Archive for the 'Entertaining' Category
The answer is yes. In fact, I should have titled this post OH.MY.GOD.I CAN’T BELIEVE I PULLED THAT OFF!!!!! (actually I’m so stunned/amazed/thrilled that there should be about a thousand more exclamation marks there)
Everything actually went very smoothly although I pretty much worked the entire day. I started early - about 9 o’clock- doing the table setting and didn’t finish putting away the last items until midnight. I had planned to lay the table on Saturday night but Jon’s overnight dealie left me hesitant to set the table- I didn’t know for sure that we wouldn’t need to eat in there for breakfast. Setting the table took a lot longer than you might think - about two hours. I wanted to get everything just perfect. I also decided to make my own centerpiece because I wanted something very simple that didn’t take up a lot of room.
One thing I can say absolutely is DON’T attempt this without a list/schedule. If I hadn’t had the schedule I’m positive I would have forgotten many things and it would have been a huge cluster. As it was, there were a few things I forgot to add to the list but luckily remembered as I was going along. Like - getting dressed.
I had asked everyone to dress nicely. I mean, if I’m going to all this trouble they could at least show up in something other than a t-shirt and shorts, right? I had planned to wear that black and white dress that I wore to American Girl Place, but I didn’t want to cook in it all afternoon. I did manage to squeeze out a few minutes to get changed but I would have liked a little more leisure doing it.
I was a little nervous about preparing so much of the food ahead of time but it actually held very well. The mashed potatoes, in particular, were still very creamy and yummy. At holiday dinners, it always seems like a race to get the potatoes ready at the last minute. So I’m definitely going to remember that they can be made ahead and kept warm in the oven!
Other things I forgot or would do differently? You can’t make tomato roses out of tomato skins that you roasted the night before to make the soup. Also, if you forget to buy kitchen string to tie up the beef tenderloin, you can use shoestrings to do the job. Just make sure they are new! Another thing? Don’t put the croûtons in the salad until the last minute. They weren’t as crunchy and yummy as they could have been.
There was a little grumbling during the first few courses. The male dinner guests wanted additional servings of the appetizers and soup (which was particularly yummy). I explained to them that if they had seconds they wouldn’t be able to make it through the dinner. They were skeptical but convinced by the time the last few courses were being served. The dinner lasted for 2-1/2 hours (yes - that’s not a typo!). Everyone rolled away from the table completely satisfied.
I forgot to put the lemon roses on the fish dish. I used them on the chicken dish which was a mistake. Not enough color. I should have used my backup garnish of sprigs of fresh thyme but I didn’t want to throw out the lemon roses without using them. They were so pretty.
I wouldn’t do this again next week but it was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed the food and I think they also enjoyed the fancy-schmancyness of it all. And let it be known both far and wide that Vicki absolutely did stay and help with the dishes and kitchen cleanup!
Cross-posted at my other blog.
Garnishes are like jewelry. They put the finishing touches on your dishes.
Normally, I serve my meals family-style. Garnishes to these dishes are usually limited to a sprinkle with some type of herb like parsley, mint or thyme. But when entertaining with plated courses or a buffet, garnishes are a must.
The garnish you choose should complement the dish - for example, sprinkle dish with one of the herbs used in the dish itself. Also, a garnish can add color to an otherwise bland looking dish. For example, this dish could have been made visually more interesting had I not forgotten the garnish.
This dish has the wrong garnish. A red tomato rose would have added some much needed color and a sprinkle of fresh thyme (used in the linguine sauce) would have added color and interest as well.
Notice how pretty these dishes are - the garnish adds the finishing touch:
Can you imagine how beautiful this garnish would be?
There are a lot of great sites that can show you how to make garnishes. A quick Google search will turn up many options but here’s one of my favorites: http://www.finedinings.com/Garnishes.htm
Saturday - the day before the big day. I have a whole new list of things to do today.
