My Entertaining Season Begins

[NVNVGirl]

These are my choices~ I'm taking into consideration what I would like if I were there, and what I have found that people seem to like that aren't terribly adventurous:

Cold Hor's d'oeuvres

Lobster salad in Phyllo

Salmon, scallop and cucumber ceviche

(I know some people don't like fish at all,but these both sound so great, how can you resist?)

Hot Hor's

Candied almond and brie tartlettes

Bacon wrapped oyster....now, I know lots of people are afraid to eat oysters, but I love them!

Veggies

Glazed carrots

Lyonnaise potatoes

Beef

Prime Rib

Pasta

Tortellini Alfredo

Salads

Tomato Provolone

Mandarin almond greens

Desserts

Cheese Tray

Crepes

Hmmmm...now that I look at it, it looks so unadventurous, but it all sounds so good, I know I'd love to be there! I can't wait to hear your choices!

[Marlene]

Don't forget, a lot of my guests will be unadventerous, so from that standpoint you did very well. If I was entertaining only my clients the selections would be a lot different.

I'll keep my choices to myself until a few more people weigh in here.

[Betts]

As a Canadian and a person with a catering business that has clients like you this is what I expect would be popular and a few editorial opinions...

Asiago/proscuitto twists .... immensely popular

Mini cornbread w/ chicken

Candied almond and brie tartlettes ... women love these

Smoked mozzarella and chicken puff pastries

Prime rib ... always a hit

Tortellini Alfredo... can be dreadful or sublime

lyonnaise potatoes ... meat and potatoes of course

Green beans ... safe and comforting

Marinated antipasto salad -- for the Italian theme

Mandarine orange and almond greens ... very popular

Chocolate fondue .. this will be a big hit but could be messy

Fruit .. good fruit is hard to find in Dec but is welcomed by those on the party merry-go-round

[Marlene]

A displaced Candian? Is your catering business in Minneapolis? You have a few of them right, but not all of them by any stretch. Although you'd be bang on for most of the people in this crowd. I just can't be that completely staid however.

[Dana]

I'll take a stab...

Red pepper crostini and pita crisps

smoked mozz purses and candied almond& brie

Lyonnaise Potates

Carrots with honey

ever popular Prime Rib

Manicotti - very dependable

Mandarin almond greens and tomato provolone

Cheese tray and bars and squares

[jamiemaw]

For the stuffing: We've enjoyed an apple-based one (Granny Smith) the most, with a subordinate chop of prunes and dried apricots, whole button onions with sage and a hint of cinnamon. Introducing a generous tablespoon or two of decent chutney binds, moistens, and adds complexity; a little more apple cider vinegar tweaks the high notes.

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Is the base for the stuffing bread, Jamie, & how long do you roast the pork?

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jayhay,

Yes, it's a bread-based stuffing. Stale (two day old), smallish crumb, not sourdough, half-inch cubes.

As to roasting there are two methods:

1. 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350, 15 (convected)-18 minutes per pound, so for a 7 pound roast, about 1:45 to 2 hours. We prefer it less well done. I've seen recipes that call for up to 2.5 hours but, in our opinion, that is too far gone--we're looking for great, moist chops.

2. My fiancee reminded me that the last time we prepped crown roast using a slow roast/lower temp method it was unstuffed. I'm loathe to suggest a slow roasting time for a stuffed crown.

3. Don't forget to foil the bone ends.

Edited October 27, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[Marlene]

So here is what I'm thinking:

Cold

Asiago, Proscuitto Cheese Twists

mini corn bread muffins with jalepeno chicken salad

Lobster salad in Phyllo cup

Hot

Beef Roulade - either teriyake or cracked black pepper

Smoked Mozzarella & chicken puff pastry purses

( I know I have an extra one, but I couldn't give any of these up!

For the main Hot Buffet:

Basmati rice with Onion

green bean Almondine

one beef dish:

Prime Rib

Tournedos Stephanie

I am really torn between these two. I've served Prime Rib the last two years and it's always been a hit, but I thought I might do something a bit different this year.

one Pasta dish:

Tortellini Alfredo

two Salads

Mandarin Almond greens

Broccoli with a sesame ginger dressing

Pick two Desserts

Crepes

Cheese tray

There will be a choice of crepes :Jubilee, Suzette, or Chocolate

[Marlene]

So this weekend, we'll have a small dinner party for 4 on Friday, and on Saturday we'll be attending a formal function. The crown roast pork will be kept for the following Saturday's dinner party of 8.

So I did a Prime Rib last week, and I'll do a crown roast pork next week, what on earth shall I serve for this dinner party?

