HOME DESIGN : A SPECIAL ISSUE OF ORANGE COUNTY LIFE : Summer Is Party Time : Caterers Say the Fancy Stuff Is Out, Basics Are Back In

Labor Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day--all are occasions to celebrate. The great thing about summer, though, is that the season itself is excuse enough for a party. And whether the featured chow is as basic as hot dogs and lemonade or as exotic as roasted rabbit and mango daiquiris, informality is the rule.

Summer wears shorts rather than suits and dines from paper plates rather than Lennox, caterer Hillary Harris says.

That’s the direction from the top, you might say. “We’ve seen a definite difference in home entertainment since the Bushes came to the White House,” said Harris, who is a co-owner of Cuisine-Cuisine in Newport Beach. “Nancy Reagan gave us elegance and nouvelle cuisine; Barbara Bush has brought back barbecues and family get-togethers.”

Home-style cooking has returned, agrees El Toro caterer Frank Rayo of Frank Rayo & Associates. “Last summer we were still getting a lot of requests for dainty hors d’oeuvres and such,” he said. “This summer, people have gone back to the basics--steak, broiled shrimp, potatoes au gratin. “

Outdoor grilling is the biggest trend--fish, lamb, short ribs, vegetables. “Everything but dessert,” Harris said. And mesquite is out; orange wood--a local resource--is in. Red meat is in, even if cholesterol-conscious folks are cutting back on beefing up. “We do a lot of mixed grills so that people can have a little of everything--steak, fish, chicken,” Harris says.

Not that the traditional tropical theme has lost any of its allure. There will undoubtedly be enough luaus in Orange County this summer to keep Farmer John in business for a long time.

Still, summer fare in general tends to be a lighter affair. “Hot weather suppresses the appetite,” says Dan Wiencek, owner of House of Catering in Anaheim. “We hardly ever do heavy, sit-down dinners during the summer; that’s a winter-type thing. In the summer, people like hors d’oeuvre (type food) so that they can stand around and mingle. Even weddings are more casual in the summer.”

As for the trimmings, fancy breads and decadent desserts are still very popular, Harris says. “People will eat a light main course, then go for it on the bread and seven-layer cake.” The trend for sweets now, she says, is “chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Everyone loves chocolate.” They’re also eating up the fresh berries and the cobblers this summer.

Afternoon pool-side parties are, of course, de rigueur for this time of year.

Carl Grosso, president of Metal Soft Inc., a software-developing company in Santa Ana, has made a tradition of giving an annual back-yard summer bash at his Anaheim Hills home for employees and clients from around the country.

“These people are party animals,” caterer Cindy Bruyn said, laughing, as she supervised the rather rambunctious group at Grosso’s fourth such party the other day. Many of the 75 or so guests were sporting damp T-shirts and shorts from unscheduled trips into the pool. Bruyn, owner of Love at First Bite in Huntington Beach, had prepared an all-American buffet that featured sirloin steaks and chicken grilled on-site and also included the traditional potato salad and baked beans.

“We’d just finished landscaping our back yard and we wanted to show it off,” said Mission Viejo resident Laura Mellen by way of explaining her choice of a Polynesian theme for a recent summer get-together. “We have a 10-foot waterfall above the pool, so we decided a luau would be perfect.”

Laura Mellen and her husband, Richard, decorated their corner of the tropics with anthurium and birds of paradise, floated lily pads in the pool and hired Polynesian dancers to complement the Hawaiian delicacies provided by Grey Goose Catering by Maxwells of Anaheim. Laura Mellen made silk leis for her 65 guests, most of whom came dressed for the occasion in floral shirts and skirts.

Caterer Danny Brown, owner of Grey Goose, says that for a luau, “we’ll roast a pig on a spit and serve traditional Hawaiian cuisine: lomi-lomi (shredded marinated salmon), poi (a paste made of taro root), haupia (coconut custard), papaya, mangos.”

“It was the best party we’ve ever had,” Laura Mellen said. “I’m already planning next year’s.”

A big part of the tropical theme, of course, is the tropical drink--the pina coladas, peach daiquiris and other concoctions sporting the usual parasol, pineapple wedges, cherries and mermaid stir-sticks.

Actually, caterers say, those kinds of drinks are in demand during the summer even for parties that don’t reach any farther than the back-yard fence for a theme. But not in as much demand as they used to be. In fact, caterers say, no matter what alcoholic drink people are having, they’re having less of it. “People just don’t drink as much at parties as they used to,” Bruyn says. “They’ve become very aware of the drunk-driving problem. We’re serving half the alcohol today that we were 10 years ago.”