- Make the Lemon Sorbet
- Prepare Roasted Tomato Soup; chill
- Make croûtons for salad
- Put fish fillets in refrigerator to defrost
- Prepare lemon rose garnishes; refrigerate
- Pick up centerpiece at florist
- Lay the table
- Plan the schedule for tomorrow’s dinner
Since most of my time today will be spent delivering phone books, I will be doing most of these items this evening after we’ve finished for the day. Luckily, we’ll be having take-out pizza for dinner.
I’ve worked out the schedule of tasks for tomorrow’s dinner. I’ll be printing off a copy of both the schedule and the menu and putting them in a prominent place in my kitchen so that I can refer to them tomorrow while I prep and while serving the dinner. That way I won’t accidentally forget to include a course or a side dish.
I will be preparing as many dishes ahead of time as possible. Some dishes, however, will have to be cooked just prior to serving. I will be using both a warming oven and a cooking oven to prepare the food. I am so lucky to have 2 ovens and 2 refrigerators. But, if you don’t, you can purchase inexpensive buffet servers with canned fuel at Wal-Mart, Target and most party stores.
In addition to keeping food warm, I’ll also be using the warming oven to warm my plates for each course. Most dinnerware (including fine china) can be warmed gently before use. Check your specific dinnerware’s use instructions but generally, you can warm empty dinnerware for serving, in a very slow pre-heated conventional oven - around 150°F - 180°F, certainly no more than 200°F. My warming oven will be at 180°F since I’ll be keeping my pre-grilled chicken in there. Stack up to four plates on towel-lined baking tray and place in the pre-heated oven, repeat with another baking tray for another 4 plates if needed. They should be ready for use in 10 -15 minutes. You must avoid shocks to the dinnerware which can cause it to crack and it should be at room temperature before you place it in the oven. The towel will protect the bottom plate from the heat of the metal. When you remove the plates from the oven make sure you place them on a dry surface as wet can be too much of a shock. DO NOT put any cold liquids or sauces on warmed plates!
Here’s my schedule:
Day of Dinner - Dinner @ 6:15 pm
12:30 PM
Set up dish prep area; Clear all counters - no tchotchkes or unnecessary appliances left out
1:00 PM
Make appetizers; chill
Grill chicken
2:00 PM
Prep tenderloin
Prep fish
Plate salad (chill); prep dressing & chill
3:00 PM
Plate dessert and chill
Put sorbet in dishes (freeze)
Prep coffee pot
Put rolls in baking tray - cover with foil
4:00 PM
Chill white wines
Make liguine sauce; chill
5:00 PM
Make mashed potatoes and keep warm
Warm soup in crock pot
Partially cook linguine - lightly oil, chill
Clean up prep dishes; Empty dishwasher; Empty garbage
5:45 PM
Set up drink table; fill water pitcher
Offer guests drinks in living room
Warm appetizer plates
5:55 PM
Bake mushroom appetizer (400 degrees - 20 min)
Chill red wine
Put chicken into warming oven
Fill left sink with hot soapy water
Plate butter pats (chill); prep bread tray
Turn on music
6:10 PM
Fill water goblets, light candles
6:15 PM
Invite everyone to be seated
Warm soup plates
► Plate & Serve appetizers
Pour wine
6:30 PM
Remove appetizer dishes
Put Fish into oven (400 degrees)
► Plate & Serve soup
Pour wine
6:45 PM
Remove soup dishes
Start water for asparagus to simmer
Warm fish course plates
► Plate & Serve Salad course
Pour wine
7:00 PM
Remove salad dishes
Cook asparagus
Uncork red wine
Bring pot of water to boiling
Put tenderloin into oven (450 degrees)
Take butter out of refrigerator
► Plate & Serve Fish course
Pour wine
7:15 PM
Remove fish course
Warm linguine sauce
Put rolls into warming oven
Warm fowl course plates
► Plate & Serve sorbet
7:30 PM
Remove sorbet dishes
Drop linguine into hot water
Remove tenderloin, allow to stand
Warm beef course plates
► Plate & Serve Fowl Course
Pour wine
8:00 PM
Remove fowl dishes & white wine glasses
Start coffee pot
► Serve rolls & butter
► Plate & Serve Beef Course
Pour wine
8:15 PM
Remove beef dishes and all other dishes & condiments except dessert flatware and water goblets
Serve Coffee
► Plate & Serve Dessert Course
8:30 PM
Remove dessert dishes
Visit with guests - throw them out by 9:30 pm 
*** Kitchen cleanup ***
I’ve completed just about everything on my initial dinner party to-do list. I ran into a snag with 3 items on my grocery list - lemon sorbet, beef tenderloin and white truffle oil. I’ve been to 4 different markets looking for these items with no luck. Tomorrow I will stop by the butcher shop to pick up a tenderloin and I can substitute a plain Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the truffle oil. The sorbet is a whole other issue - I’ll have to make it from scratch. I’ll be serving the sorbet as a palate cleanser but it can also be served as a refreshing summertime dessert.
