On long gray, rainy afternoons it’s natural to miss summer for a moment—the season of garden parties, barbecues and cocktails under the stars, gently cooled by an evening breeze. The feeling rarely lasts: autumn and winter bring their own charms. Think of cosy dinners at home, gathered around a fireplace to roast chestnuts in an old cast-iron pan, the warm, reassuring scent of wood and smoke filling the room.
Summer usually means more space, open-air gatherings and a sunny mood that loosens everyone up. When the warm season gives way to rainy weather, you may need to bring friends and festive energy into smaller rooms, while stormy branches scratch at the windows. As a host, your aim is to make guests feel comfortable and welcome—create an atmosphere of warm hospitality.
How can you make an impromptu dinner feel pleasant and memorable? How do you ensure every guest feels included and engaged?
I like to involve friends in building their own plates so each person can customise a sandwich, pizza or tigella to taste. As a former marketing student, I still appreciate the power of personalised service and immersive experiences—habits from university that work perfectly around the dinner table.
Engage your guests and make them feel special. Turn the meal into an event they’ll remember. At home, this can be as simple as offering an interactive food experience that invites participation and conversation.
It’s like cooking classes for kids: at first they wouldn’t try fava beans, but after shelling and mashing them with pecorino and olive oil, they spread the green purée on toast and happily devoured a whole tray of crostini. You involved them in a messy, fun process and earned their trust.
With adults the same idea applies: people remember the experience and the atmosphere. If you want to mix different friend groups, coax a shy guest into conversation, or get the impeccably poised friend to relax a little, invite everyone into a lively, creative activity.
Prepare warm, fragrant bases—crêpes, tigelle, omelettes, tacos or quesadillas—made with good ingredients. Arrange small bowls on the table with spreads, fresh herbs, cheese sauces and cold cuts, and let each guest assemble their own dinner.
Gradually everyone joins in: bowls are passed around, combinations are debated, and someone will inevitably declare that rosemary potatoes and crispy bacon are the best topping of all.
For a dinner with friends I made these crepes with organic chickpea flour, inspired by an appetizer I enjoyed at one of my favourite restaurants in Colle di Val d’Elsa. I filled them with rosemary mashed potatoes and crispy bacon.
I chose rosemary because, for me (a Tuscan), chickpeas always bring rosemary to mind. Feel free to experiment with other herbs and spices to suit your tastes.
Chickpea flour crepes with rosemary potatoes and bacon
Giulia
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 heaping tablespoons of chickpea flour
- 3 tablespoons sparkling water
- 1 pinch salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the filling:
- extra virgin olive oil
- rosemary
- 4 medium potatoes
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 200 g smoked bacon, diced
Instructions
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Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add 4 heaping tablespoons of chickpea flour, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of sparkling water until the batter is smooth and lump-free. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
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Rinse, peel and cube the potatoes, then boil them in salted water until tender. Drain well.
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Heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with a sprig of rosemary to release the essential oils. Add the drained potatoes, season with black pepper, and gently crush and stir with a wooden spoon to combine flavors. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, then set aside.
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In another pan cook the diced bacon with a sprig of rosemary over high heat for about 5 minutes until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towel.
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To cook the crepes, brush a 15 cm non-stick pan with olive oil, heat it, pour in a small ladle of batter and tilt the pan so the batter spreads evenly.
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Cook the crepe about 1 minute on the first side, flip with a spatula or a quick wrist motion and cook another minute. Stack crepes on a warm plate.
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Serve by filling each chickpea crepe with a generous spoonful of rosemary potatoes, crispy bacon crumbs and a final grind of black pepper.
Notes
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A warm thank you to my lovely models Zizi, Regula and Karin: we spent a long Tuscan weekend together, eating, laughing and enjoying every moment.
