>> "Modern Pioneering" is funded by... Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, offering degrees in culinary arts, artisanal food, baking, beverages, and more... ♪ ...Sullivan Catskills, a destination for long walks, casting a line, paddling a stream, and farm-to-table cuisine, located 90 minutes from Manhattan -- SullivanCatskills.com... also in part by contributions from the following... and by the support of generous individuals.

A complete list is available at APTonline.org.

>> I always say that people can disagree on a lot of things but that food is the great unifier.

There's nothing like breaking bread with people around a table, the chance to bond, share stories, and get to know each other on a deeper level.

It's why I love hosting dinner parties at my home.

I enjoy thinking about the guest list and who I can invite that might enjoy meeting each other.

And then, of course, there's the menu.

Food and entertaining is about all of the senses -- the textures, the colors, and the flavors.

Today I'm going to give you some festive ideas for entertaining in your home.

I'm Georgia Pellegrini, a food explorer and author.

Oh, yeah.

I'm on a quest to discover today's masters -- the unsung heroes who are making the best that their own two hands can produce.

>> It is a family secret.

>> So many skills of our past are not being practiced today.

>> There you go!

>> And modern conveniences are driving a wedge between ourselves and the most rewarding things we can do as humans.

Getting your hands dirty.

Come along with me as I discover and celebrate the people who are showing us how to slow down and get back to our roots, because, to me, self-sufficiency is the greatest adventure on Earth.

♪ Tonight I'm hosting a group of friends for dinner, most of whom have never met before.

I always like to plan a menu that can be prepared at a leisurely pace well in advance so that I can really be present and enjoy my company.

So, over the course of the day, I'll be setting an enticing tablescape using items I gather from nature.

I'm also going to make a set of candle holders from shed antlers I found in the woods.

My hope is this meal will enliven all of the senses, spark great conversation, and I'll see new friendships form.

Check out what I have here.

Now, cucumbers make the classic pickle.

But you can pickle just about anything.

With just a few basic ingredients and time, you can use a basic pickling recipe to pickle everything from carrots to Swiss chard.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ While I was in the garden earlier, I saw this beautiful lemon balm, and I thought it would make a great cocktail for the dinner party tonight.

The tang, I think, will go really well with the spice in the stew.

Now, lemon balm is in the mint family, and in a pinch, you could substitute lemon verbena or lemongrass, but it's got a great warm, citrus-y flavor to it.

I'm putting about 20 leaves in a blender along with about 2 ounces of lemon juice.

To that I'm going to add my secret ingredient -- half of a cucumber from the garden which I peeled and diced.

And what that's going to do is just add some extra hydration and water but with a little bit of flavor and freshness to it.

Then I'm going to add a bit of simple syrup.

About 4 teaspoons.

And then, of course, last but not least is our tequila.

Now, if you wanted to skip the tequila, you certainly could.

You could use fresh seltzer water and have it be a virgin cocktail, and that would be just as delicious.

Alright, we've got our 4 ounces in there.

Now I'm going to blend it all up and filter it into my shaker.

You want to blend it for a good amount of time because it brings out the bright green color of the lemon balm.

Now I'm going to strain it into my shaker.

You have to be a little bit patient here because you want to make sure you filter out all the extra sediment from the cucumber.

So just do a little bit at a time.

You can use a spoon to help filter it through.

Move that sediment around.

And it'll help the liquid pass right on through.

Alright, we've got that filtered.

Now, I had pre-chilled the shaker along with my coupe glasses, and I've got a little bit of ice in here.

Now, my final ingredient is an egg white.

You're going to separate your egg yolk from your white.

Okay.

Set that there.

Pour that in the top.

We're going to give this a vigorous shake.

♪ Alright.

Moment of truth.

I'm going to pour this right into our chilled coupe glasses.

Let's see how we did.

Look at that beautiful color.

I just love it.

And you get that creamy top from the egg white, which I always love.

Now, the most important part -- a little garnish on top.

I'm going to use some edible flowers, a little purple to go with that green.

Here's a little borage flower, which I love.

Gonna even put a little dill weed to complement that green.

Maybe a little bit of extra lemon balm leaf, some of these babies, and that's it.

There you have it -- a delicious, tangy, refreshing drink that my dinner guests are gonna love.

♪ The best designer is Mother Nature.

When you think about it, so much inspiration comes from the shapes and branches, the patterns and leaves, the colors and butterflies.

And so I bring these elements to my dinner table whenever I can.

