“What can I bring?” This is the first question that everyone asks when invited to a party. Luckily, my new cookbook – this should be easy to remember, it’s called What can I bring with me? – There are 75 solutions to very stressful questions, including dips, drinks, salads, desserts, and a chapter on homemade food gifts when you’re told to “just take yourself.”
But of course, it’s not just about bringing something. Here are some simple rules that, in my opinion, not only make you a good guest, but also make you a great guest.
1. Please be honest. Make sure you are committed to cooking that suits your dillydallying or very punctual self. If you’re always on time, bring your appetizers. If you are definitely late, bring your drinks. If you have nothing else, bring a small present.
2. Please prepare. The best guests arrive with dishes ready to go without needing a fridge shelf or oven rack. Don’t expect to derail the host’s culinary Tetris’ careful game of cooking for your own.
3. Please cheer. Trust me, I’m not on a sticky counter of seltzer and beer buckets or alcohol with a blender. But when everyone appears in cheap bottles of foam, it literally becomes a champagne problem. Make sure you bring a little vision to the drink you bring (my book has an entire chapter to empower you) – in a room full of cans, we all. Signature cocktail.
4. thank you. My friends Kyle Marshall and Julia Bainbridge are two of the most naturally elegant people I know. I once gave Kyle a drink for a group dinner and Julia had a small brunch. Two business days later, every time I was just saying thank you for the card sitting in my mailbox. The thank you card is an old-fashioned gesture that is still landing in this century. Even if the card doesn’t suit the occasion, a simple text will go a long way to view and appreciate the host.
5. It ends with a sweet note. My Friend Emily It was so easy and cool that I haven’t recovered yet as it appeared on a movie night filled with warm cookies and gallons of milk. Bringing a playful dessert is always the right answer.
So, with that note, when we head to summer, I’m going to share my secret weapon, Stop the show, Gettem Talk Dessert: Mosaic Gel-o. Promise me when someone praises you for your impeccable taste, throw a shameless plug for me: “It’s from What can I bring with me? By Casey Elsass. Have you read it? ”
Mosaic Gel-o
from What can I bring with me? By Casey Elsass
Services 10
Start this recipe two days in advance
The mosaic gelatin is a simple preparation of a cut-up Jell-o multicolored square, hanging like stained glass as it blends into a beautifully milky cloak of Zeltin. My friend Vivienne is a fanatic of Gelou and when I bring this sculpture as a dessert, I will never forget that her eyes pop out of her head. If Jell-O is the perfect summer dessert (and don’t argue with me), this is the perfect way to present it.
3 (3oz) Box Jell-O in a variety of flavors and colors
Find a 1 oz box of 7 packets with no flavor (Flavor) Knox-free gelatin Next to Jell-O. Each contains 4 packets, so you get two boxes)
Non-stick cooking spray
½ cup of cold water
1 (12 oz) has evaporated milk
whole milk
1 (14 oz) can sweeten condensed milk
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
Place Jell-O flavors from lightest to darkest to darkest. (This way you can run batches one after the other without stopping and washing the bowl.) Start with the lightest and pour the flour into a medium bowl. Add one packet of tasteless gelatin and whisk until they are combined. Bring the water to a boil, measure 1 cup and pour into a bowl. Whisk until the powder is completely dissolved, then whisk 1 cup of very cold water. The mixture is poured into a quart container, covered and refrigerated overnight, and Jell-O is set to perfection. Repeat two more packets of tasteless gelatin, along with the other two boxes of Jell-O.
The next day, run a vertically enclosed knife in each container, cut the jel-O into squares, then cut around the boundary for easy release. Using a knife, coax the jel-o out and into a large bowl. If you have some small bits, it’s completely fine. Just add it to the mosaic effect. Take a little time here and coat the 10-inch bunt pan very thoroughly with a non-stick spray and flip it upside down in the sink so that the spray spreads evenly without pooling it to the bottom.
Pour cold water into a medium pan. Pour the remaining 4 packets of unseasoned gelatin into the pan and whisk a few times to mix. Set the timer for 5 minutes or until gelatin moisturizes the solid mass. Pour evaporated milk. Fill an empty can in the middle of whole milk (¾ cup to be precise) and pour it in. Set the pot over low heat. At first nothing happened, but after about a minute, you can start whipping slowly as the gelatin dissolves in the milk. Continue whisking for about 2 more minutes until you get a completely smooth milk mixture. Remove from the stove and whisk the condensed milk and vanilla. Allow the mixture to cool completely, whisk for about 15 minutes, then whisk again.
Flip the band over to the right. Scatter a layer of Zeloo’s cubic layer along the bottom of the pot, mix the colours as you go, then lather the milk mixture until it’s almost covered. Keep Jell-O and milk alternately, but take it slowly as each layer of Jell-O replaces the milk and raises the pot even further. It fills almost at the top, leaving about 1⁄2 inch of space. Cover the pan thoroughly with aluminum foil and carefully slide it into the fridge. Let’s leave it again overnight.
To make sure mold is released easily, fill a large bowl with warm water and slowly soak the bundle to allow the water to come to half the sides. Hold there for 2-3 seconds, then tap the outside of the Bundt Dry, especially within the central tube. Place the bunt in one hand, place the serving plate on top and make sure it is in the center. Place your other hand on the plate and quickly turn it over. If the mold doesn’t fall onto the plate (that’s true! But just in case!), don’t panic. Lightly tap the counter plate. If that fails (it’s not! But just in case!), turn it over and take another soak in water. Serve with a pie server or knife so that everyone can cut their slices.
Cover the remaining Jell-O with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a week.
Casey Elsas He is a food writer, recipe developer and cookbook author living in Brooklyn. What can I bring with me? It’ll come out next week. His recipes appear in Bon Appétit, Delish, Epicurious, and Food52. In his free time, he takes part in opera, eats his way around the world, enjoys rsvp-ing to invite all party. Toby and I met him last summer and fell in love right away – Casey is a real deal!!!
5 fun things we noticed at the PS Drink Party and 7 rules to be a great dinner host.
(Photos by Gentl and Hyers, hood styling by Tyna Hoang, prop styling by Stephanie de Luca. What can I bring with me? Casey Elsass©2025. UnionSquare & Co. , a trace of Grand Central Publishing, a division of the Hachette Book Group.
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
