On the Go with Danielle Rollins

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Sara Hanna

Mixing a dash of glamour with an approachable style, Danielle Rollins recently shared her flair for gracious living and stylish entertaining with Peachy. A native of Dallas, Danielle now lives in Atlanta with her children and a menagerie of animals. She is passionate about travel, cooking, gardening and all things design-related. According to Danielle, “I love the lights, camera, action of a party! I enjoy every second of entertaining from the initial spark of inspiration and the preparation logistics, to the final zip of my dress, the greeting of friends, and the sound of tinkling glasses blending with the music. Celebrations allow me not only to express myself but also to express my love for family and friends. Entertaining enables suspension from the real world and escape from the near-constant digital onslaught; it gives loved ones a chance to truly connect in the moment and create lasting memories.” Danielle doesn’t believe in a right or wrong way to entertain. With a little effort and imagination, simple ingredients used abundantly and a sense of humor and humility, she believes that entertaining can have a truly transformative effect.

Are their certain childhood experiences or people that have influenced you?
I was born with the design gene, and I was that odd little child who soaked up visual inspirations from all sources like a sponge. I spent hours daydreaming, used my allowance to buy beautiful things and was constantly creating. My parents were (and still are) very supportive and gave me free rein, as both appreciate my flair, but neither have it. They would walk through rooms and say, “Oh, I like what you have done this week,” when I had repainted the entire room and reupholstered all the furniture using sheets. My mom encouraged my experimentation in the kitchen and tolerated being redressed head-to-toe to go to the grocery store. I attended Catholic schools which are not exactly the aesthetic center of the universe, but I sometimes think that lack of any design stimulated my ability to see the what if and possibility of a room now. My grandmother was a big influence on me in my early years, and to this day when I feel elegantly attired or particularly glam, I think of her.

Did you cook or entertain with your mother or grandmother?
My grandmother owned Bob White’s Bar-B-Que, one of those old Dallas fixtures, and I thought going there was magic. I grew up with her recipes, watching my mother cook and then cooking with her. I am more adventurous only because I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. The saying in our house is that, “if you like it you better eat as much as you can because it won’t be on the table again!” An exaggeration—but I do love trying new things just for the joy of experimenting. My mother and I still cook together a lot, and holidays are all about the kitchen; we plan the menus in advance and spend days cooking. It is something I really treasure.

When did you realize your love for entertaining?
When I was a child, I begged my grandmother for a tea set, and she bought me a beautiful porcelain set from Spode at the downtown Neiman Marcus. I subjected everyone to daily tea parties. I think I love the suspended reality that entertaining provides, the temporary stop of the real world and the connection with one another. A pretty table setting, no matter what is being served, just makes everything better.

Tell us a little about your book.
I love my book, Soiree Entertaining with Style, because it has so many layers of sentimentality to me. I wrote this book as my marriage was falling apart. It stands for everything I believe in. At the core, it is who I am, how I feel and what I believe, and it makes me so giddy and happy every single time someone picks it up and experiences a moment of joy! I never thought this would happen—I didn’t write it for any monetary expectation and only wanted other people to see the possibility of beauty in all things and with others.

Where is your favorite place to eat dinner?
Right now I am in a very small and limited rental home while my new house is being renovated. I cannot find my underwear let alone a cloth napkin, so it is all about the prospects of what will be. I can’t wait to have dinner outside with my mom, my children and Bill Ingram, my architect and partner, when this is all said and done!

What is your favorite weekend getaway?
At the moment…Chicago! It is a smaller, more beautiful and refined NYC, and the people are fabulous. If you don’t know Chicago you are missing out.

What is your go-to hostess gift?
I have the luxury of ribbon-wrapping a signed copy of my book. But I love to give cocktail napkins, vintage bar accessories and hard to find liquors with recipes.

Do you have a style icon?
Grace Kelly, Grace Kelly, Grace Kelly.

Do you have a favorite blog or publication?
I do! Danielle Rollins » Gracious Living & Stylish Entertaining!

What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I am actually quite shy. I think I love entertaining because it gives me the chance to orchestrate, direct, participate and observe. Or maybe I should have been a dictator? Same skills just better taste!

What is your favorite lunch spot with friends?
I love going to Anis Bistro. It is so quintessentially French to me.

