This is dinner, not delivering a baby...

Luxury Dinner Party.  Now those three words, I can get down with. You see up to now, the Project Food Blog challenges have actually been challenges because I typically don’t go around talking about how I am the next big thing, and I don’t make foods that are out of my comfort palate – but a dinner party, well let’s just say if it’s a holiday, there’s a dinner party at Casa Bouche.  National ‘Talk like a Pirate Day?’ Oh, well that calls for Turducken, don’t you think?  

I love dinner parties as much as I love carbs. I think you get the point that I FLOVE dinner parties. 

Having people over for a nice dinner really gets people freaked out sometimes, and with good reason – it’s a lot to take on.  I have created a list of things for you to remember when planning a dinner party that can take away some of this stress.  That being said, this is dinner, not delivering a baby, kids.

 Amuse Bouche's Top Five Party Planning Tips, a-here we go now:

  
Number 1: Plan. Ahead.  Like AHEAD. Not 2 days, not a week. 2 weeks minimum.  Do this for a few reasons. 

A) Things pop up and you get distracted from the task at hand, at least with a few weeks of time you won’t feel it’s keeping you from having a life.
B) You need to give your guests ample time to clear their schedule and rsvp.
C) You WILL forget something, so the more time you have to remember it beforehand, the better.  

Get a good sense of what it is that you want to accomplish for this dinner and make a timeline.  Some things will need to be prepped a day or even a few days before.  This gives you more time with your guests and makes you feel less stressed during the actual dinner.  (Red wine also helps this.)  For this dinner party, I planned out the week with tasks-  Sunday to roast, puree and freeze pumpkin, Monday to send the menus to print, Thursday night to make the ice cream and go to the grocery store to buy the meat fresh.  A timeline of the DOD (day of dinner) helped to make sure every dish was prepped to its furthest step that I could do ahead of time. This is so important.  No one wants to go to a dinner party where the host is either stressed out or not around because they are stuck in the kitchen. Plan ahead guys!

Number 2: Set the mood baby.  Dad and I are both into the music scene, and we really think that music sets the mood for a dinner.  He loves to feel involved and he can’t overcook a playlist…so I had him make a playlist for me that lasted the whole night.  Below you’ll find a few songs that we used, feel free to use this as a starting point for your next dinner party! (please ignore the awkward album cover... or not. whatever works for you...)

Number 3: Get your guests involved.  I know.  You’re a control freak. So am I.  But give them something they can contribute that you are comfortable with.  This time around, I picked types of wines that paired well with each meal, and let my guests decide which dish they wanted to bring the wine for. This gives them some choice and ownership.  Maybe they know of a wonderful Pinot Grigio that would pair perfectly with your pasta dish.  Great! Then you have just given them something to be excited about. 

Number 4: RED WINE. Have I not said it enough? It makes you happy, it makes me happy.  Just have it. 

 Number 5: The best advice I can give you, is to just know that They. Don’t. Care.  These are your friends or your family we are talking about, so short of you lighting the place on fire with their cat slash child in it, I think you’re gonna be okay.  If something goes un-according to plan (invariably, it will) you are probably the only person who is going to notice or even care.  So let that go, and have fun already.  Stop stressing out, I can feel it through the computer.    

( I seriously look at this picture and start laughing!)

Now that you’re prepped and ready to throw the dinner party of a century, let’s have some pictures and recipes for inspiration!

By the time foodbuzz had sent us their menu template, mine was already done!  Below you’ll find the menu with the template they made as well as my own menu. My invitations also matched the menu because DUH! Menus and invitations are supposed to match!

(double sided menu, Amen sister!)

 

(aww HEY gourdeous table! BHAHAHAH!)

As you saw on the menu, we started our night with an Amuse Bouche (oh how appropriate!)  Do you remember when I mentioned that Food & Wine 99 was the best year? Yea. It is.  Our first two dishes were out of that amazing specimen of a cook book.  

Pumpkin-Parmesan Toasts with Herb-Pesto 
paired with Prosecco brought by Emily McIntyre

Modified from Rori Spinelli Food & Wine 1999

1 loaf 7 grain bread – crusts trimmed, bread cut into bite sized squares

¼ cup walnuts

1 and ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

1 cup of fresh pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 cup cilantro

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh dill

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and toast the bread on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Then toast the walnuts for 3 – 4 minutes and let cool. 

In a medium bowl combine 1 cup of parmesan and the pumpkin puree and ½ teaspoon of cumin.  Season with salt and pepper. 

In a food processor, pulse ½ cup of the parmesan, the parsley, cilantro, oil, dill and toasted walnuts until minced.  Add the cayenne and remaining cumin and season with salt and pepper.  Spread each of the toasts with the pesto and top with a teaspoon of the pumpkin-parmesan mixture.  Broil for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.

Curried Scallops on Pumpkin Polenta Cakes and Pea Puree
paired with a Gruner Veltliner brought by Kaylin Goldstein 

 Modified from Theodora van den Beld Food & Wine 1999

1/2 cup fresh pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon honey

Salt

1/2 cup polenta (not instant)

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for frying

1/2 tablespoon curry powder

10 large bay scallops

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

2 cups frozen peas

1 clove garlic

¼ cup greek yogurt

In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin with the water and bring to a boil. Add the cream, butter, honey and a generous pinch of salt. Add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Cook over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened and tender, about 20 minutes. Scrape the polenta into a 9-inch-square pan and refrigerate until firm. In a small saucepan, heat the 1/4 cup of vegetable oil with the curry powder. Pour the curry oil into a small bowl and let cool. Spoon off the yellow oil and discard the curry powder.  

Run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the polenta. Cut it into 2 inch squares. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Fry the polenta cakes in batches, turning once, until deep golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet to drain.  

Cook the peas in a skillet with the clove of garlic. When they turn bright green (about 3 minutes) put them in the food processor along with the garlic and the yogurt.  Process until smooth, season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the curry oil until shimmering. Season the scallops with salt. Add scallops to the skillet and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining scallops and curry oil.

Arrange the scallops on the polenta, garnish with cilantro and drizzle very lightly with the remaining curry oil. Serve over the pea puree. 

Watch out for people trying to steal your pea puree.. evidently, its all the rage these days.

 (what the FLIP!)

Butternut Squash Ravioli filled with Pumpkin, Ricotta, Sage and Pine Nuts
paired with a Pinot Grigio brought by Taylor O'Shaughnessy

6 ounces fresh pureed butternut squash

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Coarse salt

Semolina flour, for storage

To see my process on how to make ravioli and fresh pasta, please see my previous posts on pasta making here.

For this pasta, roast the butternut squash in the oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Let it cool and puree in the food processor.  Then mix the squash with the eggs and continue the process noted here.

Filling

½ cup fresh pumpkin puree

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces ricotta cheese

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon semolina flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves

½ cup chopped pine nuts

Mix all ingredients together to fill the pasta. For stuffing ravioli instructions, see this previous post.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Add ravioli; cook until it just floats, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, melt butter over high heat. Add sage; cook until butter begins to brown and sizzle, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; Using a slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to pan, tossing to combine.

Palate Cleanser – Champagne Orange Granita

Modified  from epicurious.com

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup chilled Champagne

2 tablespoons strained fresh orange juice

In a small saucepan combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water, bring the mixture to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer the syrup for 10 minutes. Let the syrup cool and chill it, covered, for 2 hours, or until it is cold. 

In a bowl stir together 1 cup chilled syrup, the Champagne, the orange juice. Freeze the granita in the freezer until it is firm, checking on it every few hours to scrape with a fork and separate.

Rack of Lamb in a Fig - Port Sauce  
paired with a Zinfandel brought by Ethan Goodman and Jen North
by Allison Attenborough, Food & Wine 2002

Two 1 1/4-pound racks of lamb, bones Frenched

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

1 tablespoon minced thyme

1 cup tawny port

15 fresh Mission figs, halved 

3/4 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450°. Rub the lamb with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and rub with rosemary and thyme. 

Heat the remaining olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet. Add the lamb, fat-side down, and cook over high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup of the port. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the lamb for 18 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125° for medium-rare meat. 

Transfer the racks to a carving board; cover loosely with foil. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of port and the figs to the skillet. Bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and vinegar and simmer over moderately high heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Carve the racks into chops and set 4 on each plate. Top with the figs, spoon on the sauce and serve. 

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream Served in Hallowed Pumpkins
paired with a Oloroso Sherry brought by Tim Lamkin

You can see the recipe for this dessert in my previous post on pumpkin ice cream, here.

I'd like to thank my incredible friends for being the best kinds of guests for a dinner party - the ones who always keep filling your glass!  Hence the following photos:

 

(crazy much?)

(meow.)

(derek zoolander in training.)

(cheers!)

 ( I guess I'm a little late on the supermodel hair flip...)

Mom.and.Dad.

Thank you all for making sure my wine glass and heart are never empty!

Love,

Whit