SICILIAN SUMMER
SICILIANSUMMER
TinyWavesYvesKleinrunnerin Blue,
$75;Oceannapkinin Wheat,$125for
six;Palmsnapkinin Clay,$125forsix,
allBonnieandNeil.Clockwisefromtop:
CeramicdinnerplatewithFaceand
StripedTrimin Blue,$120;Largeceramic
ovaldishin BlueFish,$189,bothAlex
andTrahanas.Avant-Gardetumblers,
$49.95forsix,Krosno.FlamantDiMare
Coralplatein Blue,$49,Peter’sof
Kensington.Ceramicdinnerplatewith
FaceandStripedTrimin Green,$120,
AlexandTrahanas.BountyShellsbowl
(withsalt),$70fortwo,StudioEnti.
FortessaArezzofive-piececutleryset
in BrushedBlack,$92,Williams-Sonoma.
SkimmingStonesblueandwhiteplate
(withsardinetin),$99forfour,TheDEA
Store.Connoisseurwinedecanterwith
BeechwoodStopper,$99.95,Krosno.
Villeroy& BochFrenchGardenbread
andbutterplatein GreenLine,$20,
Peter’sofKensington.Greensramekin
(witholives),$20,StudioEnti.Laguiole
five-piececutlerysetin Olivewood,
$124,Williams-Sonoma.Littlebowl
in Blue,$12,AgathaPupaher.Jicon
Petaldish, $65,ProviderStore.Medium
CeramicovalplatewithOctopus,$120,
AlexandTrahanas.Tabjugin White,
$42,Zakkia.Saladservers, stylist’sown.
SmallCeramicScallopedbowlin Navy
Blue,$45,AlexandTrahanas.Greens
serving dish, $145, Studio Enti.
“I liketocookonfire,”shesays.
“Itlendsa reallyconvivialatmosphere
becauseyoucanstayinfrontofyour
guestswhileyou’recookingandmaximise
howmuchtimeyouspendoutside.”
Shechoosesin-seasonvegetableslike
sproutingbroccoli,whiteasparagusand
babyleeks,whichcanbegrilledswiftly
andservedaspartofa low-fussspread.
“Docheeseandcharcuterieplatters.Break
outsomebread,getsomenicebutter,some
cheeses,thenpulloutsomegoodmustards
andchutneys.Condimentsareyourbest
friendinthissituation.It canbeassimple
asgoodbreadwithbottargatogowithit.”
Notallofusareluckyenoughtocall
theHuonValleyhomebutasdesignerElise
PiochBalzacpointsout,it’spossibleto
createa senseofatmosphere– nomatter
whereyoulive– by laying a beautiful
outdoor table.“Mystartingpointis always
a beautifultableclothbecauseit gives
youa backgroundasif youweredoing
a painting,”shesays.“OntopofthatI add
plates,cutleryandglassware,building
upcolourswiththesethreecomponents.
Oncethisis done,I alwaysaddnature- thatcouldbeanythingfromclipping
a fewbranchesdownstairsif you’re
inanapartment,orfromyourgarden
if you’reluckyenoughtohaveone.”
PiochBalzacrecommendslooking
toopshopstosourcevintagecutlery
andtableware– sherecentlypickedup
a completesetofEnglish-madedinner
platesdatedfromthe1900satherlocal
Vinnies.“I lovetheideathatthey’ve
servedmanyotherpeoplebeforeme,”
shesays.“I lovewhenthey’vegotlittle
dentsandmarksofprevious parties that
have been had.”
A
midtheebbsandflowsof
pandemic-eradining,onething
hasbecomeclear:eating
outdoorsis nownotjusta romanticchoice,
buta deeplysensibleone.Overthelast
fewmonths,restaurantsandbarshave
adaptedpavements,carparksandrooftops
asvaluablediningrealestate,while
backyards,balconiesandparkshave
becomeequallyessentialforthosehosting
athome.Rightnow– ashotsummerdays
settleintolong,balmynights– there’s
neverbeena bettertimetoeatalfresco.
ForchefAnalieseGregory,eating
outdoorsis notjustforspecialoccasions,
buta wayoflife.“I thinkallofthemeals
I’vehadthisweekhavebeenoutside,”
shesays.WhenshelivedinFrance,she
madea habitoffillingherbackpackwith
a bottleofwine,a baguette,somecheese
anda blanketwhenevershewenton
a hike.Thesedays,whenshehostsat
homeinTasmania’sHuonValley,shelikes
to create a similarly unfussy experience.
“Iliketo cookonfire. Itlendsa really
convivialatmosphere becauseyoucan stay
in front of your guests while you’re cooking.”