The Art of the Dinner Party

I always have frozen raspberries or frozen fruits in the house, and
vanilla ice cream too, ossobuco.


Good ambiente, Bill. Whereas I would serve the cheese and figs or pears perhaps as a dessert with some dessert wine.

Appetizer could be a honey melon with prosciutto...

There's always cheesewhiz on ritz.

Oho, the velveeta man has come...

Candles are best unless I'm in the room, oopsie.

(Dys, remind me to ask you about candles with a cat around..)

Agree with a lot of OBill's comments. I still like mashed over baked, and mashed can be refurbished with more half and half/garlic/butter/whatever. They always just disappear...

candles smandles, Dante just pushes them off the table to make room to sleep.

I stallwartly represent the clumsy guest. Watch out for us...

Sozobe, a friend of mine is in a similar position. She has been trying to improve her cooking skills for a while but is just recently entertaining in a more formal sense than "C'mon over! We'll have spaghetti!"

She is currently swearing by the Dummies series. Gourmet Cooking for Dummies provided the menu for a recent and quite successful dinner party. Seeing as how Amazon has it available for really cheap, you might give it a try! It provides a number of plans for the whole party, from simple to extravagant.

Hope this helps.

Giggling. I was and partly remain an original Dummie..

g'help me, I might enjoy that book...

What bothers me is making a deal of it. You know how in so many courses of life they say 'just be yourself' - this holds here even more so. Go ahead and flail. People will mostly like you more for that than being any kind of perfect.

My final advice, if I can keep my mouth shut, is - just have fun.

We went to a SIX person dinner party the other night. The food was delicious (first course pasta, second course salad, third course filet mignon. And I don't remember the dessert). But the best thing about this wonderful evening was the conversation and social intimacy. We all know each other well and were eager to get together. THAT'S what makes a dinner party. The formal stuff with relative strangers we use to do--but catered with lots of boos.
It would be wonderful to have an intimate dinner party with Dys, Diane and Osso.

So, get your asses over here. Or vice versa, as we want to see your painting exhibit.

Food happens.

2/3 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
750 g mince (about 1.5lb)
2 tblsp chopped brown onion
1/4 tsp black pepper (Must be fresh ground not the stuff you've had in the cupboard for 2 years)
2 tblesp macadamia nut oil

sauce
425 g can tomatoe soup
juice 1 lemon
green bell pepper (capsicum?) chopped
2 tablespoons tomato relish
2 tblespoons brown sugar
1 cup chopped celery
1 tblsp worchester sauce

combine hamburgr ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Form into patties using a little plain flour to shape. Using the oil cook hamburgers until golden brown. Remove from heat. sautee celery and green pepper in a pan for 2 minutes. Pour off oil and fat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Place the hburgers in a casserole dish and pour thesauce over them. Cover and bake in a moderate oven for 45 mins (serves 6).


for bbq omit the sauce and cook on hot plate occasionally pouring beer (tasmanian cascade larger) over the burgers.



If you use this recipie it would make a good talking point to know a little something about the cascade brewery and tasmania in general.

Soz- I love giving dinner parties. But there are definitely easy ways to do it and hard ways to do it. I find the meat, potato, vegetable option involves a lot of last minute preparation, heating gravy, warming rolls, etc. so that and unless you have a double oven and a great six burner stove-top with a warmer, it's hard to coordinate everything and keep everything hot.

Here's a menu I use in the winter, which has really been popular, because it's warm and filling. It's also easy to do when you're entertaining, because the two main dishes actually taste better if you cook them the day before and then reheat, as it gives the spices a chance to really set.

Jambalaya- I've included the link for a recipe that I really like. I make it with sausage instead of ham, because that's just what we prefer. I have had it with ham though, and that's also very nice. I don't put the rice in the "soup", as the recipe calls for though. I cook the rice separately and then place the jambalaya over the rice, or not, as people prefer- it's less gloppy that way - and really attractive with all the colors ( I use green, red, and yellow peppers).
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/jambalaya.html
I always make a double recipe, as as I said, it just tastes better and better the longer the spices set.

Then I also make a vegetarian quiche, in case there are vegetarians present. I like the classic quiche lorraine, (you can find that recipe in any cookbook) but I omit the bacon, unless I know for sure there are no vegetarians. You can add mushrooms or spinach that you've sauteed in olive oil with garlic or spring onions chopped and sauteed in butter if you want to make it pretty and add color. I also use a little more cheese than the recipe calls for and sometimes all cream - this just makes it taste a lot richer. Again, this is something you can make the day before and reheat and it just tastes even better. I like it cold as well.

I usually go with a green salad instead of vegetables, as that seems more universally well-liked. I 've gotten positive comments on a spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and sliced mushrooms with a kind of sweet vinagrette dressing. You can add or omit bacon, depending on what you know about the eating habits of your guests.

