Anna Hezel’s Party Tricks for Relaxed Entertaining

If you’re in a cooking rut, it’s time to invite friends over.

Anna Hezel’s new book, Party Tricks, feels glamorous without being stiff. You want to be invited over for exactly the kind of night that’s shown on its pages. There’s James Beard’s signature combo of chopped shrimp and butter, piled high in a goblet next to a tower of saltines. Help yourself! Instead of onion dip, there’s a French onion pie, wrapped in crackly layers of phyllo pastry. Go ahead and cut a slice!

And then, as everyone’s snacking starts to slow, Anna emerges from the kitchen with a tray of hot cookies: “People are like, ‘when did you make cookies?’” she tells me in today’s podcast chat.

The answer: “Last week!” She’s always prepared, with a freezer reserve of sesame-encrusted chocolate chip cookie dough balls ready to go.

Anna truly believes that you can create an inviting environment for friends even if everyone’s sitting on the floor: “I’ve been to some amazing parties at people’s apartments where there are piles of dirty laundry in the corner. And that’s just, like, the reality. That’s okay.”

The most important thing, she says, is that the host be relaxed: she doesn’t want to be “holing up in the kitchen, stressing and muttering curse words under my breath about something I’m cooking.”

Which means the recipes in this book tend toward easy assembly and make-ahead options, like the stunning double-anchovy bite you’ll find the recipe for if you scroll down.

I asked Anna about the vintage vibe of the book. Are there things we can learn from the parties of the past? And things we absolutely don’t want to emulate?

“I think about parties that my grandma used to have,” Anna says, “where she would buy, like, canned shrimp, canned cream of tomato soup, a block of cream cheese, and then mix that all up into a dip: a mousse. And that, of course, sounds so gross to me.”

But when you step back a little, Anna notes, “that is sort of, like, another version of what I’m doing with this book. Like: buying a nice cheese, buying a nice piece of charcuterie, remixing these ingredients in a way that feels like some thought has been put into them.”

No one’s going to be disappointed when you serve silky slices of prosciutto topped with hazelnuts toasted in butter, but the whole thing is three store-bought ingredients plus a lemon—and it takes about six minutes to put together.

And if you’ve done some advance prep, it’s even quicker to assemble fried dates with blue cheese and perky pickled celery—the celery’s so good that I’ve already gone through two jars.

This week’s episode is worth listening to for all of Anna’s advice if you have a party on the calendar. It also made me realize that planning a party could be a good way to get out of an everyday-cooking rut.

Having a fun project and plans to be with friends can shift your thinking: “I think,” Anna says, “asking yourself the question of, ‘what do I want to cook for my friends?’ is a good, sometimes, answer to the question of ‘what do I want to cook for myself?’”

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Win a copy of Party Tricks

This book is a new essential for anyone who loves to host. And there are two different ways to enter to win a copy of Party Tricks from The Dinner Plan.

Details just below but please check your Substack DMs and your email spam folder—I’m still waiting on a few previous winners to respond…

• 🥇 The simplest way to enter this week’s book giveaway is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, March 15, 2026. Becoming a paid subscriber also gives you full access to the 99+ Dinner Ideas list and our cookbook hall of fame.

• 🥈 Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, March 15, 2026.

Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. addresses only (sorry!). Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends March 15, 2026. This send includes affiliate links; a commission from your purchase helps to keep this newsletter (+ the podcast) going.

Anna mentioned:

• Christina Chaey’s Saucy Tofu Noodles with Cucumbers and Chili Crisp (Bon Appétit)

• Lentil soup from Kiera Wright-Ruiz’s My (Half) Latinx Kitchen (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon)

• Yotam Ottolenghi’s Red Lentil Soup with Canned Tomato and Coconut Milk (The Guardian)

• Melissa Clark’s Red Lentil Soup (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Anna’s go-to granola (Minimalist Baker)

• Alex Raij’s mushroom confit (Food52)

• James Beard’s shrimp butter

• Tejal Rao’s Baked Camembert Salad (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Cocktail picks

