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What does it mean to entertain? To create a space for curious conversations and rumbling stomachs? Hosting<\/a>, for some, is like a fine art. For others, algebraic. Writer and cook Jago Rackham<\/a>\u2019s debut book, To Entertain<\/em>, is subtitled: \u201cInstructions for a Dinner Party,\u201d but it is more than a simple etiquette guide or hosting how-to. Part-memoir, part-cookbook, the British cook and writer celebrates the delicious alchemy of gathering friends and answering their appetites.<\/p>\n Rackham\u2019s philosophy resists fussiness and celebrates good food, whatever the funds or friends at the table. Advice flows easily and warmly, and recipes revel in the simple but sumptuous: there\u2019s an oregano and beef sauce ribboned through a tagliatelle that is \u201cnot Italian\u2026not really from anywhere, save [his] kitchen in London,\u201d chicken and rice for \u201cwhen you\u2019re sick as a dog,\u201d and a \u201csort of\u201d ratatouille that bastardizes some Delia Smith. There\u2019s a proper custard, and a very British sticky toffee pudding and trifle. Pointers are offered for cooking for new friends, lovers, and family\u2014as well as dealing with unexpected guests, lateness, getting people to leave, speeches, and the right glassware.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n