Don’t Hire a Caterer: Staying Cool with Summer Soups
Georgette Farkas shares some of her tried and true tricks for staying cool with these chilled soups.
Georgette Farkas is officially our Culinary Ambassador at Great Performances, but we’ve also crowned her our Hospitality Maven. Drawing upon her experiences working at leading restaurants and spearheading her eponymous Rotisserie Georgette, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. In addition to everything she does at GP across all teams, she also regularly entertains at home, creating incredible dishes with that extra special touch that makes food even more memorable and delicious.
In this series, Georgette shares tips from the caterer’s tool kit to make entertaining at home (almost) effortless. From time saving shortcuts and grocery store secrets to garnishing hacks and presentation magic, she’ll help you host a party that’ll make your guests feel extra special and that you’ll actually be able to enjoy.
She’s also curated recipes for you, highlighting the tips she’s shared. Each month look for dishes and ideas that would be delicious on their own, but that together make up menus that will have you entertaining like a pro.
This month, Georgette finds ways to beat the heat both in the kitchen and at the table with some divine summer soups.
The success of these summer soups is in the bright, bold flavors, which you can adjust to suit your own palate. Serving them well chilled will make a big difference. You might even go the extra mile and chill your soup bowls. We suggest pouring the soups tableside so that your
guests will enjoy the garnish you’ve arranged in each bowl. Pour only enough to come just about halfway up the sides of the garnish so that the colorful fruits and vegetables remain visible. Alternatively, serve the chilled soups as an hors d’oeuvre, poured into shot glasses or small juice glasses. For the latter, select one of the garnishes, such as a cucumber slice or small melon wedge. Make a small incision and place a garnish over the edge of each glass.
There are several equipment options when it comes to puréeing the soups. Choose a food processor, a blender or even an immersion or stick blender. If using the latter, be sure to use a high sided container to avoid splattering.
Check out the recipes below or download the recipe packet by clicking the button below.
Servings: 4 – 6
For the soup
For the garnish
Servings: 4 – 6
For the soup
For the garnish
with Smoked Salmon and Dill
Servings: 4 – 6
For the soup
For the garnish
By Great Performances
Summer is still in session and there’s no better way to beat the heat than with a refreshing and tantalizing cocktail in hand. Whether you’re lounging by the pool, hosting a backyard barbecue, or simply unwinding after a long day, we’ve got you covered with an array of mouthwatering summer cocktails from our venues. Prepare to embark on a journey of taste and discover a delightful assortment of libations that will elevate your summer experience.
At our venues, mixology is an art form, and our talented bartenders have crafted a selection of cocktails that capture the essence of the season. We’re sharing a curated collection of our favorite summer cocktails brought to you by our Venue Managers, Garvey Dutes of Asia Society Café, Elijah Wilkins of Mae Mae Café + Plant Shop, Danny Newman of Café des Affiches at Poster House, and more.
These easy-to-follow recipes are perfect for crafting a cocktail for yourself or to share with loved ones. Get ready to impress your friends and family with these show-stopping beverages, as we lift the curtain on the secrets behind our venue’s most beloved drinks. So, let the clinking of ice and the muddling of fresh herbs transport you to a summer paradise, where every sip is a celebration of the sun-kissed season.
by Garvey Dutes, General Manager of Asia Society Café
4 oz Sauvignon Blanc
2 oz Raspberry Syrup
6 oz Casa Del Mar Cava
1 oz Kiwi Juice
Add Sauvignon Blanc, raspberry syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a bulb wine glass filled with ice. Top it off with Cava and kiwi juice.
Garnish glass with 1 kiwi cube in-between two raspberries.
8 oz Sauvignon Blanc
4 oz Raspberry Syrup
12 oz Casa Del Mar Cava
2 oz Kiwi Juice
Add Sauvignon Blanc and raspberry syrup to a pitcher. Stir the mixture rapidly to ensure the Sauvignon Blanc and raspberry syrup are well combined. Fill vessel with ice then slowly pour in Cava, while stirring gently to maintain the carbonation. Top the mixture with kiwi juice, but do not stir.
