What a terrific summer. I'm really going to miss it. Sunny days. Just enough rain to keep the lawn nicely green. Beautiful nights. And some terrific parties!
I thought it would be fun to examine some of this past summer's entertaining. See what worked. And see what, let's just say, could be improved. We'll take a look at choices in location, decor and menu. I should note some of these events were ones I hosted. (I'll be most critical of these). Others, I was a guest. (Can't be too critical or I might be seen as unappreciative!) So here goes, we'll take a look at three:
This was to be small gathering, mostly family, celebrating a birthday. Fine china and formal dining room felt too stuffy. With the weather predicted to be perfect, outside was the place to be. Given that I was also hosting a few folks for the first time, I wanted to up the ante a little bit. To me, that meant avoiding the burgers on the grill, etc. I wanted an informal, yet elegant sit-down affair - something a little unexpected.
The good.
With 11 people, I wanted to try a new outside location. The screened in porch was an option, but too much furniture would need to be relocated to fit the tables. I also wanted, if possible, to avoid the super long event table. I felt this group would enjoy having more options of cross table conversation. So I decided to play with a our square patio area to see what might work.
The space is very intimate since it's nestled within three exterior walls. Our outdoor round table, usually located in this space, wasn't an option since it could only seat 6 (7 if necessary). So, I decided to try a pair of 6' banquet tables placed side by side - width-wise. Something never tried before. Success! I didn't think it would fit. We certainly needed to make some adjustments (e.g. move the outdoor grill and some plants), but the square top idea nailed it.
I decided to keep the table decor simple since I knew the food would be served "family style." A couple of flowers from the yard and some pieces from the house helped add some punch to the everyday china and glassware. Crisp cotton table cloths and napkins also added an additional touch. It was a late afternoon affair so candles were unnecessary.
The "lesson learned"
The menu ended up being problematic. It sounded simple: grilled Masala rubbed shrimp, seared bok choy (grill), and Indonesian curry pasta with vegetables. The grill items were fine, easily prepped ahead of time, seared outside and easily served. The Indonesian curry was another matter. I chose this dish since it was a favorite of the birthday girl. Bad decision. Not an easy dish for 11 people since it was best prepared in a wok - a vessel with limited capacity (and I only had one of them).
So with everyone enjoying themselves outside, I was relegated to the kitchen making four batches, back-to-back. All ingredients were prepped and ready to go, yet it made little difference. The preparation was messy (since I was unsuccessfully trying to speed it up), time consuming (since the cooking had a "liquid reducing over heat" component) and hot (inside over a burner on high). Way too much stress on a host.
Right intent, but wrong occasion. For the most easy to execute entertaining, stick with recipes that can be made in advance. A few final things (seasoning, warming, tossing) should be all that's necessary.
A night of tapas
This was a very fun summer evening concept. It was hosted by our friends who wanted an event that celebrated a variety of unique tastes.
The good
The food was delicious. Some served hot, some served cold. All in small, appetizer-size servings. It was really fun to experience so many flavors in one setting.
The "lesson learned"
The evening also turned out to be beautiful so the hosts made an impromptu decision to move the eating location from the kitchen to the porch. How festive it seemed! Candlelight, cool evening breeze, fun conversation.
For the hosts, it was logistical chaos. We never really saw them.
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While the idea of moving the event outside was right, the reality of a multiple course dinner moved to a distant location, removed from the kitchen, made it a problem. One host basically was isolated in the kitchen prepping each course while the other was running the plates back and forth. They also steadfastly refused any offers to help.
To me, keeping the guests with the chefs would have been the better decision. The magic of a "tapas" evening is possibly witnessing the prep of each course. Sharing the ingredients, the recipes, the shopping excursions, and cooking insights along the way.
Admittedly, a night of multiple courses is a labor intensive exercise. The hosts made this conscious decision to create this unique event.
I applaud that. But with this in mind, additional thought should then be made to keep the guests close or at least have an established system that embraces this reality (e.g. time-delayed coursing to give hosts a breather, specific helpers/guest "assignments", logistics totally worked out).