Then I fill in with rolls, etc. If there are a lot of people I don't know and I want to make sure I have enough - I barbecue chicken legs. I like to do this in a pan in the oven, as I think it makes them moister and less dry. If there are kids present, I also make a big pan of macaroni and cheese - again I use cream and two or three different types of cheese (Mozerella, mild cheddar and grated parmesan) and top with bread crumbs and then bake.

As an appetizer, I always have a vegetable platter with hummous. Here's a great recipe for a brie appetizer: Somerset Brie Salad
5 tbsp olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 tbsp white wine vinegar,
2 tbsp french mustard
6 medium sliced plum tomatoes,
12 oz brie
fresh basil or oregano to garnish
Make dressing by whisking the oil, garlic, vinegar and mustard together. Put the slices tomatoes and brie into ovenproof dish sitting upright against each other. Pour half the dressing over the tomatoes. Place under a preheated grill for three minutes or until the brie starts to melt. Add the remaining dressing and garnish with herbs.
This looks impressive, and tastes heavenly. I serve it with either crusty bread or crackers. (I also add a little sugar to the dressing, as it can taste bitter depending on what type of vinegar you use).

Here's a simple recipe for a sour cream pound cake:
3 sticks butter
1 cup sour cream
6 large eggs
3 cups sugar
have all ingredients at room temperature and cream together.
Add 1 tsp vanilla extract
mix in 3 cups flour- sift it in a little at a time.
You can make this in two loaf pans or one tube pan- make sure to heavily grease the pan - I use butter as it makes the outside kind of crusty and nice tasting. Bake at 275 for 2 hours.
This is an awesome cake. It's very dense and you can use it almost as a short cake if you want to add strawberries and whipped cream.

I do all the stuff like setting my table in the morning. I do my baking the day before. I set out glasses and drinks and ice so people can help themselves or assign one of the kids to do the drinks while I'm finishing up the last minute stuff. It does get easier with practice.

I haven't done a dinner party in ages, but I don't think I've forgotten everything.
I generally go the Italian route, largely because what I choose to serve can be done ahead of time. Veal parmagiana, for example. The sauce can be made days ahead. The veal can be pounded, breaded, and sauted ahead of time. The only thing that remains on the day of the party is assemby. It doesn't take long in the oven because you're essentially reheating--and melting the cheese. You can serve this with pasta or some baby potatoes and asparagus cooked quickly in olive oil with garlic. Doesn't take long to cook.

As an appetizer, I sometimes served shrimp cocktail. You can get the shrimp already cleaned and cooked, so all you have to do on party day is put it together and make the cocktail sauce, which takes only a few minutes. (Chili sauce, white horse radish, celery salt, and a few drops of tabasco.)

I've sometimes gone with soup, but that can be time consuming. A simple salad goes fine with the veal.

For hors d'ouvres, I made up a thing--roasted peppers cut into chunks, marinated mushrooms, black olives halved. All tossed in a bowl with the marinade from the mushrooms. Great toothpick nibbler. You can also toss in some marinated arthichoke hearts, but they don't hold together well.

Can't offer much for dessert. I was never good with those. I usually ended up buying something.

BTW, if veal is too expensive for 8, try chicken parmagiana.

I find curries great for dinner parties. They are better the next day, so making ahead of time is great......once you master making the spice base (and the scent in your kitchen is wonderful) or find a source for REALLY good pre made bases, it is easy.


You can make ones to suit veggos, fishy folk and carnivores....and dress them up with interesting accompaniments.

Basmati rice for Indian food........so fragrant and lovely....


I provide really hot chilli sambal for the heat lovers, so that they can add their own heat, and make the dishes to suit the least able to cope with heat.


Mind you, almost everyone in Oz loves Thai/Indian etc foods....dunno if the US where you are is the same?

I swear by Charmaine Solomon.

Or, if you have meat eaters, old fashioned staples like osso bucco are amazingly simple.....(long cooking is the only real key)......and again there is no last minute drama.


That sort of stuff lends itself to roast vegies of many descriptions, drizzled with olive oil and rosemary, or simple butter salt and pepper....again dead easy and easy to serve up...with fabulous bread and salads.


Desserts....I HATE desserts!


I tend to get some luscious fruit and really classy looking chocolates and nice cheese, and serve it arranged beautifully on platters, so they ooh and aah, but it is no effort stuff. Quince paste is divine with cheese, as I guess you know....


Or, again, old fashioned puddings are very popular here......bread and butter pud, summer pudding for summer....sticky date...all those lovely old things, which are actually easy to make and look SPECTACULAR!


