Recipes for a Flip-Flop Dinner Party

July 25, 2006 — -- Not all dinner parties have to be swanky affairs with place cards and dessert forks.

You can organize a "come as you are" dinner party perfect for summer evenings, featuring quick and easy dishes plus casual footwear suitable for such a soiree.

Susan Spungen, contributing food and entertaining editor for Weekend magazine, recommends the following recipes and accompanying footwear. You can find all the flip-flops at flipflopstyle.com. J. Crew flip-flops found a jcrew.com.

Gorgonzola Dip and Vegetables & Reef Flip-Flops

This dip is different from the standard ranch dip usually seen with a crudites platter and more like a creamy bleu cheese dip. You can even switch the gorgonzola for the bleu cheese you like. Buy precut veggies at the supermarket, and make the dip on the morning of the party and refrigerate it until it's time to serve.

Gorgonzola Dip Recipe

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1 tsp white-wine vinegar

2 scallions, sliced

6 oz. Gorgonzola, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar and scallions. Stir in the gorgonzola and season with salt and pepper. Serve with raw vegetables. Makes about 1½ cups.

Reefs Flip-Flops: $50. Classic flip-flop with a twist -- they have a bottle opener on the bottom of the shoe.

Minestrone Salad & J. Crew Grosgrain Flip-Flops

Features all the ingredients of minestrone soup -- fresh vegetables, potatoes and pasta -- without the soup. Instead of a vinegar dressing, the salad is dressed with pesto. The salad can be tossed together on the morning of the party, just add the pesto right before you serve. Can also be served warm.

Minestrone Salad Recipe

12 oz. fingerling or small new potatoes

2 tsp. salt

1/2 lb. green beans, cut in half crosswise

1 bunch asparagus, cut the same size as the pasta

1 lb. gemelli, tubetti or other short pasta, cooked and rinsed

1 cup pesto (recipe follows)

1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 jar (6 oz.) roasted peppers, sliced into strips

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring potatoes and cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from water, spread on a baking sheet and let cool. Slice into 1/2-inch coins.

Bring a large saucepan of water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil. Add green beans and asparagus and cook until bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and place in a bowl of ice water until completely cool. Drain, pat dry.

Toss together potatoes, pasta, pesto, green beans, asparagus, cannellini, peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.

Pesto Recipe

1 cup tightly packed basil leaves

1 Tbsp pine nuts

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

In a blender or food processor, blend basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Pour pesto into a bowl and mix in the cheese with a wooden spoon. Makes about 1 cup.

J. Crew Grosgrain Flip-Flops: $22.50. Classic preppy flip-flop with a grosgrain strap.

Chicken Under a Brick & Rainbow Flip-Flops

You'll cook this dish when your guests are over, but you can do the prep by marinating your chicken for days -- or for an hour -- before you're ready to cook it. When it's time to cook, put the chicken on the grill with a brick wrapped in foil on top. If you don't have a brick handy you can use an iron skillet. The brick flattens the chicken and makes it crispy.

Chicken Under a Brick Recipe

3 whole chickens (3½ lbs. each)

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 lemons, juiced, shells reserved

3/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves

1 Tbsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste

2 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and pat chickens dry. Using a sharp knife, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove backs. Discard. Open up the birds and place on a cutting board, skin side up. Press down, leaning heavily on birds to flatten slightly.

Place chickens in large resealable plastic bags. Combine oil, lemon juice, lemon shells, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour over chickens and let marinate at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

Wrap three bricks with foil, covering them completely. Heat grill to medium-high. Oil the grill. Remove chickens from marinade and place on grill, skin side up, with a brick atop each. Place lemon halves on grill and cook until well browned; use these for garnish. Discard marinade. Grill chicken until skin is well browned, flipping halfway through, about 45 minutes total or until juices run clear.

If the skin is well browned before chickens are done, move them to a cooler part of the grill and close the lid until they are done. Let chickens rest 10 minutes, cut into quarters and arrange on a platter with the lemon garnish. Serves 8.

Rainbow Flip-Flops: $45.50. Leather flip-flops in men's and women's sizes.

Hearts of Romaine Salad & Mella Terry Cloth Flip-Flops

This is a simple twist on a Caesar salad. You can buy romaine already trimmed -- it will just need washing -- and mix up the dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, black pepper, olives and anchovy pastes ahead of time. When you're ready to serve, just spoon it over the romaine.

Hearts of Romaine Salad Recipe

1 bag romaine hearts (3 hearts per bag)

1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives

1 tsp. anchovy paste (optional)

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Remove root ends of each head of lettuce and separate leaves. Discard any damaged outer leaves and wash. Dry lettuce and arrange on a serving platter; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olives, anchovy paste, vinegar, parsley and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil. Spoon dressing over the romaine just before serving. Serves 8.

Mella Terry Cloth Flip-Flops: $33. These terry-cloth flip-flops are comfy and great for summer. They come in a wide range of melon colors.

Polenta Cupcakes & Mystique Cork Wedge Flip-Flops

These seem fancy but are very easy to make. Use a typical cupcake recipe but substitute polenta, which is Italian cornmeal, for the cake mix. The icing is made with mascarpone cheese and confectioner's sugar. On top, sprinkle mixed berries, garnishing the cupcakes and the plate at the same time. They're not too sweet, and the berries freshen the taste. The cakes can be made ahead of time, but the icing should be made fresh.

Polenta Cupcakes Recipe

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated

1 tsp. vanilla extract, plus more for frosting

1/4 cup milk

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup medium-grind cornmeal

8 oz. tub of mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for garnish

2 cups mixed berries

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cupcake pan. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With machine running, add yolks one at a time, letting one become incorporated before adding the next. Beat in vanilla, milk and lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cornmeal. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites with the remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar until soft peaks form. Add half of whites to batter and beat to lighten mixture. Add remaining whites with a spatula, folding gently while turning bowl to incorporate air.

Spoon batter into pan, filling cups about two-thirds full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly on wire racks before removing cupcakes. Cool completely.

Combine mascarpone and confectioners' sugar with a dash of vanilla. Beat together with a whisk until combined. If the mascarpone becomes liquid, don't panic. Add 1 to 2 more Tbsp. powdered sugar and keep beating; it will begin to hold its shape again. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

Ice the cupcakes, decorate with berries, sift confectioners' sugar over the tops and refrigerate if not serving right away. Serve remaining berries on the side. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Mystique Cork Wedge Flip-Flops: $79.95. A dressy shoe for dessert, with gold straps and bead embellishments.