Help me with a menu. This meal is intended to impress, but be simple in it's elegance.

[little ms foodie]

I love to do rack of lamb or roasted leg of lamb for dinner parties. Especially the rack looks so great!!

Recently for dinner I made rack of lamb and potatoes Joel Robuchon. Definately not your everyday mashed potatoes!!

[Marlene]

Rack of lamb would be good if I could get my husband to eat lamb. In addition, I'm not a huge fish eater, so salmon or some such thing is out as well. But those potatoes sound good! Explain?

[amccomb]

What about duck breasts? Or venison loin? You could serve either with a wild rice pilaf (I like wild rice with sage, apple, dried cherries, and pecans) and maybe some roasted root veggies or a simple potato gratin (I layer slices of potatoes with fresh herbs, roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and cream and bake until done). You could do a dried cranberry, rosemary, and port reduction with either one, too. Maybe some pearl onions in balsamic vinegar, or wilted spinach with pine nuts and garlic, or red cabbage and apples or a cabbage strudel...

Edited November 2, 2004 by amccomb (log)

[little ms foodie]

Oh I love duck breast! With a nice raspberry sauce, mmmm!

Joel Robuchon is a very famous chef in France and is well know for his mashed potatoes. The amount of butter in them is obscene and they are basically pureed smooth and silky. I for one am usually a fan of the chunky potatoe but there is something in the texture of these that is heaven!

Scroll down in article for recipe

[NVNVGirl]

Oh Marlene! Too bad you don't like fish....I've got a stellar recipe for salmon ...the potatoes are fabulous that they sit on too....here's the link if you're interested:

http://www.bistrodongiovanni.com/salmon.htm

And the haricots and beet salad is fabulous too:

http://www.bistrodongiovanni.com/beetsalad.htm

The nice thing about the seared salmon dish is that it's so quick and simple and whenever I make it, people are just in awe of how delicious it is.

So maybe you could do duck breast with it? Or duck ala orange....I hardly ever see that on menus anymore.

And some lovely souffles to set it off....I'd do either raspberry and/or chocolate

Or a cappucino/caramel bread pudding? I've got recipes if you'd like them

[Marlene]

Duck breast is starting to sound like a possibility. Of course, I haven't done them before, but why let that stop me? That bread pudding sounds wonderful as well.

Hmmm....

[amccomb]

Oh! I forgot about dessert!

I saw a recipe that someone linked to for pumpkin semifreddo with caramel sauce that looked yummy and elegant. I think it was on the Epicurious website.

ANother possibility would be panna cotta - maybe a cranberry orange, or persimmon.

I, myself, am a big fan of charlottes, and I think an apple or pear charlotte would be fun.

[Marlene]

I received word from my husband last night that he thought a lovely Beef Tenderloin would be just the thing on Friday.

Argh. Guess what? I'm making beef tenderloin. A full tenderloin roast, spit roasted on the Q, accompanied by a Bernaise sauce, with a ceasar salad and the yummy looking cappucino/caramel bread pudding that is calling to me "pick me, pick me"

Appetizers will be kept simple with a Garlic Peppercorn Cheesecake with crostini, some fresh shrimp, and perhaps one other thing I have't thought of yet.

Dessert will be my Strawberries in Grand Marnier Cream or Chocolate Mousse, depending on how much good chocolate I have left.

[Dave the Cook]

I was thinking on the way in to work this morning, that a tenderloin roast might work. I'm not a big fan of the cut, but spit roasting might make it more interesting. To give it a bit more lift, maybe a bleu cheese glaze, rather than Bearnaise? (Not that there's anything wrong with the classic accompaniment.)

Have we seen your recipe for Garlic Peppercorn Cheesecake?

[amccomb]

Argh.    Guess what? I'm making beef tenderloin.    A full tenderloin roast, spit roasted on the Q,  accompanied by a Bernaise sauce, with a ceasar salad and the yummy looking cappucino/caramel bread pudding  that is calling to me  "pick me, pick me"

Dessert will be my Strawberries in Grand Marnier Cream or Chocolate Mousse, depending on how much good chocolate I have left.

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Is the bread pudding sweet or savory? I saw it listed with the meal instead of with the dessert, so I assume savory, but with cappucino and caramel, it sounds like it might be sweet. Just curious.

[Marlene]

A blue Cheese glaze sound intriguing. I adore anything with Bleu Cheese. Can you elaborate on how I would do that?

The Garlic Peppercorn Recipe was in eGRA, but I'll post it here a bit later.