What is your next project?
I am renovating a 1970 red brick Georgian, and it is now stripped bare, down to the studs, completely being redone, much like I am personally. We are rebuilding brick by brick—watch out world!

Tell us a little about the beautiful fall table that you have set.
I don’t believe in a single use for anything or any room. The table is a console/desk from a bedroom. I love the fall tones, so I brought it outside for a dinner table. I didn’t have proper chairs, so I used a chambray sheet to cover hay bales for seating. The rest is all things pulled from around the house and things that I love! Use what you have and have what you need, let nature be your guide, recycle, reuse and reinvent, buy what you love and you will find a place for it, use it or lose it. Really that is all you ever need to know!

[schema type=”recipe” name=”Roasted Chicken with Risotto and Mushroom Fricassee” image=”http://peachythemagazine.com/peachy/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/onthego08.jpg” ingrt_1=”2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil” ingrt_2=”8 chicken breasts, skin on, preferably free-range” ingrt_3=”Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper” ingrt_4=”1 tablespoon unsalted butter” ingrt_5=”3 thyme sprigs” ingrt_6=”1 parsley sprig” ingrt_7=”1 clove garlic, crushed” ingrt_8=”Risotto (see recipe below)” ingrt_9=”Mushroom Fricassee (see recipe below)” instructions=”Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When oil starts to shimmer, add chicken, skin side down, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Sear until skin is brown and crisp. Flip chicken and place the pan in oven. Roast, basting chicken every 10 minutes with the juices, until the thickest part of meat registers 160°. When chicken is done, place the pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add butter, thyme, parsley and garlic. Baste again for about one minute. This will impart the flavor of the herbs to the chicken and make it extra juicy. Let chicken rest four minutes after basting. To serve, place a helping of risotto on each plate, a little off center. Lay a chicken breast on top of each helping of risotto, overlapping it slightly, then spoon mushroom fricassee on top of the chicken and serve immediately. ” ] [schema type=”recipe” name=”Risotto” ingrt_1=”2 quarts chicken stock” ingrt_2=”6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided” ingrt_3=”3 tablespoons olive oil” ingrt_4=”4 shallots, minced” ingrt_5=”3 celery ribs, minced” ingrt_6=”3 cups Arborio rice” ingrt_7=”1 cup dry white wine” ingrt_8=”1 cup grated Parmesan cheese” ingrt_9=”3/4 cup heavy cream” ingrt_10=”Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper” instructions=”Heat stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Heat 4 tablespoons of butter and the oil in a large pan and sauté shallots and celery over medium heat until tender. Add rice and coat thoroughly with butter and oil. Stir frequently but allow the grains of rice to toast. After about two minutes, deglaze the pan with wine. Let wine reduce until evaporated, then start ladling in hot stock a few ladlefuls at a time. Allow rice to absorb each ladle of stock before adding more. Stir with a wooden spoon every minute or so and make sure that no rice sticks to bottom of pan. Repeat until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked but still al dente, about 14 minutes. Finish risotto by stirring in remaining butter, Parmesan and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.” ] [schema type=”recipe” name=”Mushroom Fricassee” ingrt_1=”1 pound fresh wild mushrooms, such as morel, shiitake or chanterelle” ingrt_2=”1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided” ingrt_3=”1/4 cup all-purpose flour” ingrt_4=”2 tablespoons olive oil” ingrt_5=”3 shallots, sliced” ingrt_6=”1/2 cup dry white wine” ingrt_7=”3 cups organic chicken broth” ingrt_8=”1 bay leaf” ingrt_9=”2 sprigs fresh thyme” ingrt_10=”1 sprig parsley” ingrt_11=”Dash of Cognac” ingrt_12=”Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper” instructions=”Remove stems and any dirt from mushrooms, using a damp cloth; cut into large pieces. Melt ¼ cup butter with flour in a medium-size saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes and making sure that the roux does not brown. Reserve. Heat oil with remaining ¼ cup butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sauté; you may have to do this in several batches. Avoid stirring too frequently in order to allow mushrooms to brown. Add shallots and reduce heat to medium. Cook until shallots are translucent; deglaze pan with wine then let alcohol evaporate, about two minutes. Add broth and roux and stir. Tie bay leaf, thyme and parsley together with kitchen string and add to mushrooms. Let cook until stock is reduced by half. Add Cognac and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool in an