On a single walk, I found air plants suspended in a tree, perfect for a little dinner table intrigue.

I found an orange-speckled moth that had expired and decided to memorialize him.

He matched my candles, after all.

The Texas sage with its silver green leaves was in bloom.

The honeysuckle vines were twirling in a spiral.

The oregano was bolting its small flower buds.

And the scent from the rosemary was so intoxicating that it deserved a place at the table.

And then I accidentally broke a branch from my tomato plant in the garden and was left with a bunch of green tomatoes.

I pickled them but thought, why not decorate with them too?

And then I had a jar full of pheasant feathers from a day hunting in Montana and let them mingle in the branches as if they'd fallen from the sky and settled onto the table.

These are the things that inspired me in a single day.

But something else may inspire you.

It's simply about getting outside, paying attention, bringing it all home with you, and seeing what happens.

You know, deer shed their antlers within the same one-mile radius each year.

Between January and March, I love to go searching for shed antlers, and I can usually find them, and I love decorating my home with them.

For example, this deer antler candle holder makes a beautiful centerpiece on your table.

Let me show you how to make it.

Alright, so here's the first step.

I've drilled a hole in the top of my deer antler.

That's where the screw is gonna go.

And then I've got a copper cap that I just got at the hardware store.

Now, if your candle doesn't quite fit, you can always add a little bit of wax to the bottom later to help stabilize it.

Now, this copper cap is also gonna need a hole in it.

The way you do that is you get a glove on because copper gets hot when you drill it.

So you're gonna want to hold it tight, get your drill in there, fire away.

I've got my hole in my cap.

Now I've got a screw that matches the same width as my drill bit.

I am going to pop that in this hole here, and then I'm gonna match it with the hole in the antler.

I'm gonna take a screwdriver and just twist it in.

Might need a little elbow grease on those final turns.

Get it in tight so your candlestick doesn't wobble.

Now, one final tip is if you do have a bit of a wobbly candlestick here, you can use a glue gun to help stabilize the base.

Just take a little bit of hot glue and glue around the base, and it'll help it stabilize because, of course, every shed antler is different and they don't all have perfectly flat surfaces.

Once you have it where you want it, pop your candlestick in.

Just like so.

Another idea is you can paint your shed antler.

Stripes, polka dots, whatever you want just to give it a little extra flair.

I think you're gonna love this.

It's a great way to bring nature into your home and decorate your dinner table.

♪ Okay, the table is set for my dinner guests, and now I'm going to make one of my favorite salads.

It celebrates heirloom tomatoes, which are at their peak in the summertime.

So to do that I'm going to start making some delicious croutons with this French baguette.

You could use, of course, stale bread, but you can also make your own by just cooking it in the oven till it dehydrates.

I'm adding a little bit of olive oil here, give it some moisture and flavor.

Then I'm going to take some fresh garlic, which I've cut here, and I'm going to scrape it along this crust, and a lot of that garlic flavor is going to infuse into the bread.

So don't be shy.

Really scrape at it, almost like some sandpaper.

Okay, so now I'm going to cut into this bread.

Just gonna make some thick chunks, nothing fancy.

It's all about our rustic look with this salad.

Alright, so I'm going to just take these croutons here, drop them in this baking dish.

Alright, we're going to pop this in a 325-degree oven and just let them get really crispy and crouton-y.

I just went and pinched off a little bit more basil while that bread cooks.

Now I'm going to get my tomatoes ready.

I've got some heirloom tomatoes here, and I've got some sungolds, I've got cherry, I've got grape.

See what you can find at the farmers market or what you have growing in your garden.

I'm going to cut these up.

I'm going to try to use as many as I can, and I'm going to create slices for the base of my platter.

And I'm doing it crosswise because it gives it a nicer appearance.

That cross-section of the tomato has a really beautiful look to it.

Now we're going to lay these down.

You're creating your base here.

I'm going to try some of these gold ones as well.

Get to see the beautiful inside of these tomatoes.

So now I'm going to get some of these little guys going.

I like to keep the stems on when I can.

It adds a little color.

The idea is just to kind of create some art on your platter or on your bowl.

You could even leave some whole if they look particularly nice, like this guy right here.

That one has sort of a chocolate color to it, and this one has got a great pear shape.

This one I'm going to cut into fourths, bite sizes, make it easy on people to eat them.

Add a little bit of basil.

And this is really about decoration.

Tuck them in different places.

Try to use some basil flowers if you can find them, those fun purple colors.

And then I also love to use baby arugula when I can find it.