[Dave the Cook]

A blue Cheese glaze sound intriguing.  I adore anything with Bleu Cheese.  Can you elaborate on how I would do that?

Not at the moment, because I just made it up. It would be easy on individual filets, but that would spoil the presentation value of a whole roast. Let me think on this a bit.

[Marlene]

you made it up?

Garlic Peppercorn Cheesecake

Grease 2 - 4 1/2 inch springform pans

Preheat the oven to 350

1 egg

6 oz grated Monterrey Jack cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp cracked black peppercorn

1 jar of garlic jelly or red pepper jelly

In the bowl of an electric mixer, comine half the jelly with the rest of the ingredients using the paddle attachment. Combine until smooth.

Pour into the springform pans and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Spread the rest of the jelly on top of the cheesecake and serve with crackers, flat breads, or crostini.

[Dave the Cook]

OK, it's not a glaze application, but this will taste just as good, and make a nice presentation. You'll need a well-trimmed roast -- almost a perfect cylinder -- but since you're only serving four, that shouldn't be a problem, if you or your butcher starts with a decently sized primal. I think you want about 3-1/2 pounds. That's more than you'll eat, but you're going to sacrifice the ends for the sake of presentation (save them for sandwiches).

Make a stuffing of bacon, Worcestershire, bleu cheese, parsley and bread crumbs. Just a guess, but I think you'll need about a cup and a half. Make about two and a half just in case, and if you have any left over, refrigerate it and serve it melted on crostini the next day or so.

Run a long slicer lengthwise through the roast, then wallow (or use the verb of your choice here) the slit into a more-or-less round hole, all the way through the roast. You'll need to stretch the meat a bit to make a good opening, but don't tear the meat, or you'll end up with a mess on the grill.

Tie one end of the roast tightly. Load the stuffing into a pastry bag (no tip), and squoosh the stuffing into the hole. Tie the other end.

Roast as usual, and let the roast rest before carving. If you're going to carve tableside, slice off the tied ends before presenting. Slice into 3/4-inch rounds, and sprinkle with additional stuffing and a bit of extra parsley or tarragon.

If you really want to go over the top, make a sauce of red wine (or port or madeira), shallots, demi-glace and a touch of Worcestershire. Deposit a little puddle of it under each slice.

[Dave the Cook]

In return for the cheesecake recipe, let me flesh the roast thing out a bit. Note that, ideally, you'll make the sauce ahead of time, so you can defat it.

Bleu cheese stuffing

1-1/2 C crumbled bleu cheese

4 slices bacon

1-1/2 T Worcestershire sauce

1/2 - 3/4 C dry bread crumbs

1/4 C creme fraiche

1 medium shallot, minced

Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan. Discard (or reserve, if needed for sauce, below) all but one tablespoon of fat. Over medium heat, saute the shallots until soft. Turn heat down to low, and add Worcestershire sauce and creme fraiche. When heated through, stir in the cheese and take off the heat. When the cheese is nearly melted, crumble the bacon and add it, then stir in the bread crumbs until you reach the consistency of thick oatmeal. You want it to hang together, but you're going to have to push it through a pastry bag. Adjust the consistency with additional creme fraiche or bread crumbs. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and Worcestershire.

This will make about 2-3/4 cups.

Port wine/demi-glace reduction

1 C demi-glace

1 C port wine

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 medium shallots. minced

2 t bacon fat, reserved from above

1/4 t kosher salt

Heat the fat over medium heat. Add the shallot and salt, and saute until tender.

Add the wine and Worcestershire sauce, and reduce by half.

Add the demi-glace, and stir to combine. Once heated through, remove from heat and let cool. Chill, then skim the fat off the top. Warm the sauce up and strain, then adjust seasoning. Keep warm until needed.

If you don't have demi-glace, you could get away with:

1 quart beef or veal stock

mirepoix from 1 small onion, 1/2 a carrot, 1/2 a stalk of celery

1 T tomato puree

1-1/2 T flour

1 T butter

bay leaf

pinch of thyme

Over medium heat, cook the mirepoix until it takes on some color -- don't try and rush it.

Add the flour and make a blonde-to-light-brown roux. Slowly add the stock, then the tomato and herbage.

Simmer until reduced to about 1-1/2 cups. Cool and strain, then reduce further or add water to make 1 C.

And if you can't do that, reduce 6 cups of brown stock to 1 cup, and use that for the demi-glace.

[Dave the Cook]

Oh yeah -- as a final garnish, something I learned from MatthewB: sprinkle some Durkee's French-fried onions on top.

[Marlene]

you're my hero Dave. This is it. This is definately it.

thanks!