Luckily for me, this was a lesson learned that was observed (taken with a HUGE mental note). These days especially, it's hard for any guest to be totally comfortable when hosts are obviously working. A great meal is where
everyone can relax, enjoy some great food and share the moment.
Preview of Fall
Another birthday celebration. An extended family affair. The nights around this time were a little cooler so I chose theme that involved Fall and comfort foods.
The good.
This was going to be an opportunity to use a new floor length tablecloth for our extended round dining room table (e.g. the topper extension that expands the diameter from 58" to 72"). The color was a tarnished gold box pattern over subtle dusty green - perfect for an end of the summer celebration. It was also the 78th birthday of my mother, so a little more formality was deserved.
Now, I had a little bit of a design problem. Most of my go-to table decor was silver, chrome or nickel accents. Very little gold or brass. So I went about my tried and true seek and find exercise. (See prop closet post). As I am continually surprised, unanticipated ideas always present themselves.
The guest list was for 10. The first items I found in the back of my china hutch were 6 of my mother's hand-me-down "Fall Harvest" design accent plates with gold trim. I knew I needed a creative solution to "extend the color scheme" to the additional four place-settings. That, right now, would have to wait.
Next I found some long lost polished brass napkin rings. The had to be clean up a little bit, but were a perfect compliment.
I think the biggest surprise were some candlesticks. I had all but given up on finding anything that would match.
The crystal ones alone would have to do. But I came upon a forgotten box of stuff in the cellar that was left unsold from a summer yard sale. The sale was to help clear out unused/rarely used items in my, my mother's and a number of friend's houses.
Buried deep in the box were these 2 brass candlesticks. Again, a little tarnished but would easily clean up. I topped them with a couple of black shades. Presto! They were incredible. I had to smile. Who knew these where here?!?
The rest of the table came nicely together. Wine glasses. White linen napkins. Fall colored flowers.
I also found a solution to extend the accent plate color scheme. I used my yellow and orange colored demi-tass saucers. I know this broke sooo many rules, (saucers vs. plates, different diameters, etc) but for this occasion, it worked. The colors of each complimented each other. It was a holistic visual statement as folks joined the table. Protocol also quickly removes the accent plates anyway to prepare for the first course.
The "lesson learned"
I hate to admit it, but it was the food again. This time I wanted a little "wow" factor so I prepared a sage sausage stuffed crown rack of pork, with an apple-brandy reduction. The roast, potatoes and veggies all passed the "prepared ahead of time" rule for entertaining. The only thing needing a final preparation would be the apple-branding reduction made with the pan drippings - not a problem. The
learning issue arose when it was time to serve.
I hadn't thought through how the roast would be served - table side or plated in the kitchen. If table side, then all of the other items would need to be served family style. I hadn't planned for this. No warmed bowls, no serving spoons. I guess I had the idea of the rack (for show) but still wanted to plate in the kitchen for a "reduction sauce on the bottom" presentation. Hence, two disconnected ideas.
So I had this decorated roast sitting in the kitchen with all of the guests in the other room. What? Am I going to call them just to see it? Um, no. Am I going to walk it into the dining room to only return it back with me to the kitchen? Not likely.
So, I removed all of the rib "hats" (that I just put on). I also needed more time to now slice the ribs. All of the other items were out and ready to plate (e.g warmed plates, food off the burners, out of the ovens - all cooling off.) Bad timing all around.
So there was a little stress on my part to quickly slice, plate and get to the table. People were around to help, but the point is that it should have be planned/anticipated. The goal is not to "realize something" when you are in the midst of it. Plan it out and you'll have a much more
consistently enjoyable time entertaining.
Another little note to self - and one to share!
So, the holidays are fast approaching. Hosting friends and family will come in one form or another. Hopefully, some of these posts will help ensure your evening is a success.
Remember, the goal is to enjoy yourself! That is what entertaining is all about.
Till then next time...
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