Potluck at Midnight Farm

Potlucks are the friendliest of gatherings. As guests take part in the festivities, sharing their contributions—a dish of pasta, a bottle of wine, a bunch of wildflowers—they share a bit of themselves. Author Tamara Weiss knows this well. A self-described “organizer, assembler, and table setter,” she has all the qualities of the consummate host, as well as years of experience attending and planning potlucks. In Potluck at Midnight Farm, Tamara has captured a year of potlucks on Martha’s Vineyard, from brunches in a backyard garden to grill fests at twilight beside the sea. Each season brings together new faces, old friends, beautiful settings, and great food.

Collected here are more than a hundred recipes from Tamara and her guests, plus gorgeous photographs of the parties, so you too can share in the celebrations and garner ideas to create your own inspired gatherings. These dishes, at once lovely and hearty, are offered by people from all walks of life, from the island teacher to the world-famous celebrity. Each recipe is personalized with a brief anecdote of how the dish came about or why it has become such a party staple. All are wonderfully delicious. There are foods for every season and occasion: Mary Steenburgen’s Corn Spoon Pudding, Daphne’s Fried Chicken (which Bill Styron has served to Bill Clinton), and Grilled Corn Guacamole. Plus superb salads, like Tamara’s Summer Salad, with greens, sugar snap peas, mangoes, and sunflower seeds, and desserts to rave about: Lambert’s Cove Lemon Tea Cake, Judy Belushi Pisano’s Georgia Peaches with Raspberry Sauce, and the ultimate Butterscotch Brownies.

Potluck at Midnight Farm celebrates with charm and class the perfect companionship of food and entertaining, and welcomes readers just as if they were guests. And Tamara gives you all the advice and inspiration you need to send you running to organize your own spectacular potlucks.

Tamara Weiss is the co-owner of Midnight Farm, a gift and home store on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. This is her first book.