Garnish each glass with 1 kiwi cube in-between two raspberries.
by Garvey Dutes, General Manager of Asia Society Café
2 oz White Cranberry Juice
2 oz Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka
0.75 oz Lime juice
0.50 oz Elderflower
Add white cranberry juice, Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka, lime juice, elderflower and ice to a cocktail shaker and shake. Strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a lime twist.
9 oz White Cranberry Juice
9 oz Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka
3.5 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Elderflower
Batch without alcohol (zero proof):
Add white cranberry juice, lime and elderflower to a pitcher and stir lightly.
Batch with alcohol:
In a cocktail shaker add 3.25 oz of zero proof mixture above, 2 oz Charbay Meyer Lemon Vodka and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a glass.
Garnish with a lime twist.
by Garvey Dutes, General Manager of Asia Society Café
2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
2 oz Sweet White Vermouth
1 oz Velvet Falernum
1 oz Lime Juice
Green Seedless Grapes
Muddle 3-4 grapes in a cocktail shaker. Add Hendricks Gin, Sweet White Vermouth, Velvet Falernum, lime juice and ice. Shake, then strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
Garnish with a grape on a skewer.
7 oz Hendrick’s Gin
7 oz Sweet White Vermouth
3.5 oz Velvet Falernum
3.5 oz Lime Juice
2 large clusters of Green Seedless grapes
Muddle 1 large cluster of Green Seedless Grapes and Velvet Falernum in a pitcher. Add Hendrick’s Gin, Sweet White Vermouth, and lime juice to the pitcher and stir vigorously.
Top the pitcher with ice and garnish with the other cluster of green grapes.
by Elijah Wilkins, General Manager of Mae Mae Café + Plant Shop
4 oz Aloe Vera
2 oz Lemon Juice
1 oz Lavender syrup
Add aloe vera juice, lemon juice, and lavender syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir together well.
Serve over ice with a lemon wheel garnish or dried lavender.
12 oz Aloe Vera
6 oz Lemon Juice
3 oz Lavender syrup
Add aloe vera juice, lemon juice, and lavender syrup to a pitcher with ice. Stir together well.
Serve in glasses garnished with a lemon wheel or dried lavender.
featured at Dizzy’s Cafe, Jazz at Lincoln Center
0.75 oz Simple Syrup
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
0.25 oz Chinola Passion Fruit
2 oz Dorothy Parker Gin
1.5 oz Club Soda
Add syrup, lemon juice, chinola passion fruit, and gin to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake briefly. Strain the mixture into a collins glass with ice. Top off the collins glass with soda.
Garnish with a lemon wedge.
featured at Dizzy’s Cafe, Jazz at Lincoln Center
0.75 oz Ginger Syrup
0.75 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1.5 oz Club Soda
Add ginger syrup, lime juice, and pineapple juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain the mixture into a collins glass with ice and then top with club soda.
Garnish with a mint sprig pulled through candied ginger.
featured at The Banker’s Club, Equitable Life Building
3 oz Whiskey
3 oz Apple Juice
1 oz Sour Mix
Add whiskey, apple juice, and sour mix to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a tall glass with ice.
Garnish with a lemon wheel or apple wheel.
3 oz Hot Water
3 oz Sugar
3 oz Lemon Juice
1.5 oz Lime Juice
Combine water and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool. Add strained lemon and lime juices. Store in an air-tight vessel in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
featured at The Banker’s Club, Equitable Life Building
1.5 oz Gin
2 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Tonic
Add gin, orange juice, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a collins glass with ice. Top with Tonic.
Garnish with an orange wheel.
by Danny Newman, General Manager of Café des Affiches at Poster House
2 oz Bacardi Rum
1 oz Triple Sec
0.5 oz Lime Juice
0.5 oz Sprite
Add rum, triple sec, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a collins glass with ice. Top with Sprite.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
by Danny Newman, General Manager of Café des Affiches at Poster House
2 oz Suntory Toki Whiskey
0.25 tsp Matcha Powder
0.25 oz Lemon Juice
Dash of Honey Ginger Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Club Soda
Add whiskey, matcha powder, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain the mixture into a tall glass with ice. Top with club soda.
Garnish with a Lemon Wheel.
Georgette Farkas shares some of her tried and true tricks for staying cool with these chilled soups.
Sharing the perfect way to cool off this summer with our favorite summer cocktails brought to you by our Venue Managers.
Georgette Farkas shares some of her tried and true tricks for hosting the perfect Summer Barbecue.
Georgette Farkas is officially our Culinary Ambassador at Great Performances, but we’ve also crowned her our Hospitality Maven. Drawing upon her experiences working at leading restaurants and spearheading her eponymous Rotisserie Georgette, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. In addition to everything she does at GP across all teams, she also regularly entertains at home, creating incredible dishes with that extra special touch that makes food even more memorable and delicious.
In this series, Georgette shares tips from the caterer’s tool kit to make entertaining at home (almost) effortless. From time saving shortcuts and grocery store secrets to garnishing hacks and presentation magic, she’ll help you host a party that’ll make your guests feel extra special and that you’ll actually be able to enjoy.
She’s also curated recipes for you, highlighting the tips she’s shared. Each month look for dishes and ideas that would be delicious on their own, but that together make up menus that will have you entertaining like a pro.
This month, Georgette keeps it cool with some make ahead pasta salads that use summer’s freshest produce and that qualify as show stoppers – without having to spend hours over a hot stove. Simple tricks like serving the pasta salads in a shallow bowl and reserving some of the add-ins to pile on top of the pasta turn these dishes from an afterthought to a star dish.
I like to make summer entertaining as bright and colorful – and as effortless – as possible. Fresh and healthy are also top priorities. Summer farm stand produce is the inspiration behind these pasta recipes. By all means, adjust them to what you find in your local farm stand, green market or CSA.
As for the pasta shapes, for these room temperature dishes, I suggest short pastas such as gemelli, rotelle, radiator and other bite sized varieties. I would simply avoid tube pastas such as penne or rigatoni, and long pastas such as spaghetti or fettuccine.
These can be made one day ahead, with only minor last-minute assembly, leaving you to spend time with your guests and not in the kitchen at mealtime. If you are making ahead, toss cooked pasta in olive oil and store separately from garnishes. When ready to serve, toss only about 2/3 of the vegetable garnishes into the pasta, leaving the remaining garnish to arrange over the top or around the sides. The exception is the pasta with pesto, for which all the roasted cherry tomatoes should be arranged over or around the pasts, as opposed to mixed in.
As with most dishes made to be enjoyed at room temperature, if making ahead, we suggest removing food from the refrigerator about an hour before serving. The flavors will come to life more readily when not ice cold.
Finally, arrange pasta on serving platters rather than in deep bowls. This enables you to feature the vegetable garnishes on top, rather than having all the best bits get lost at the bottom.
Check out the recipes below or download the recipe packet by clicking the button below.
with Pesto, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Toasted Pine Nuts
Servings: 4 – 6
For the cherry tomatoes
For the pesto
Garnish
For the pasta
with Roasted Yellow and Green Zucchini, Chives, Lemon, Toasted Pistachio, Ricotta Salata
Servings: 4 – 6
For the zucchini
For the pasta
For the salad
with Roasted Sweet Yellow Peppers, Tomatoes, Capers, Black Olives, Yellow Raisins, Anchovies
Servings: 4 – 6
Georgette Farkas is officially our Culinary Ambassador at Great Performances, but we’ve also crowned her our Hospitality Maven. Drawing upon her experiences working at leading restaurants and spearheading her eponymous Rotisserie Georgette, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. In addition to everything she does at GP across all teams, she also regularly entertains at home, creating incredible dishes with that extra special touch that makes food even more memorable and delicious.
In this series, Georgette shares tips from the caterer’s tool kit to make entertaining at home (almost) effortless. From time saving shortcuts and grocery store secrets to garnishing hacks and presentation magic, she’ll help you host a party that’ll make your guests feel extra special and that you’ll actually be able to enjoy.
She’s also curated recipes for you, highlighting the tips she’s shared. Each month look for dishes and ideas that would be delicious on their own, but that together make up menus that will have you entertaining like a pro.
