Every culinary enthusiast has a different cooking and entertaining style, requiring a highly personalized kitchen and thoughtful details throughout the home that will enhance their experience as well as that of their guests. With so many elements of entertaining tied to fresh ingredients, meal preparation and perfectly paired beverages, the right culinary preservation configuration and its location within the kitchen or other entertaining spaces will contribute greatly to a flawless event.

As a continuation of our series exploring the variety of these entertaining styles and the accompanying culinary preservation needs, this month we will look at the Weekday Entertainer.

The Weekday Entertainer does not need a special occasion, a favorite season, weekend, or any other reason to gather friends and family. This entertainer sees any – or every – night of the week as a reason to have fun, explore new recipes, create delectable dishes and relax with great conversation over a glass of wine or a handcrafted cocktail.

With a greater frequency of elaborate meals and beverage pairings occurring throughout the week, this entertainer needs a variety of preservation options in their kitchen “control center” to accommodate a mix of items – such as produce fresh from the garden, locally sourced seafood from the market, or appetizers and desserts that have been prepared ahead of time in anticipation of an impromptu dinner party.

A Weekday Entertainer may choose to purchase all of the ingredients for the coming week’s meals over the weekend, or perhaps opts to visit the market many times throughout the week to ensure the freshest ingredients for whatever the day calls for. Regardless of what they have to store, or in what frequency it is sourced, Thermador offers ideal Culinary Preservation Center solutions.

A Weekday Entertainer’s ideal Culinary Preservation Center configuration may include a 30” built-in refrigerator column alongside an 18” refrigerator freezer to provide the optimal mix of storage for the entire week – for fresh items and those made ahead of time.

A 24” wine refrigerator will also make a wonderful addition to this kitchen space, to ensure a chilled bottle of a fine vintage is always on hand to complement the meal or within reach for the chef as a key ingredient in a simmering sauce. A supplementary wine column may also be located within the dining room or media room, where the host may also display a beautifully arranged charcuterie plate for pre- or post-meal enjoyment.

No matter the occasion – or lack thereof – a custom Thermador Culinary Preservation Center will empower the Weekday Entertainer to be prepared to welcome guests effortlessly, even at a moment’s notice.

For the Weekday Entertainer who enjoys preparing a dessert in anticipation of an unexpected evening guest, Lifestylist Suzanne Felber has created a wonderful chilled treat that celebrates flavors of fall and can be chilled to perfection in a Thermador refrigerator freezer: A Chai Latte Boozy Pop.

Chai Latte Pops

Recipe makes eight 3 oz. pops.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups chai latte mix

1 ½ cups half and half

¼ cup Rum Chata

Before you begin, make sure to soak wooden popsicle sticks in water for at least 30 minutes before using.

Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour into popsicle molds. Add in the wooden sticks and freeze in your Thermador Freedom® Collection Freezer Column for at least four hours, or until frozen solid. The Super Freeze feature can assist in making sure your icy treats freeze quickly. Serve and enjoy!