ice bath and refrigerate, or keep warm if using immediately.” ] [schema type=”recipe” name=”Chamomile-Thyme Brown Derby” image=”http://peachythemagazine.com/peachy/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/onthego09.jpg” ingrt_1=”12 ounces Chamomile and Thyme Honey Simple Syrup (see recipe in the instructions)” ingrt_2=”16 ounces Bulleit Bourbon” ingrt_3=”16 ounces freshly squeezed Ruby Red grapefruit juice, readily available in most supermarkets (or 3 to 4 medium grapefruit)” ingrt_4=”Freshly squeezed lemon juice, enough for a dash in each glass” ingrt_5=”8 lemon wedges” ingrt_6=”Ice, enough for 8 glasses” ingrt_7=”8 double old-fashioned glasses” instructions=”Mix the bourbon, grapefruit juice and simple syrup in a pitcher. To serve individual drinks, add ice to double old-fashioned glasses and fill with the Brown Derby mix. Squeeze in a dash of lemon juice, then garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of thyme. CHAMOMILE AND THYME HONEY SIMPLE SYRUP: Combine equal parts honey and water in a saucepan (about 2 cups each). Add a chamomile tea bag and 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme. Heat, stirring constantly, until honey dissolves. Let cool and strain into a container until ready to use. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.” ] [schema type=”recipe” name=”Holeman & Finch Apple Pies with Cinnamon Ice Cream” image=”http://peachythemagazine.com/peachy/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/onthego10.jpg” description=”This recipe was inspired by the wonderful fried pies served at Holeman & Finch, a favorite gastropub and watering hole in Atlanta known for their late-night snacks. TIME-SAVING TIP: These pies can be prepared, but not baked, and placed in the freezer until you are ready to use them, up to a month in advance. Then on party day, pull them out of the freezer and bake them while you’re eating dinner.” ingrt_1=”3 3/4 cups bread flour” ingrt_2=”Pinch of sea salt” ingrt_3=”12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter” ingrt_4=”1 large egg” ingrt_5=”6 tablespoons cold water” ingrt_6=”Dash of white vinegar” ingrt_7=”Flour (for dusting)” ingrt_8=”1/2 cup melted butter (for brushing pies before baking)” ingrt_9=”1 pound apples such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith or Fuji, diced” ingrt_10=”3 1/2 tablespoons sugar” ingrt_11=”Pinch each of salt, ground allspice, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger and ground nutmeg” ingrt_12=”Dash of vanilla extract” ingrt_13=”2 tablespoons cornstarch” instructions=”To make tart dough, combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add butter and mix until a coarse meal forms. Combine egg, water and vinegar in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ones, mixing only until the dough comes together, adding more cold water as needed. Roll the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes. To make apple filling, place apples in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add all remaining ingredients except cornstarch. Stir well to combine. Cook until apples begin to soften. Remove from heat. Strain all liquid from apples into another container, reserving apples. Pour the liquid back into the pot and warm the liquid over medium heat. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water into a slurry (thin paste). Once the liquid on the stove has warmed, slowly add the slurry, stirring continuously until smooth. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, add back to the apples and stir to thoroughly incorporate. Refrigerate until chilled. To prepare tarts, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1⁄8 inch thick. Mold dough into 6-inch flat rounds. Fill the tart rounds with 1 tablespoon of the apple filling. Crimp the edges of the tarts, using the tines of a fork. If preparing in advance, freeze until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°. Brush both sides of each tart with melted butter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes on a rimmed cookie sheet; bake 7 to 10 minutes longer if the pies are frozen. Serve hot. Sprinkle each tart liberally with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar glaze and top with cinnamon ice cream, if desired (see recipes below).” ] [schema type=”recipe” name=”Cinnamon Ice Cream” instructions=”Let ½ gallon of your favorite store-bought vanilla ice cream soften a bit (you don’t want it completely melted). Place softened ice cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and gently fold in 4 to 6 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Refreeze and serve on top of the hot apple pies. CINNAMON SUGAR: Blend together ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE: Combine ½ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons warm water. Whisk until smooth.” ]

Recipe inspired by the fried pies served at Holeman & Finch