Some of the peppery spice from this arugula gives it a nice flavor as well.

Now I'm going to add a little bit of my tomato water here.

Just a drizzle.

Gives it that deep, rich tomato flavor, the taste of summer.

Alright, now I'm going to go check on my bread and see how that's doing.

These croutons smell so good.

We're going to add these in here now.

Just enough to give people a bite of crunch and garlic and opportunity to sop up all of these juices -- the tomato juice, the basil.

Different areas, different levels.

I have got nasturtium flowers here.

I'm just going to lay them around, add a fun pop of color here.

And then I have borage, which is a beautiful purple color.

And these are all organic, edible flowers.

That is key.

You want to make sure that it's safe to eat.

Then I'm going to finish this off with some really good olive oil -- simple, full of summer, delicious, and super easy to put together.

It's the kind of thing that's a big crowd pleaser.

Bread is a staple at many dinner tables.

This is one way to use it.

But I just love bread on its own with some delicious butter.

Butter is my guilty pleasure.

I like it garlicky, sweet, savory.

I'm going to show you how to make homemade butter in 15 minutes or less.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I'm making the big dish for the dinner party tonight.

It's a spiced venison stew.

I got it on a recent hunting adventure I went on with some friends.

You know, people always ask me what kind of knives they should have in their kitchen.

They always think they need a big, fancy set, and I always say keep it simple.

You need one good chef's knife.

This is a knife from my good friend Lin Rhea.

It's made from forged carbon steel and antique wood.

He's a blacksmith.

He's incredible.

He teaches blacksmithing and is passing down that tradition to younger generations.

I'm excited to introduce you to Lin and see what an incredible artisan he is.

>> A knife was one of the first tools, so it's considered the basic element that if you have a tool, to pick the first one you pick is a knife.

I shape the blade by heating the material, the steel, and hammering it on this anvil with a hammer.

When I put the steel in the forge, there are certain colors that I want when it's ready.

We've all heard the term "red-hot" and "white-hot."

Those colors -- red, white, orange -- they indicate temperature.

If it gets above white, it starts melting, and I don't want to do that.

I'm working it in the initial stages at its hottest temperature.

So that means that it's softest so it's easiest to work.

When I'm forging a blade, just like a choreography, you simply have to know what you're gonna do when you come to the anvil because the clock is ticking when you walk away from the fire.

The old saying "strike while the iron is hot," that's where the saying comes from, from a blacksmith.

So, every time, in and out of the fire, that's called a heat.

I have to think one heat ahead, one heat.

This thing's just right.

Look at that good color.

I'll forge the point, then I'll push the edge up into the bar, and then bevel the edge, and you'll see it come to shape.

You can see the bevel starting to form.

Now it's time to cut it off and draw out the part that goes up into the handle.

That's called a tang.

Put that in the fire.

It's possible to do this in your backyard, in a shop that you can set up.

So, basically, it looks like a blade now.

I'm happy with that.

It's ready to harden.

When I bring the cutting edge up to critical temperature, it means the carbon has moved in the molecule to the right location.

It is locked into position to a hardened state.

We want it to be roughly cherry red.

Whatever color you stop it at and quench it, that's the hardness that that tool is going to be.

Okay, we're about there, so we're going to go into the oil.

The oil has been warmed up.

Here we go.

The warm oil will take the heat out of the blade more efficiently.

We'll be able to grind it, heat-treat it, and turn it into something pretty and useful.

It's how you use your skill set and that material.

Once you get to know it, you can do amazing things.

This is a finished knife.

Really good for bushcrafting, survival, all-around good blade.

>> I love Lin.

I think he's so incredibly talented.

I am cubing some venison into bite-size pieces.

Now, if you don't have venison, you could use beef.

You could use lamb.

Really, any kind of meat you have.

The goal here is to have it be a muscular cut of meat because it's going to break down low and slow in the pot as it cooks.

It's a stew, after all.

So I'm going to toss this in a bowl here.

And I'm going to add about 1/4 cup of flour.

I'm going to add some salt, about a tablespoon.

And then some pepper.

Get that nice and coated.

Alright, now I'm going to use my hands and give it a good toss and coat it uniformly.

And this is just going to help it have a nice brown when it hits the pan, and it'll form a nice crust on the bottom of the pan and give that stew some extra flavor.

Now I'm going to come over here and I am going to add my coconut oil to my pot.

I'm choosing to use coconut oil, but you could use grape-seed oil or vegetable oil.