• Sesame noodles (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Smashed cucumber salad (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Bronwen Wyatt’s Lamb Cake

• Caroline Schiff’s Salted Honey Focaccia (Taste)

• Eric Kim’s Tuna Mayo Rice Bowl (NYT Cooking, gift link)

• Melissa Clark’s Skillet Greens with Eggs, Pancetta, and Peas (NYT Cooking)

• Lucas Volger’s Silken Tofu with Softened Cherry Tomatoes and Soy Sauce (Epicurious)

• Kiera Wright-Ruiz’s My (Half) Latinx Kitchen (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon)

• Khushbu Shah’s Amrikan (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon) — especially the Rice Krispies Bhel and Makani Mac and Cheese

• Marie Mitchell’s Kin (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon)

• Rashad Frazier’s Cook Out (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon)

• Natasha Pickowicz’s Everyone Hot Pot (Bookshop / Barnes & Noble / Amazon)

• Bouillabaisse

From the ad break:

• Made In Cookware: Head to madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.

• Nice Cans: Get 20% off Nice Cans sardines by using code DINNERPLAN20 at JustNiceCans.com

• Find In the Test Kitchen wherever you listen to podcasts and on Netflix.

Maggie mentioned:

• Duck ragu with port and shallots from Meryl Feinstein’s Pasta Social Club

• The Best Backyard Party We Ever Had

• Every cookbook recommended on The Dinner Plan so far

• Natasha Pickowicz episode

• Escargot-Style Mushrooms from Sheldon Simeon’s new book, Ohana Style

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Photo: Linda Xiao

Matrimonio Tartine

From Party Tricks: Easy, Elegant Recipes for Snacking and Hosting by Anna Hezel, © 2026. Published by Chronicle Books.

In Spain, the matrimonio pintxo typically pairs two contrasting preparations of anchovies. There are the deeply umami salt-cured anchovies, which are aged in salt-filled barrels before being cleaned and marinated in olive oil. And there are boquerones, which are silvery-white and pickled in vinegar (these can be found in the refrigerator section of some specialty grocery stores). This recipe turns a baguette, great anchovies, and some Tomato Chili Butter into the red-and-silver striped centerpiece of the snack table. The Tomato Chili Butter adds a warmth and sweetness that complements the one-two punch of salty and briny anchovies. Serve this on a big, cool cutting board with a bread knife.

Serves 8-10

One 20-inch (51 cm) baguette
1 recipe Tomato Chili Butter (see below)
Two 2½ oz. (70 g) tins salt-cured anchovies packed in olive oil, drained
4 oz. (115 g) boquerones, drained
½ oz (14 g) chives, minced

1. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise.

2. Spread the tomato chili butter evenly across both halves.

3. Cover the bread in the anchovies, alternating types. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

Tomato Chili Butter

From Party Tricks: Easy, Elegant Recipes for Snacking and Hosting by Anna Hezel, © 2026. Published by Chronicle Books.

With some help from tomato paste and chili flakes, this butter can bring summery warmth to the coldest winter days. It can turn a baguette, salt-cured anchovies, and boquerones into the Matrimonio Tartine, but it’s also dynamic enough to stand out as a spread on hunks of crusty bread or warm cornbread muffins. And the day after the party, you can toss the leftover butter with hot spaghetti and lots of chopped parsley.

Note: Salt is reduced here for pairing with salty anchovies, but do increase to ½ tsp. for other applications.

Makes 1¼ cups (285 g)

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup (60 g) tomato paste
1 tsp. fine red chili flakes (such as gochugaru or pul biber)
¼ tsp. kosher salt (see note)
2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1. In a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat, combine ½ cup [113 g] of the butter with the tomato paste, chili flakes, and salt, whisking frequently. Once the butter is melted, cook for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and orange.

2. Remove from the heat, and immediately whisk in the garlic, which will cook from the residual heat. Add the remaining ½ cup [113 g] of butter, and whisk to combine. Let cool to room temperature, whisking frequently to keep the mixture smooth. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.