Lemon Sorbet
Better Homes and Gardens Recipe
1 cup Sugar
3 cups Water
1 tsp finely shredded Lemon peel
1/2 cup fresh Lemon juice
Few drops of Yellow food coloring
Bring water and sugar to boiling in a saucepan. Remove from heat; cool thoroughly. Cover and chill for about 1 hour.
Combine syrup, peel and juice in a 9×9x2-inch baking pan. Add food coloring. Cover; freeze 3 to 4 hours or until almost firm.
Break frozen mixture into small chuncks. Transfer to a chilled mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy but not melted.
Transfer to a 4- to 6-cup freezer container; cover and freeze until firm.
Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 9 (1/2-cup) servings. Serve in pretty dishes with a mint leaf garnish.
Note: This was very sweet and lemony. I would recommend doubling the amount of water.
A really nice touch for a dinner party or buffet is to make pretty butter pats. They are very easy to make and can be made in variety of shapes. You can do this several ways:
- make butter curls with a butter curler
- make butter balls with a melon baller
- press butter into decorative candy molds
- use a pastry bag with a large star tip to pipe softened butter into small bowls or onto individual butter dishes
- use a cookie press to make shaped butter pats
- use a cookie or fondant cutter to cut shapes out of chilled butter
I’ll be using a fondant cutter to make flower shaped butter pats. Here’s how to do it:
Soften several sticks of butter. This is real butter NOT margarine! We like to use sweet cream butter that is lightly salted. Generally you can estimate you’ll need 1-2 pats of butter per person if you are serving dinner rolls or bread. My husband and children are real butter hounds so I’ll be making a lot more pats than that!
While the butter is softening, line a baking pan with waxed paper.
Use a knife to spread the softened butter evenly into the baking pan. Make sure the butter is filling the pan evenly and completely; butter tends to leave pockets of empty space, even when you feel like you’re filling the mold solidly. Use the edge of a frosting spatula, knife or other straight edge to level the butter in the pan. Chill the filled pan until the butter is firm.
When firm, use a cookie or fondant cutter to cut shaped pats of butter. Line a pan or baking dish with waxed paper. Layer the butter pats in the pan, with a piece of waxed paper between each layer to keep the pats from sticking together. Try not to handle the butter pats very much so they don’t soften and distort the design. If the butter starts to soften too much while you are cutting out the pats, put it back into the refrigerator to firm back up.
Refrigerate (or freeze) the molded pats until you’re ready to serve them. I plan to freeze my pats. That will allow me to put the pats on my serving dish just prior to dinner, the butter will be soft enough to spread on rolls without them getting too soft to pick up with the butter pick. Pack the leftover butter “scraps” in a small plastic container and refrigerate to use later.
At serving time, place the pats of butter in a beautiful serving dish or tray. I’ll be using this pretty silver dish and butter pick to serve my butter pats.
If you were going to put your butter pats on a buffet, you could put some crushed ice in the serving bowl and place the pats on top of the ice to keep them cold.
If you make more pats of butter than you end up using, the extra butter pats can be frozen for up to 4 months. Violet would be thrilled to get one of these flower shaped butter pats on a stack of pancakes or waffles at breakfast one morning.
