What Shall We Feed Them?

We have talked all this week about the various aspects of having a”smart” dinner party.  You may be asking yourself  “What exactly are they talking about when they say “smart”?  It is possible that you have thought we have been referring to a ‘smart dinner party’ as in having a chic sort of affair. Your party may very well be quite chic, and hopefully very lovely and wonderfully fun.  But what we really mean by ‘smart  dinner party’ is one where the host or hostess is smart enough to plan ahead and do things in as fine, but simplified a manner as possible, so as to be able to really enjoy the party.
 Believe it or not, there are a couple of things we have not yet covered, so here they are.  First, don’t forget to choose some great music.  Great music goes a long way to set the mood and tone for the whole evening.  There is no right or wrong choice, because of course, taste in music is very subjective.  But in general you will want to play music that is upbeat, and choose tunes that have great melodies and evoke a sense of joy.  The volume should be loud enough that you hear and enjoy the music but quiet enough so that your guests don’t have to yell at each other to have a conversation.  Just like with the centerpieces, music should enhance the communication and fun of the evening, not be an obstacle to overcome.  You can also use the music as a cue to the theme of the party, if there is one.  If your theme for the evening is Italian, for instance, you might want to play Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andrea Bocelli, or maybe mix in some of the great Italian arias.  Otherwise just play music you really like and makes you feel festive.

The next thing that is really important is the lighting.  Candles, both in your living room or wherever you are gathering to have your hors d’oeuvres, and on your dining table are such a lovely and gracious touch.  And remember, everyone looks better in candlelight!  If you can, dim your electrical lighting and use lots of candlelight.  If you don’t have a dimmer on your lights, just turn the lights off and use lots and lots of candles in the room – candle sticks, pillar candles or votives, or preferably all three.  It makes for a very elegant look and festive feel.

Lastly, but certainly very important, a delicious but simple menu will go a long way to accomplishing the success of your party.  This is where you ask yourself “What shall we feed them?”  As we mentioned at the beginning of the week, our menu and recipes for this suggested party are simple and classic.

MENU

Hors d’oeuvres

Hot Artichoke Dip
Cocktail Shrimp with Spicy Louie Sauce
Bacon Wrapped Dates

Salad

Baby Greens with a Mustard Vinaigrette

Entrée

Beef Tenderloin with Béarnaise Sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Creamed Spinach Au Gratin
French Bread

Dessert

Chocolate Souffle with Whipped Cream

The Artichoke Dip can be made and either baked ahead and quickly reheated for 7-8 minutes when your guests arrive, or mixed together and popped into the oven 20 minutes before your party is to start.

The Shrimp and Spicy Louie Sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead, and then arranged on a serving platter just before the guests arrive.

The Bacon Wrapped Dates can easily be made several hours before or even the night before the party and popped into the oven along with the artichoke dip to be hot when your guests arrive.  Don’t forget to offer a drink to each person as they arrive…whatever you have decided to serve.

Salad for this party is baby greens tossed with a mustard vinaigrette.  We have intentionally, kept it basic and simple as there are many flavors going on and we want to use this salad as a sort of “palette cleanser”.  Here in the U.S., we tend to serve salad immediately preceding the main entrée, but in Europe and other parts of the world, the salad is served immediately following the entrée.  Either way is fine, it is entirely your preference.

This entrée sounds complicated and difficult but it is NOT!  Simple, simple, simple!    Have your potatoes mashed and being kept warm on the lowest flame on your stove.  Stir together the spinach and you can put it in the oven when you put the meat in.  Have your meat all prepped, and then put it in the oven 30 minutes before you want to serve it. The béarnaise sauce can be made earlier in the day and be ready to serve with the meat.

This dessert is the perfect do ahead dish. You can make the batter and fill the ramekins then let them sit in a cool place until ready to cook.  If it will be several hours until you cook them, they can be put in the refrigerator but you will need to add 2 minutes to the cooking time. Easy to prepare ahead but still warm from the oven, when you serve it…how perfect is that!

The food you serve at your party is important, but never forget that the most important element of a great party is not the food, or a beautiful table setting, or the music, or candlelight, or a great outfit to wear.   The most important element of any party is the people.  Enjoy yourself and your guests and, as much as you can, spread lots of love, joy and abundant living!

Vinaigrette

1/3 cup wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix all together with a whisk or in the blender.  The mustard is an emulsifier and helps to hold the dressing together, keeping the oil and vinegar from separating.  If you have made the dressing earlier in the day and the oil and vinegar have begun to separate, simply shake it in a jar or whisk it in a bowl before pouring it over the salad.