The key is to choose something with a higher smoking point because you don't want it to burn.

We're going to do a medium heat.

And then we're going to start dropping this meat in.

Now, depending on how much meat you have and how big your pan is, you might have to work in batches.

You don't want to crowd the pan because you want to make sure you get it nice and brown.

That's where the flavor's at.

Two minutes on each side, then we're going to transfer it to a plate, and then put in the next batch.

This looks nice and crusty.

I love this.

This is what the flour does.

It adds a beautiful brown and crust, and all that flavor is going to build on the bottom of this pot.

And then we're going to deglaze it with our liquid.

We're going to give it about two more minutes on the other side, then we're going to transfer it to the plate and add the last batch.

Okay, these are perfect.

We're going to transfer these quickly to the plate.

You see that beautiful brown bits forming on the bottom of this pot, which is exactly what we want.

Don't be afraid of the brown bits.

That is where your flavor lies.

Now we're going to add another round.

And if you feel like it needs more oil, feel free to add it.

Every type of meat has a different amount of fat content.

Beautiful.

This is about 4 to 6 cups of venison.

And this is going to be the perfect amount for six people.

Alright, we've got our meat.

Now we're going to add our onions.

The place is about to smell amazing.

Get these onions in here.

Soften and brown them.

And to the onions we're going to add all of our flavor.

So here we go.

We have 4 cloves of fresh garlic, which I've minced, and 1 tablespoon of freshly ground ginger.

I'm going to put this right in here.

Ah, smells so good.

I'm going to let this sweat a little bit.

A bit of salt here.

It helps those onions sweat to add salt to them.

Okay.

Then I'm going to add my spices.

This is the best part.

Now, it may seem like a lot of spices, but you can get all of these easily at a grocery store.

And this is what makes this dish.

I have got 2 teaspoons of cumin.

I've got 2 teaspoons of turmeric, which is a really beautiful bright orange color.

And then I've got 2 teaspoons of garam masala.

This is incredible.

It's sort of a mixture, and it's got this warmth and this sweetness to it.

Then I've got 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground coriander.

Then I've got 1 teaspoon of cardamom.

This is one of my favorites.

I love it for sweet and savory dishes.

And then last but not least, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne just to give it a little heat.

I am going to stir this all in.

And things are going to get really dry, and it's almost going to be like a paste, and that's actually what you're looking for.

The heat is going to really bring out the aroma and the flavor and the oil in these spices.

Ah, it smells incredible.

Alright, now I'm going to add my liquids.

This is 4 cups of chicken stock.

Now, I'm using some homemade, but you could, of course, use anything you can find in a grocery store.

This is looking beautiful.

I'm going to add in my tomato puree.

It is one 10.75-ounce can, which you can get easily in a grocery store.

And as I'm stirring here, I'm scraping up those brown bits that we created when we browned the meat.

And then I'm going to add in my chickpeas.

This is just one standard can of chickpeas.

And then my sweet potatoes.

This is about 2 sweet potatoes that I diced up.

And then my heavy cream.

I have 1/2 cup of heavy cream here.

And this is going to actually temper the flavor so that the spices are not overwhelming but they shine.

Look how beautiful that is.

Then we're going to add the meat back now.

Just pour all this right in, all those juices, all that browned meat.

Perfect.

We're going to let this cook partly covered on the stove at a low heat, just a simmer, for two to three hours until the meat is falling apart and tender.

All of this liquid is going to reduce.

The sweet potatoes are going to soften, and it's going to become this beautiful golden, stew-y deliciousness.

My guests are going to love it.

Here you go, guys.

>> That looks amazing.

>> Thank you!

>> Good hospitality is about making your guests feel relaxed and at home.

And more importantly, a gathering in your home should be true to who you are.

Always include elements that are unique to you.

Your guests will appreciate the personal touch.

Let's dig in.

Bon appétit.

♪ ♪ >> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

♪ ♪ >> To learn more about the topics featured on this episode, log on to GeorgiaPellegrini.com or follow along on Georgia's Facebook and Instagram pages for weekly "Modern Pioneering" adventures, tips, and recipes.

"Modern Pioneering" is funded by... Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, offering degrees in culinary arts, artisanal food, baking, beverages, and more... ♪ ...Sullivan Catskills, a destination for long walks, casting a line, paddling a stream, and farm-to-table cuisine, located 90 minutes from Manhattan -- SullivanCatskills.com... also in part by contributions from the following... and by the support of generous individuals.

A complete list is available at APTonline.org.