As the weather heats up, we can’t help but want to take the cooking outside. A couple summers ago, I hosted an online class, World Tour Brochettes. I stand by these recipes – they are timeless, delicious, and infinitely adaptable. Best of all, they are perfect for effortless summer entertaining.
Call them brochettes, skewers, kabobs, as you like. It all comes down to assembling well-seasoned ingredients on a stick to grill over open flames, ideally with a little char around the edges. Of course broiling is an option for city apartment dwellers. These recipes take you on a journey without ever leaving home. We could have chosen flavors from countless destinations, but landed in the South of France, Southern Spain and then Thailand.
I’ve paired each brochette with a side dish made with the same seasonings used in the marinades. This makes for a great menu and also simplifies the market list. I’ve also planned marinade quantities so that you will use only a part of it to coat meat and vegetables, reserving the remainder to spoon over the cooked brochettes.
I recommend flat surfaced brochettes, as they will hold ingredients in place when turning them on the grill. Whether rounded or flat, if using wooden brochettes, soak them first so as to avoid burning the ends. I treasure my steel brochettes with decorative brass finials, a souvenir from long ago summer travels in Turkey.
Each of these dishes can be prepared a day ahead to lighten your entertaining load. In fact, the brochettes will benefit from marinating overnight. Just before grilling, tighten up your brochettes, making sure the ingredients are closely pressed together. Not to worry if you’re not grilling outdoors, the broiler setting in your oven will do just fine.
Check out the recipes below or download the recipe packet here: https://docs.greatperformances.com/view/1031572904/
Side Dish: Raosted Cherry Tomatoes
Servings: 4
For Marinade:
For the brochettes:
For the tomatoes:
Side Dish: Carrot, Cabbage, and Kale Slaw
Servings: 4
For the marinade:
For the brochettes:
For the slaw:
Side Dish: Orzo with Safran
Servings: 4
For the marinade:
For the orzo:
For the brochettes:
It’s been a hot summer and we’ve rounded up our favorite summer cocktails to help you—and your guests—beat the heat. Best of all, they’re equal parts easy and impressive.
A sweet, tart citrus blast, lemonade epitomizes summer. We’ve upped the game with the Fashionable Astronaut at The Norm. Created by Loriana Sanabria for our latest menu at Maxim’s at The Norm, it’s the perfect summer refresher. Fresh summer fruit like raspberries or, in this case, blackberries, punches up the color and the flavor of a traditional lemonade. To make Loriana’s version at home, add your concentrated blackberry lemonade base to a glass, add the ice cubes, and then slowly pour in chilled seltzer water to get the beautiful ombre effect.
For an adults-only version, add your favorite clear spirit (vodka, gin, or tequila will all work) after the blackberry lemonade and ice, then top with chilled seltzer. It’s sure to be a hit!
Keep your guests hydrated throughout the party—without lifting a finger. Prepare a batch cocktail (also known as a punch or a pitcher cocktail) in advance and let your guests help themselves. Use clear beverage dispensers and layer in fruits, vegetables, and herbs to add color and flavor.
One cocktail we love right now is Loriana’s Tailor’s White Sangria on the Maxim’s at The Norm menu and an homage to Pierre Cardin’s job as a tailor at House of Dior. Two days before your event, mix white grape juice, pomegranate vodka, orange liqueur, honey, and pinot grigio. Add mint and let it steep, refrigerated. One day before your party, cut up strawberries, lemons, limes, and oranges and soak in pinot grigio.
When you’re ready to serve, combine everything in a large pitcher or dispenser and top with sparkling wine. The mint gives an underlying crisp, refreshing taste, and the sangria is just the right amount of boozy and sweet. Try it today at The Norm at Brooklyn Museum!
Popsicles help guests beat the heat during outdoor parties—and they can serve double duty by keeping drinks chilled. You can add popsicles to everything from sparkling wines to vodka sodas to margaritas. Look for popsicle flavors that will complement your drinks. We’ve
paired sparkling wines pair beautifully with homemade mango, strawberry basil or watermelon mint popsicles.