Soups make great entrees.....I hate the fiddly stuff like ors'douvres and all....don't often bother with them any more...



I do buy lovely dips from gourmet shops...olive tapenade, pesto ish things....pop them into nice bowls and do crudites, as well as crackers....that and nice nuts tend to keep people busy and happy while you are in the kitchen.


Vietnamese cold rolls are divine for starters.....and can also be tailored to suit vegos and non vegos.....they are fussy to make but not hard. I sometimes assemble the ingredients and get people to make their own at the table. They look a bit taken aback at first, but get up to their elbows in mint and coriander and seafood and bean sprouts etc. in no time....the dipping sauce is dead easy.


Baked fish Asian style is dead easy and looks spectacular....a whole schnapper is perfect. Just make sure it is scaled and cleaned! There are lots of recipes for these...but I tend to just improvise....scoring the skin, and sprinkling some sesame oil, garlic, chili, salt, lemon, coriander etc...bake in foil at first, then remove upper layer to let the skin crisp in the last fifteen minutes or so.



Charmaine Solomon's chili crab is spectacular, and easy, once you get the crabs cleaned! You pretty much have to give the guests bibs, though, which is kind of fun if they are the sorts to enjoy letting their inhibitions down.....it is a hands on food immersion experience.


I find that a bit of a wow factor with something makes people feel special, and some pretty tactile food...unless they have pokers up their arses and will be really put out by this....makes for lowering of barriers and somehow makes the interaction stuff get really lively.

One of my favorite appetizers is gorgonzola cheesecake with polenta crust. You can make it well in advance. This looks very much like the recipe I use:



Shish kabobs can be fun and can be designed for different diets without much fuss. You take care of your meat and vegetables all in one bang. Serve with rice or salad and you're done.

I like really simple, light desserts - lemon sorbet with fresh gingersnaps, something like that.

Your carrot cake recipe is unbeatable. You know you're good at that and it would make an excellent dessert for any party. Serve it with some quality peach ice cream and you'd have everyone thinking it's spring.

Oh!

Speaking of your carrot cake....

I don't know if it holds true elsewhere but cupcakes are all the rage right now in Portland.

Here's a link to one of the more popular cupcake bakeries to give you some ideas: http://www.saintcupcake.com/

There are at least two kinds of women in this world: the sort who enjoy expressing themselves with grace and flair in the kitchen and those who don't.

Part of the point of Women's Lib was lifting the burden of guilt from women in the "Don't" group.

Any fool can follow a simple recipe and achieving the status of a "good, plain cook" is not a lofty goal.

Being a good hostess...that is much harder and you have that part sussed out. You enjoy people. They enjoy being with you.

Who said you had to be Superwoman in the Kitchen? Your mother? Your super-ego? Hera herself?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a cornucopia. Thanks for the recipes and recommended dishes (especially osso, lots from you) thanks for the pointers, and thanks for the much-needed ego boost, boomer. (Why yes, my carrot cake IS good! :-))

I'm seriously considering getting that "... for Dummies" book, Wy, thanks for the recommendation. What I've always done when setting out to master something is to learn the rules and then, once learned, start breaking them. (I'm thinking of my art training especially but it goes for a lot of things.) So while I totally get and identify with what Osso is saying about just kinda blunder and see what happens without trying for perfection, I do like the idea of at least figuring out what the rules are.

You remind me though (and my husband says this too) that I need to just roll up my sleeves and COOK more and not worry so much. I didn't grow up in the Depression or anything but I have this terror of ruining perfectly good food. I HATE to experiment with meat, especially -- it's expensive! What if I render it inedible? I am getting somewhat better at that experience-based "feel" stuff though -- when the meat seems to be done just by looking at it and poking it rather than cutting it open and looking for red, about how much salt is appropriate, whether the sauce needs to be thinned or is about right, that kind of thing. Practice, practice, practice.

The jambalaya recipe looks really good, aidan, thanks! That's something I've actually made before, too (from a mix, though, your recipe looks much better).

And dadpad, wow! I totally need to get a barbecue. We have a deck and everything, absolutely no reason not to have one. (Just money, but we don't have to get the fancy kind.)

Veal (or chicken) parmigiana sounds promising, especially the ahead-of-time aspects.

Lots of good stuff there dlowan, thanks. I think most of the people we've had over have an adventurous palate. I adore Thai and Indian food. I like the Vietnamese cold roll idea both for how it sounds (yummy!) and the tactile aspect you mention, makes a lot of sense.

Maybe I'll try once a week to get together some "real" meal just for the family, so the stakes are lower. (I will write 100 times on the blackboard, "ruining perfectly good meat is not the end of the world, ruining perfectly good meat is not the end of the world...") I cook pretty much every night but it tends to be pretty pedestrian.