Alabama Newscenter — Star Chef Remakes Ham and Cheese to Kick-Start Summer Entertaining

By Kate Krader
Bloomberg

After last year’s virtual break, this year’s Memorial Day holiday weekend promises to be a major in-person celebration. Travel is expected to run 60% higher than last year, with more than 37 million Americans expected to celebrate at least 50 miles from home.

That means it’s time to start polishing up on entertaining skills – getting out trays for food that will serve more than the people in your pod, figuring out how to batch up the cocktails you learned in lockdown, and reconnecting to recipes that work for a crowd larger than immediate family.

At this still-surreal moment, Ashley Christensen believes people should show off their favorite recipes – ones they haven’t been able to present in more than a year – and throw out considerations for seasonality. The James Beard-winning chef-owner of a mini empire of restaurants in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, including Poole’s Diner and Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, appreciates summer produce. But she’s become a star for decadent Southern specialties, whether it’s cheese-laden macaroni au gratin or fried chicken biscuits. And she knows that their appeal isn’t confined to cold weather. At the same time, she wants to make a case for the freezer as one of the most powerful, underappreciated tools in home kitchens.

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