Advice wanted for an infrequent entertainer

[Ondine]

Hi everyone!

After lurking and reading the eGullet boards for close on a year now I have finally bitten the bullet and registered.

I must say that I am terribly envious of everyone in the US and the UK, with all those wonderful markets, provedores and nifty restaurants. I live in Perth, Western Australia, which is somewhat *far* from all of these places. (I can only dream of dinner at the French Laundry!) I'm a 26 year old, impoverished fresh graduate and food obsessive - nice to meet all of you!

On another note, I'd like to ask for advice of some of you dyed-in-the-wool entertainers out there, if I may be so bold.

I am having a smallish informal party this weekend and was wondering if I could get someone to give me some advice on the menu arrangements? There will be about 15-20 all up, kinda informally from the barbecue (grill), served in the semi-wild backyard. (Remember, it's a scorching summer here down under.)

The Menu

To Start: Various dips with Turkish bread from a local Turkish family-run restaurant, with veggie sticks, to include cucumber, carrot and cauliflower.

Meats:

I've managed to persuade my butcher to dry-age a whole 3kg rump (5 and a bit lb I think), which will be chargrilled and served sliced.

A couple of free range chickens (size 18, or 3 and a bit lb each). These will be bake-roasted in the Weber. One will be Western-seasoned, with lemon, garlic, parsley and thyme, with a slice of speck under the breast skin. The other will be Eastern-seasoned, with lime, garlic, lemongrass and soy, with grated ginger under the breast skin.

A couple kilos (2lb each) of Pork and sage, and spicy garlic and herb sausages from my favourite Croatian butcher.

A variety of mustards, tomato and hot sauces for goeswith.

Veggies:

A variety of grilled veggies, including eggplant, capsicum (red peppers), big flat mushrooms. Maybe sweetcorn in the husk if I can find good ones.

Also grilled haloumi for vegetarians, along with hard boiled eggs in shell.

Salads:

A sliced plum and cherry tomato (homegrown) salad, with sliced bocconcini, chopped basil and EVOO

A potato salad dressed simply with sour cream and spring onions

A green salad (assemble-your-own) of buttercrunch, sliced red onion, sliced cucumber and avocado, with a bowl of red wine and EVOO vinaigrette on the side.

An Asian-seasoned salad of pasta spirals, spring onions and cashews; dressing of sesame oil, soy with a tiny bit of tomato paste and sour cream.

And both fresh Turkish bread and fresh breadmaker loaves for staple starch.

What do you think? What should dessert be? Should I even have dessert at all? I was thinking of maybe handing round bought icecreams or popsicles. It's going to be quite hot so things like cheesecake will probably be out.

Thanks!

[Jason Perlow]

Great to have another Auzzie onboard, Ondine!

[VivreManger]

You must have some great fruit this time of year. The best mangos I have ever tasted in December come from Australia. Unfortunately I can't find them in the States, though they are available in Paris for about $9 each !!. In Australia they must be cheap enough for a struggling grad student. Are melons abundant as well? You could get add ice cream -- preferably a good quality vanilla -- to the fresh fruit and have a cool and refreshing sweet.

[jhlurie]

Greetings Ondine,

Don't worry, we get 26-year old impoverished Aussies all of the time here.

With that quantity of food, I suppose the only reason for desert would be to cool people down. If you go for it, maybe something as simple as some market-fresh fruit might do the trick.

By the way, you might want to lobby for a title change to your thread (send a PM to one of the moderators). "Hello everybody!" is likely to get confused with the greetings people usually deposit in the "Member Bios" area, and you might miss out on some useful responses to your question.

Good luck!

Edited December 24, 2002 by jhlurie (log)

[CathyL]

Welcome, Ondine. What a glorious summer feast!

Fresh fruit for dessert, I agree. Make us winter-bound eGulleteers envious and tell us what's in season now.

I look forward to reading more of your posts.

[Miguel Gierbolini]

I am having a smallish informal party  . . .

Welcome!

With that awesome menu, thank goodness it is only a smallish, informal gathering. I hate to see you conducting a serious, formal celebration.

[Suzanne F]

Hello, Ondine! you are not alone down there! My friend Polly is also in Australia, and she's great (a professional chef!). Lurk no longer. Join the throng. (Sorry, it's after dinner here, and I'm going a little overboard for having had 2 sherries and 1/2 a bottle of Zinfandel )

[Ondine]

Thanks for the welcome guys!

Miguel, I guess I described the 'do' as a smallish party, it was with the usual flock-of-students-with-beer party in mind. You often get more than 65 people at those. I don't often entertain - just this holiday bash once a year, between Christmas and New Year - and when I do I like to take care of my guests. This party is has cost me close to $250 already, which is why it happens only once a year! (Remember, poor student here! )

I was thinking of driving to the local ice cream factory and buying tubs of their vanilla seconds, and maybe getting some fruit. The mango season is in full swing at the moment, with no less than 4 varieties making their way from up north. (I'm in the southwestern corner of the country.) Some nice plums out, and the peaches are starting to really smell up the supermarket, and battling it out with the mangoes!

Vivremanger, the mangoes here are the equivalent of about US$3 each for fruit weighing just over a pound each. A little while ago we had a glut and the price dropped to 3 for about US$2.70. Unfortunately the price went back up. Due to a longstanding local drought however, our citrus isn't doing too well. My supermarket carries Californian lemons! And currently we have watermelons the size of sheepdogs going for about US 0.25 a pound. I wish I liked watermelon

I really appreciate the advice, everybody. I'll try to keep up with all of you, I promise. There's just *SO* much to read......

Hugs!