Emily Post's Great Get-Togethers Read Free Page A

for main courses. Prepare your own fresh salad to serve with the main course and learn to make a good, reliable vinaigrette.
A S TATIONER or P ARTY S TORE : When the party calls for more than a phone or e-mail invite, you’ll want a fun source for invitations. While you’re at it, you can also buy cocktail napkins and other paper goods, as well as decorations for theme parties.

    Our Favorite Vinaigrettes
    A few good vinaigrettes will greatly expand your salad repertoire.
    Basic Vinaigrette
    Makes just over ¼ cup, enough to dress a salad for 6 or 8. Make more if people will be dressing their own.
    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
    ¼ teaspoon kosher or ground sea salt
    Ground pepper, to taste
    Optional: ½ teaspoon minced garlic or shallots
    3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    Herbs of choice: 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, chervil, thyme, or tarragon
    In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper, and optional garlic or shallots. Continue whisking and slowly add the olive oil. Dress the salad and sprinkle with the fresh herbs and additional salt, if needed.
    Champagne Vinaigrette
    Makes 1¼ cups
    ¼ cup Champagne vinegar
    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon minced shallot
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon sugar
    ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
    1 cup neutral oil such as extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
    Whisk together all the ingredients except the oil. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in the oil until all of it is incorporated. Taste the dressing—if it seems too tart, drizzle in a little more oil. For more bite, add a little more vinegar. Keeps tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
    Balsamic Vinaigrette
    Makes 1¼ cups
    ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon minced shallot
    ½ teaspoon minced garlic
    1 teaspoon honey
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
    1 cup extra virgin olive oil
    Whisk together all the ingredients except the oil. Continue whisking and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all of it is incorporated. Taste the dressing— if it seems too tart, drizzle in a little more oil. For more bite, add a little more vinegar.
    Caesar Dressing
    This eggless Caesar dressing really flatters beans, especially something as simple as a big platter of cool, crisp-cooked garden green beans. Upon the good base of two, three, or four types of beans and the dressing, other summery salads can also be built: Consider adding halved red or yellow cherry tomatoes, tender hearts of romaine, boiled new potatoes, or sweet corn cut off the cob. For a picnic salad, omit the lettuce.
    Makes about 1½ cups

    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon chopped anchovies
    2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    1 tablespoon chopped garlic
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    1 cup extra virgin olive oil
    Several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
    1. Combine the vinegar, anchovies, mustard, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Season to taste with the Worcestershire sauce.
    2. Use immediately or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for a week.

Chapter Two Producer, Director, and Star
    T here’s an art to being a good host. It’s like being the producer, director, and star of your own show. As producer, you’re responsible for all the details of party prep, from invitations to last-minute errands. Just before the doorbell rings, you take off your producer’s hat and step into the roles of director and star. As the director, you guide the action, letting guests know when it’s time to come to the table and when it’s time to say goodbye. As the star, you add the sparkle and set the tone of the party. Successful hosts make this transformation seem easy; guests have no sense of the planning and work that’s gone on behind the scenes. Their time is spent wrapped in your kind