The cost to have a party catered will vary, depending on whom you hire. The price tag for a steak and chicken barbecue will be in the range of $15 to $30 per guest, and expect to pay another $200 to $500 for the overall service. Renting tables, chairs, linens, bartenders and entertainment will run extra.

Then again, you can always do it yourself. All you really need for a successful summer party is a barbecue grill, hamburger makings, an ice chest full of drinks and friends.

If you would rather that someone else did the work, however, remember that a caterer needs some notice.

“Everyone is so spontaneous in the summer,” Danny Brown says. “I’ll get calls from people asking, ‘Can you put together a party for me tonight?’ ”

SUMMER PARTY RECIPES FROM CUISINE-CUISINE

MIDORI KIWI DAIQUIRI

Ingredients

3 ounces Midori liqueur

2 ounces white rum

2 ounces pineapple juice

1 kiwi, peeled

Preparation

Blend ingredients with crushed ice. Pour into stemmed glasses; garnish with kiwi slices. Makes two drinks.

NUTTY OAT BRAN BREAD

Ingredients

1 package dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup molasses

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1/2 cup oat bran

2 cups whole wheat flour

5 cups white flour, sifted

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Preparation

Mix rolled oats, walnuts and sunflower seeds together and set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water for 5 minutes. Scald milk, cool to 110 degrees. Add yeast, molasses, shortening, salt and oat bran. Stir in whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour. Add the mixture of oats, nuts and seeds--reserving 1/4 cup. Gradually knead in remaining white flour. Place dough in greased bowl, cover with damp cloth. Let rise in warm place for 2 hours. Punch down, turn over; let rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. Divide in half, place the two halves on a flour board; let sit for 10 minutes. Knead each half until there are no more bubbles. Shape each half into a loaf. Brush with vegetable oil, sprinkle with reserved oats and nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet; let rise one more time until round. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Lightly brush with melted butter. Makes two loaves.

CITRUS SPINACH SALAD WITH GRAPEFRUIT DRESSING

Salad Ingredients

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

2 bunches spinach

1 red onion, slivered

1 whole grapefruit separated into segments

1 Haas avocado, sliced

1 pound Shiitake mushrooms, grilled

Preparation

Combine all ingredients and toss with grapefruit dressing

Dressing Ingredients

6 whole grapefruits, separated into segments

2 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 ounces rice wine vinegar

5 ounces salad oil

5 ounces olive oil

Zest of 2 oranges and 2 grapefruits

1 bunch sage, minced

1 bunch tarragon, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Whip vinegar, add oil. Add other ingredients and mix well. Add grapefruit segments.

BERRY COBBLER

Crust Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Preparation

Combine flour, salt and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture has a coarse, mealy texture. Adding a little water, roll out to 1/8 inch and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Filling Ingredients

2 baskets each raspberries, blueberries and boysenberries

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 ounces ice water

Preparation

Reserving 1 basket each, combine berries, water and sugar. Stir-cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch with ice water, stir well and add to hot mixture. Stir and add remaining berries. Pour into ungreased 5x10 baking dish. Top with dough. Crimp edges and bake at 450 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

MARINADE FOR CHICKEN AND RABBIT GRILL

Ingredients

4 ounces salad oil

4 ounces olive oil

2 bunches fresh thyme

2 oranges, cut up

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3 shallots, sliced

10 whole peppercorns

4 bay leaves

Preparation

Combine all ingredients and pour over chicken and rabbit. Refrigerate 4 to 12 hours before grilling or barbecuing meat.

JAMAICAN CHICKEN Ingredients

8 chicken breasts

2 ounces sugar

1 small onion

2 ounces peppers

2 ounces pimiento

2 ounces tamarind

2 ounces cumin

2 ounces garlic powder

2 ounces salt

3 cups water

6 ounces rum

1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation

Mix all ingredients with water and rum and bring to boil. Cool down and pour over chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours before grilling or barbecuing.

CALYPSO RICE

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain rice

1 small onion, diced

1/2 red, yellow and green pepper, diced small

3 cups chicken stock

3 bay leaves

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

2 teaspoons tumeric

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preparation

Saute onions and pepper, add rice and stir-cook for about a minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes.