|
Issue Date: December 12, 2004
Holiday parties 101
Advice to make seasonal feasting simple.
By Michele Hatty
Learn from an experienced host: Do as much ahead of time as you can.
|
David Rosengarten is known as a consummate foodie. The award-winning author writes a monthly newsletter, "The Rosengarten Report," in which he catalogs the best of the best gourmet food, from butter to steak, available online or by mail-order. His latest cookbook hits stores just in time for the high feasting season -- :David Rosengarten Entertains: Fabulous Parties for Food Lovers" (Wiley, $34.95). Included: 16 themed party menus, plus shortcuts and even decorating tips. We spoke with him recently:
What's your advice for the novice holiday dinner-party host?
Don't be too ambitious. Eliminate as many last-minute challenges as possible. Do as much in advance as possible.
Such as?
No last-minute salad-making. A couple of hours before, I've washed and spun the greens, put them in a bowl covered with a wet paper towel so they stay fresh, and put them in the refrigerator, so all I gotta do is pull it out.
How else can you avoid last-minute meltdowns?
Give yourself a dress rehearsal. Create calm by visualizing everything in advance. A couple of hours before the party, take out the pots and pans you're going to use.
Any fresh ideas for old hands?
Come up with a refreshing menu concept. You can just go to the supermarket and see what looks really great and seasonal and fresh. I'm thinking of walking down the meat case and seeing a pork tenderloin. In Scandinavia, they turn cold pork tenderloin into these open-faced sandwiches called smørrebrød, which means "buttered bread" -- white, rye or whatever kind of bread, and then they put various things on it. One of the things they put on is the roast pork. And they also make red cabbage; you can buy a jar and then top with a little bit of parsley. That's one smørrebrød.
Make a platter of buttered slices of bread that have on them, let's say, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. And others that have hard-boiled eggs and onion and maybe blue cheese. There's 10 million things you can do with smørrebrød. All of a sudden you're in Nordic world, Scandinavian world. Tall, thin, tapered candles. Things that suggest sleds. Pitchers of hot wine, called glögg, and so forth.
Just let your mind wander and see what happens!
|
