Ask any of beauty’s heavyweights what they prepare for guests when they host and you’ll find that they are arbiters of taste in more ways than one.

Take Aerin Lauder, who, as she puts it, opts for dishes “that are easy and light. I love to incorporate local produce, and other items that are simple and delicious.” Indeed, “easy” is in the name of the lobster paella created by Ina Garten and first published by the Food Network that Lauder favors.

Also on the seafood front, Harry Slatkin and Laura Slatkin start with a simple-yet-extravagant caviar dip, served best with potato chips. Frédéric Fekkai and Shirin von Wulffen favor ratatouille.

“Every summer we love to prepare, cook and eat our favorite dish — la ratatouille. We usually serve it with a loup de mer,” says Fekkai, referring to Mediterranean sea bass.

Bobbi Brown even created a cocktail she named after herself. True to the entrepreneur’s modus operandi, she couldn’t find her right beverage of choice, and so decided to concoct her own.

“I wanted to create a delicious cocktail that was low on carbs and calories and that wasn’t sweet. I also wanted something that was hydrating — not easy to do with a cocktail unless you infuse it with fresh cucumber juice,” Brown says. “Add a little mint on top, and it’s the perfect summer drink.”

Here are the top hosts on what they serve their guests for summer entertaining.

Richard Christiansen, founder of Flamingo Estate, Chandelier Estate and Owl Bureau

Dungeness Crab Dip, by Alex Magaña (serves eight)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. freshly picked crab meat
100 g. mayonnaise
100 g. sour cream
25 g. lemon juice
25 g. bell pepper (finely minced)
25 g. shallot (finely minced)
10 g. mint (finely minced)
10 g. parsley (finely minced)
5 g. oyster sauce
5 g. soy sauce
5 g. fish sauce
5 g. salt
2 g. ground black pepper

Preparation: Combine and mix all ingredients except the crab in a mixing bowl. Gently fold in crab meat.

Frédéric Fekkai and Shirin von Wulffen, cofounders of Bastide

Ratatouille (generally eaten with Mediterranean seabass)

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. olive oil (divided)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 small onion (chopped)
1/3 cup carrot (shredded)
14 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
2 small eggplants (sliced 1/8-inch thick circles)
3 small zucchinis (sliced 1/8-inch thick circles)
3 Roma tomatoes (sliced 1/8-inch thick circles)
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preparation:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F In a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion, garlic, and carrot and cook until tender, about five minutes. Next, add in the crushed tomatoes and seasonings and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Once the sauce has thickened, pour into a two-quart baking dish. Arrange the sliced vegetables in a circular pattern standing upright in the dish over the sauce. Brush with the remaining olive oil. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Isabelle d’Ornano, cofounder and chairman of the supervisory board at Sisley

Fontainebleau (serves eight)

Ingredients:

300 gr. of fromage blanc 0% 
50 cl. of liquid (and cold) crème fraîche  
3 egg whites
150 gr. sugar

Preparation: Mix half of the sugar with fromage blanc. Pour the crème fraîche (must be cold) into a bowl that has been previously refregirated in order to be cold also and beat to a whipped cream consistency. Whisk the egg whites until they form peaks. Delicately mix all three batters with a spatula to keep air in the egg whites. Coat a strainer with a mousseline and let it drain in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Unmold and give it the form you wish. Pour a red fruit coulis on top. Note: you can serve the Fontainebleau with a lemon juice, red fruit salad.

Aerin Lauder

Ina Garten’s Easy Lobster Paella

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups white basmati rice
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup licorice-flavored liqueur
1 1/2 pounds lobster meat, cooked
1 pound kielbasa, sliced
10 oz. frozen peas
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 lemons, wedged

Preparation: Add onions over oil in a dutch oven on medium-low heat. Add in peppers, lower heat, add garlic and stir in rice, chicken stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil, cover and cook in oven at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, then return uncovered to the oven for 15 minutes. Place back on the stove, add in liqueur, and stir in lobster, kielbasa and peas. Cover over no heat for 10 minutes, garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.

Bobbi Brown, founder, Jones Road

The Bobbi Rocks

Ingredients:

1 part freshly squeezed cucumber juice
1/4 part freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice
1 sprig of mint
1-2 parts club soda, to taste
Choice of vodka or tequila

Preparation: Mix club soda, juices and alcohol of choice. Pour over rocks, top with mint sprig and serve.

Harry Slatkin and Laura Slatkin

Caviar Dip

1 1/2 cups crème fraîche
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup chopped chives, plus more to garnish
1 pound caviar
Terra blue ptoato chips

Preparation: Combine chives, sour cream and crème fraîche, then fold in caviar. Top with garnish and serve.