Mashed Potatoes

Enough for 6-8 people

Peel and chop 10 medium sized potatoes.  I prefer Yukon Gold but Russet or White Rose Potatoes work very well too.

Place the potatoes in a pot and just barely cover with water.  Add about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the water.  Heat until the water boils and then continue cooking for about 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.  Drain the excess water and return to the stove.  Add 1 stick of butter and about ¼ cup of cream.  Mash by hand with a potato masher.  Taste and adjust seasoning adding pepper and more salt if necessary.  (Some people like to use an electric mixer to beat the potatoes and make then really smooth, removing any lumps.  I have too often had potatoes done this way that have been beaten too long and the starch in the potatoes is released to the point where they turn very gummy, almost like wall paper paste.  They are smooth all right, but not very tasty.  I personally don’t mind having a small lump or two in my mashed potatoes.  It makes it very obvious that they are real potatoes and not something instant from a box.)  Once mashed, cover the pot with a lid and turn off the flame.  When you are ready to serve, warm on a low flame.  If potatoes are too stiff when you are ready to serve them, simply add a bit more cream until they are the desired consistency.

Creamed Spinach Au Gratin

2  lbs fresh spinach
2 cups of sour cream
2 pkg. of Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 teaspoon salt
A dash of nutmeg
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cook spinach in batches in the microwave oven until it is wilted.

When all the spinach is cooked, stir onion soup mix into the sour cream and add this mixture to the spinach along with the salt.  Turn into a buttered baking dish and top with the cheddar cheese.  Bake in oven along with meat.  (If you are making this when you are not making the tenderloin, cook it at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.)

Beef Tenderloin

This is about the easiest way to prepare an entrée as I can think of.  You can use tenderloin and you can’t go wrong but if your butcher has it, try hanger steak or hanging tenders as it is sometimes called.  It is as tender as the tenderloin (which is actually a strip of filet mignon) but usually quite a bit less expensive.  If you buy the hanging tenders you may need to trim it up a bit before roasting.  You will need to cut away the bluish white film that is a membrane on the surface of the meat if it has not already been removed.  Just slip your knife under and pull it lose and cut it away.  It is very thin and quite easy to remove.

Plan on roasting about 1/3 – 1/2 of a pound of meat per person.  Let your meat come to room temperature as it will roast more evenly that way.  Using paper towels thoroughly dry the meat.  Then rub the whole surface of the meat with a layer of softened butter and sprinkle it liberally with kosher salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Cook the meat for 20 minutes for medium rare.  Remove from the oven and cover with tin foil.  Allow the meat to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.  Always cut you meat on the diagonal against the grain of the meat.  If you look closely at the meat you will see lines running through it, this is what is called the grain.  You want to cut the meat against the grain or the opposite direction of the way the lines are running.

 Bearnaise Sauce

¼ cup white vinegar
1 shallot minced
½ bunch of tarragons, leaves only chopped OR 1 Tablespoon dried tarragon
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks of butter melted

Put vinegar, shallot and tarragon in a sauce pan and cook to reduce vinegar to about 1 tablespoon.   Put egg yolks in a blender and add reduced vinegar with shallots and tarragon, and salt.  Mix together.  While the blender is running, add the hot melted butter in a thin stream to the yolk mixture.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it combines.  If it is too thick to pour when you are ready to serve with the meat, add 2 teaspoon hot water and blend again.

Chocolate Souffle
(adapted from Lee Bailey’s City Food)

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons instant coffee
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 scant Tablespoon orange liqueur or 1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp, cut into bite sized cubes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and sprinkle with sugar 10 small ramekins.  Set aside.

Melt together in a small saucepan, chocolate, sugar, water, and coffee.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Put eggs and cream and orange liqueur or vanilla in a blender and mix.  While blender is running on low speed add chocolate mixture and then cream cheese.  Mix until smooth on low then when batter is fully mixed, blend on high speed for a few seconds.  Pour into prepared dishes and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.

The soufflés should jiggle a bit when you shake them if you like a runny center that acts as a sauce when you break into the soufflé.  If you prefer a firmer center, cook for 15 minutes.  Serve immediately with whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream with sugar until soft peaks form.  Add vanilla and continue beating until stiff, being careful not to over beat as once cream is beaten to firm peaks it will very quickly turn to butter if you continue beating.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.