Holiday Cocktail Parties.....

[little ms foodie]

We are having a holiday party this weekend for friends, work aquaitences, family, etc. It's a nice mix of people! Very fun and festive. The house is decorated and I have my outfit.

35 people coming...here's what's on my menu.

-Brie baked in puff pastry with raspberry/rosemary sauce served with crackers and grapes

-Oysters on the half shell with mignonette sauce

-Pancetta, Leek and Goat Cheese Tartlets

-Gougeres

-Olives, Almonds and Hazelnuts

-Gingersnap cookies

Does this sound like a good round of nibbles? Any suggestions?

What's on your menu?

[johnnyd]

I'm in...

Are you making your own mignonette sauce? I find the farther ahead you make it the better chance it's got to meld.

How about some of that fabulous local salmon?

[slbunge]

Sounds like a nice selection of goodies. Everytime we have served brie in puff pastry everyone ooohs and aaaaahs, which is nice because we use frozen pastry dough so it is quite easy to put together.

What cocktails are you serving?

Last year, our holiday drink was Tom and Jerry. Sort of fell a bit flat with party-goers although I liked them quite a bit. Something about a frothy/creamy drink that is only barely sweet is hard to sell people who have been heavily exposed to lattes.

Still trying to come up with a holiday drink for this season.

[little ms foodie]

I'm in... 

Are you making your own mignonette sauce?  I find the farther ahead you make it the better chance it's got to meld.

How about some of that fabulous local salmon?

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I'll make the mignonette a day ahead. As for salmon, we all eat so much of it anyway that we usually don't serve it for holidays, funny hu?

What cocktails are you serving?

Every year we try to do a cocktail everyone seems to want something else...wine, beer or vodka/gin drinks. So last year we started having it a BYOB. We found this worked really well and then we just offer different shots! haha!

It also saves me on glassware!

[johnnyd]

Ran an oyster bar for a few summers and served a mignonette made with lots of sliced shallots, champagne vinegar, and a handful of Williams Sonoma Five Peppercorn blend. I noticed it got mellower (and tastier) the older it was, say, two weeks. Customers eventually prefered it to the traditional cocktail sauce or my oriental style sauce (Rice Vin, scallion, ginger). Based on that, I'd recomend making it right away so it comes together by the weekend. My $.02

[little ms foodie]

great advise johnnyd! I'll whip it up tonight, that will save me even more time on Sat!

[marie-louise]

I assume you're fast at shucking oysters, otherwise that's a LOT of people to be serving oysters for. How many are you planning to buy? I'd be cranky shucking that many oysters; I'd probably serve a lot of cold poached shrimp w/ a dipping sauce or two instead.

Now, if I was your guest I'd be a happy camper. I love oysters. I like to make my mignonette sauce w/ part wine & part wine vinegar-it mellows it out some.

(Your whole menu looks wonderful, BTW.)

Edited December 8, 2004 by marie-louise (log)

[little ms foodie]

marie-louise my husband has volunteered his shucking abilities! Your thoughts were my thoughts! but now I just have to have a few oysters and freshen up the other plates! haha!

We know that not all of our friends do the raw oysters so we are probably going to get 4 or 5 dozen. Just enought for a few each.

2 years ago I did the cold shrimp with sauce. I served it very retro in a big glass bowl filled with ice- the shrimp hanging over the top, sauce in a bowl in the middle. Very easy and good!!!

[Della]

Everything sounds good! I don't normally eat oysters but yours sound lovely. I might have to try some

[M. Lucia]

Everything looks great, my only suggestion would be some sort of vegetable crudites. I know as the holiday party season sets in, I am always thankful for some vege options that don't involve pastry or cream. Sliced cucmber rounds make great carriers for toppings (crab, shredded carrots with spices, dill and cheese).

[marie-louise]

marie-louise my husband has volunteered his shucking abilities! Your thoughts were my thoughts! but now I just have to have a few oysters and freshen up the other plates! haha!

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Lucky you. He'll get enough practice at the party so you can eat them as appetizers often. (help keep his skills up.)

I hate to admit that anything tastes better outside my beloved California, but Washington oysters are the best. I spend a weekend in Seaview WA a few years ago, God those oysters were good!

[little ms foodie]

Everything sounds good! I don't normally eat oysters but yours sound lovely. I might have to try some 

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Della, as you have stated that you don't like the texture of raw oysters for years now we have not counted you for any! Hands off lady!!

Decided to pick up a beef tenderloin tonight to add to the menu. I will roast this med rare, slice thinly, place on skewers and serve with a horseradish mayo.

hmmm...crudites...gee I always just assume people can get celery and carrots at home! haha! It's a good suggestion, will consider this!! Thank you!

mignonette sauce made and in the fridge! One down.........

