fill. This sense of sharing and togetherness feeds more than just bellies. It is what helps us stay connected, form new relationships, and build lasting bonds with our chosen families. During socially distanced times, the perfect dinner party might have felt like a lost art, but in For the Table , food writer Anna Stockwell provides all the tools needed for bringing back the ritual of hosting memorable yet modern dinner parties. Menus Stockwell has written a cookbook for a new way of entertaining that’s simpler, better, healthier, and more fun. Organized by season and full of helpful hosting advice, she provides accessible and modern menus; each is built around two large platters to pass around the table and includes suggestions for no-recipe side dishes. Dinner parties don’t have to be formal or fussy, or even a lot of work, to be celebratory and gratifying. This book teaches you how to plan and prepare great-tasting and impressive-looking menus that are easy to pull off, as well as offers expert advice on toasts, prep-ahead strategies, and tips on handling guest lists and dietary restrictions.

With its mix of innovative food presentation and old-fashioned, homestyle technique, For the Table is a testament to the art of the dinner party and looks forward to the festive dinner gatherings of the future.
Includes color photographs

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 26, 2022

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess I'm now a person who reads cookbooks?? I dunno but exploring cookbooks and food writing more generally has brought me so much joy! I love discovering the specific language in different genres and in this book specifically it was "brighten" and "freshen" which is so fun ☺️

I was hesitant when I picked this up because I thought it might be too bougie for me but I wanted to give it a shot because it was on a list for best cookbooks last year. However, I was pleasantly surprised when going through the recipes! Yes some of them were fancy but I think most of them are easily adaptable and I loved the inclusion of ways to modify the recipes for different food restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.). I also liked that the dishes come together as pairs to make it easier for planning and include how long ahead you can prep them!

My only issue is one I have with a lot of contemporary cookbooks and that's the photography, I find all of the photos way too oversaturated and it makes it hard for me to picture what the food would look like if I made it.

I haven't actually tried any of the recipes yet but there are a few that caught my eye that I want to try (I mean spinach and ricotta dumplings sound so freaking good!)

#IndigoEmployee

[June Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

One element I really enjoyed in this book was the author's inclusion of ways to adapt recipes for guests who have dietary restrictions and/or preferences. Dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. alternates are presented for every recipe in this book.

The photography is excellent!

I borrowed this book from the local public library.

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[Lisa G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great premise. Easy, but interesting plates to share right company. Easily adjustable with nice stories about each.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of good ideas. Worthy addiction to a cookbook collection.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Beautiful ingredients used in stunningly simple ways.
Great hospitality suggestions.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to try the Soupy Spiced Pinto Beans, the Crunchy Winter Salad, and the Polenta-Crusted Deep-Dish Quiche recipes.