|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
Also this issue: Welcome to the Pub:
Mary Ellen and Chris Mullins Girlfriends:
Valerie Ferguson and Melonease Shaw Homeware for the Holidays:
Ken Foster Carm, All Ye Faithful The Feasting Begins Maxis minis World Party |
|
|
|
|
 |
|||||||||
December 12-18, 2002
cover story
Everything else you need to know about holiday entertaining.
Newsflash: There is such a thing as too much food. And there is certainly such a thing as too much food before dinner. As expected, overfeeding usually occurs because new or nervous hosts confuse those ornate hors d'oeuvres served at cocktail parties in lieu of dinner with the little teasers meant to enhance a guest's appetite before dinner. Think of the best restaurant bars you've ever frequented while waiting for your table: Did anyone offer you a cube of chicken impaled on flimsy bamboo skewer with some drippy sauce? No, they didn't; they tendered bite-sized snacks (like olives and salted nuts) that kept your hand straying back to the bowl over and over again. That's exactly what you want to serve before dinner in your home, something to occupy your guests while you are putting the final touches on dinner; something that introduces the idea that the real meal is on the way. In spite of changing tastes and appetites, the top pre-dinner snacks remain tiny, salty, crispy, cheesy, and are best eaten out of hand.
Olives may be the perfect appetite enhancer, and taking the time to scout out good ones from a fancy food supermarket (many of which have "olive bars" for sampling) or ethnic grocery is well worth the trouble. According to olive expert Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of the legendary Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Mich., "contrary to what you might think, green and black olives do not come from two different trees. The color of an olive is related to the degree of ripeness at the time it was picked. As you would expect with many other types of fruit, green olives are not ripe and usually have a firm, almost crisp, texture (again, think of the texture of any unripe fruit) and a nutty flavor. Black olives, on the other hand, are those that have been allowed to remain on the branch until they're fully ripe. As it would with other ripe fruit, the added maturing means they will be softer of texture, sweeter and richer in flavor."
When it comes to nuts, don't settle for anything called a "party mix." People will just paw through and pick out the cashews anyway. Focus on a single kind of nut (shelled, of course), like roasted Spanish almonds with sea salt (roasting intensifies the flavor), or a "treated" nut (in a mild but intriguing flavor like sugared/cumin pecans). Although the shells of nuts are a natural defense from heat, light and moisture, shelled nuts are not afforded the same protection. (Fresh nuts will break rather than bend.) Whether packaged in a vacuum-sealed glass jar, can or plastic bag, buy shelled nuts in small quantities from a store with a rapid turnover (lots of customers; very little dust).
Save the hand-crafted pottery for your next garden party and hide those bar-theme doodads; the right look for cocktail starters is metro-modern. Take a minimalist approach and work with the sleek, clean lines of shallow porcelain (or china) plates and bowls to keep your offerings looking crisp and sculptural. Choose varying shapes and sizes in the same color family for a rich tone-on-tone contemporary look (that means there will be a unifying thread between the dishes regardless of their silhouette). You can go to extremes with black or white, or select from a middle neutral plate (like cool grays and celadon green), letting the food provide the color. Other possibilities include relish or tapas trays (a modular set of dishes that fit on a tray to form compartments) and olive boats (long narrow "troughs" designed to hold not only olives but nuts in a single layer instead of piled in a bowl).
It only takes one word to describe the best kind of floral decoration: nonchalant. A stiff, formal "centerpiece" (that looks like something you might find in a hotel lobby) can take the fun out of any table setting. Even if you have little floral sense (and even less occasion to come in contact with a florist who does), it doesn't take much to pull off a simple but sophisticated style: Think supper club.
Buy a few small vases (none taller than 6 inches). Since stems are the ugliest part of a flower, consider something other than clear glass, like earthenware or ceramic (the more narrow the opening the more tightly the stems will be held together, allowing the blooms to spread). Another good choice is a timeless silver or silver-plate mint julep cup.
Pick a prearranged bouquet. These days, upscale "bucket shops" and flower stalls in fancy food supermarkets sell hand-tied "instant arrangements" that are a cut above the standard bunched flowers. Pick the most natural-looking (no tiny blue carnations).
Make the cut. Working in proportions of one-third flowers to two-thirds container, cut the stems and place the prearranged bouquet in your vase. Fluff the flowers to loosen them and make the arrangement look more relaxed. That's it: little, low and very stylish flowers.
A written invitation doesn't just set forth the details of a party, it can establish the tone, acting as a precursor of what is to come -- the pomp that precedes the circumstance. Written invitations also have the built-in bonus of acting as a tangible reminder for your guests. Whatever the style, the most important aspect of an invitation is clarity. Tell invitees who is inviting them where and when, and exactly what to expect: Will there be a buffet supper? Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres? Although your party may not be formal enough to dictate dress, you still want to give people a sense of what to wear. Guests who show up expecting a casual buffet will be underdressed for a formal seated dinner, and the reverse is also uncomfortably true.
(adapted from Party Nuts by Sally Sampson)
2 cups pecan halves
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. coarse or kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 300°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Arrange the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Roast until deeply colored, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so the nuts don't burn. Remove pan from oven and loosen nuts with a spatula. Cool before serving.
Zing Zing Zing!
Find out more about Zingerman's, considered by food industry insiders to have one of the most discriminating mail order services in America, at www.zingermans.com.
Francine Maroukian, named one of the best caterers in Manhattan by Town & Country, is the author of Town & Country’s Entertaining with Ease and Elegance and Esquire Eats (both forthcoming from Sterling), and is a frequent contributor to both magazines.
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