Edited December 9, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[little ms foodie]

So in our weekly produce delivery last night we got this great purple cauliflower that supposedly is best raw and a bunch of carrots. I guess I just need to pick up some celery and make a dip!

[rcarter]

The Washington Post just had an article on a $100 cocktail party

[little ms foodie]

The Washington Post just had an article on a $100 cocktail party

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hmmm...some of those ideas I question for both time and money.

I don't like to do fried things at my parties unless I know I can keep everyone out of the kitchen (say as in a dinner party). When I'm all dressed up the last thing I want to do is to fry anything. Also I don't want to have hot oil cooling before it can be put away around my guests. What are other's thoughts on this?

As far as some of the prices for things I really don't think that buying things like procsiutto, scallops, mussles, etc is going to work in a $100 budget. Although this article is about a party for 12.

I do like some of the ideas though. I'm interested in others take on the article!

[jscarbor]

Sounds like a great party.

I'm planning on a more sit down party for 12. I was contemplating a couple things though. First off I would like to do something special, Ive really been doing low end stews, braises, and mexican food for the last couple years so I have really felt that I lost my touch in coming up with a nice menu. My guests really wont care what I am serving(I'm doing this for my own ego really(how dumb is that?) but a couple will appreciate it. It seems that ive lost my creative force. Anyway here it goes:

I was thinking of starting off with a mushroom soup with as many chanterelles as can afford. I'm thinking of a beef stock/cream base. I was thinking of adding something to the soup ie poached egg yolk(in this case would it be good and 2 would you omit cream?) or a ravioli of some kind?

Next would be a roasted tenderloin. I was really thinking of doing a port wine cranberry sauce along with a roasted shallot sauce.

I'm kind of stuck on a veg

My wife wants to make a sweet potato galette

And for dessert I saw Gale Gand making a custard and soaking brioch over night then folding in cranberry's and baking. It looked really good but since my tenderloin will have a cranberry sauce I was thinking of going to a pumpkin ice cream.

Any thoughts? I really am stumped and wouldn't mind trying something else?

[little ms foodie]

jscarbor I think you have some really good ideas going there.

regarding the mushroom soup- yum! I love soup and I love poached eggs, but I don't know about together with the cream. When I've had poached eggs in soup it has been more of a broth. But you could do something like crispy onions or leeks on the soup, adding a nice texture or I think seared scallops on the soup would be really fantastic too. If you do go with a poached egg I've been using quail eggs lately and they are so darling and special!!

The tenderloin sounds awesome! I've never had sweet potato gallete, yum!

Bread pudding might be a bit heavy after all that good hearty fare. I like the pumpkin ice cream, maybe with ginger cookies?

Here is the menu from the last dinner party I gave (It was a wine tasting party hense the varietals mentioned):

CA sparkling served at the door

Amuse of vanilla foam with potatoes

Menu

Chardonnay

Shrimp Ceviche with Fennel

and Pomegranate

Frisee Salad with Lardon and Quail Egg

Pinot Noir

Garlic Soup with Gruyere Crouton

Butternut Squash Flan with

Parmesan Sage Sauce

Merlot

Dijon Crusted Rack of Lamb with Potatoes

Joel Robuchon

Cheese Plate (Brie, P'tit Basque, New Amsterdam)

Wine Poached Pears Filled with

Mascarpone in

Caramel Sauce

McCrea Late Harvest Viognier 02’

[jscarbor]

Little MS

How did that butternutt squash flan come out? I was thining of making that this year for thanksgiving until I was told that i didn't need to make anything this year.

[little ms foodie]

I made it in for a trial first because although I love butternut and sage I don't generally like flan. It was fantastic. Recipe is on epicurious if that is the same you were looking for. I made it one day in advance and then warmed it up, it's better warm than cool. I made the sauce right before serving. Very unusual for most people which is nice too.

Edited December 9, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[little ms foodie]

The party went great! We didn't get a chance to take many pictures as we were busy toasting!

Grabbed a few shots,

Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce

And Baked Brie with Raspberry Sauce inside

No pictures of the Gougres or the Tartlets as they kept dissappearing! Oysters were passed around with the mignonette.

[pam claughton]

edited...oops, accidentally reposted the pics, am still new at this.

Little Ms...this menu sounded great, but now I am absolutely drooling looking at the pics of the filet w/horseradish cream. The setting/decorations looked very pretty too.  Loved the menu for your sit down party too, that is my kind of dream dinner.

Pam

Edited December 12, 2004 by pam claughton (log)