I
love having people over for dinner. I love the thought and planning that goes into choosing a menu (because I am the type of
nerd person that loves planning and spreadsheets). I love having a chance to prepare a dish I wouldn't normally make. I love seeing how the food actually turns out (I like to try new things....I figure if it sucks, we can always order pizza). And most importantly, I love being able to get together with friends I don't see nearly as much as I would like.
And thus, the first installment in this little series I have planned called "The Dinner Party." I will share my menu, my plan of attack for getting everything made to avoid last minute hassle, and the recipes.
For me, my first step is always deciding on a loose theme for the menu. Having a theme makes it easier to decide on the food and drinks, and makes the meal more cohesive. It can be anything from an ultra casual BBQ or soup lunch to an all out fancy 6-course meal.
In this case, I wanted to recreate the pasta dish and dessert I had in San Franciso, so my "theme" was sort of rustic Italian.
Once I pick my theme, I go through recipes, restaurant menus, and my notes and I plan the menu. Then I make my grocery list, and my plan of attack. I like to choose things that can be prepared ahead of time, so I have more time to visit and enjoy myself.
The menu I decided on for this get together was:
H'ors D'oeuvres:
- Salumi Platter (spicy sopressata, dry aged salami, and prosciutto with assorted olives and grissini) purchased
- Marinated Mozzarella (bocconcini)
- Crostini with Whipped Bleu Cheese and Thyme Roasted Grapes
Meal:
- Pappardelle Pasta with Short Rib Ragu and Horseradish Cream
- Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Dessert:
- Butterscotch Budino with Caramel and Sea Salt
Drinks:
For entertaining, I always choose a couple H'ors D'oeuvres, depending on the number of people. I think it is important to have something to snack on and enjoy while hanging out and visiting. Plus it gives people something to do if you are stuck in the kitchen doing last-minute preparations.
Depending on what we are having, I might also make an appetizer or a salad, but in this case the food was heavier and I figured we had enough to eat already, so I skipped it.
Our dinner was on a Saturday night. I was able to prep almost everything ahead of time so I only ended up spending 5 minutes actually cooking once my friends arrived.
The Plan:
Wednesday: grocery shopping
Thursday: buy salumi stuff, wine, and mozzarella at Italian specialty store, make the caramel sauce for the budino
Friday: make marinated mozzarella, bleu cheese spread, crostini, short rib ragu, and budino
Saturday morning: chill wine, get serving dishes and utensils, glasses, etc. set out. Make pasta dough. Cook bacon for sprouts. Clean up a little. Shower.
Saturday afternoon: make whipped cream topping for budino, make horseradish cream, cut pasta
Saturday Evening (before guests arrive): assemble and set out Salumi platter and mozzarella, make roasted grapes, assemble crostini, cook sprouts, set out pots of water to cook pasta, get ragu out, set out budino and top with caramel, set table, pour myself a glass of wine, and enjoy
See, now everything is ready to go. I can chill, visit, eat some snacks, enjoy a little vino. All I need to do for dinner is boil the pasta, heat the ragu, the horseradish cream, and the sprouts and serve. When we are ready for dessert, I just need to top them with whipped cream and a little sprinkle of salt, and finish stuffing my face.
And then after all the fun, B takes over for dish duty. The most important part. ;)
Up next....Part II: H'ors D'oeuvres
I
love having people over for dinner. I love the thought and planning that goes into choosing a menu (because I am the type of
nerd person that loves planning and spreadsheets). I love having a chance to prepare a dish I wouldn't normally make. I love seeing how the food actually turns out (I like to try new things....I figure if it sucks, we can always order pizza). And most importantly, I love being able to get together with friends I don't see nearly as much as I would like.
And thus, the first installment in this little series I have planned called "The Dinner Party." I will share my menu, my plan of attack for getting everything made to avoid last minute hassle, and the recipes.
For me, my first step is always deciding on a loose theme for the menu. Having a theme makes it easier to decide on the food and drinks, and makes the meal more cohesive. It can be anything from an ultra casual BBQ or soup lunch to an all out fancy 6-course meal.
In this case, I wanted to recreate the pasta dish and dessert I had in San Franciso, so my "theme" was sort of rustic Italian.
Once I pick my theme, I go through recipes, restaurant menus, and my notes and I plan the menu. Then I make my grocery list, and my plan of attack. I like to choose things that can be prepared ahead of time, so I have more time to visit and enjoy myself.
The menu I decided on for this get together was:
H'ors D'oeuvres:
- Salumi Platter (spicy sopressata, dry aged salami, and prosciutto with assorted olives and grissini) purchased
- Marinated Mozzarella (bocconcini)
- Crostini with Whipped Bleu Cheese and Thyme Roasted Grapes
Meal:
- Pappardelle Pasta with Short Rib Ragu and Horseradish Cream
- Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Dessert:
- Butterscotch Budino with Caramel and Sea Salt
Drinks:
For entertaining, I always choose a couple H'ors D'oeuvres, depending on the number of people. I think it is important to have something to snack on and enjoy while hanging out and visiting. Plus it gives people something to do if you are stuck in the kitchen doing last-minute preparations.
Depending on what we are having, I might also make an appetizer or a salad, but in this case the food was heavier and I figured we had enough to eat already, so I skipped it.
Our dinner was on a Saturday night. I was able to prep almost everything ahead of time so I only ended up spending 5 minutes actually cooking once my friends arrived.
The Plan:
Wednesday: grocery shopping
Thursday: buy salumi stuff, wine, and mozzarella at Italian specialty store, make the caramel sauce for the budino
Friday: make marinated mozzarella, bleu cheese spread, crostini, short rib ragu, and budino
Saturday morning: chill wine, get serving dishes and utensils, glasses, etc. set out. Make pasta dough. Cook bacon for sprouts. Clean up a little. Shower.
Saturday afternoon: make whipped cream topping for budino, make horseradish cream, cut pasta
Saturday Evening (before guests arrive): assemble and set out Salumi platter and mozzarella, make roasted grapes, assemble crostini, cook sprouts, set out pots of water to cook pasta, get ragu out, set out budino and top with caramel, set table, pour myself a glass of wine, and enjoy
See, now everything is ready to go. I can chill, visit, eat some snacks, enjoy a little vino. All I need to do for dinner is boil the pasta, heat the ragu, the horseradish cream, and the sprouts and serve. When we are ready for dessert, I just need to top them with whipped cream and a little sprinkle of salt, and finish stuffing my face.
And then after all the fun, B takes over for dish duty. The most important part. ;)
Up next....Part II: H'ors D'oeuvres
How do you do all this with 3 year old twins?
ReplyDeleteHa! Most of it is actually pretty simple. But kids is the reason I break it up over a couple days. And I do most of e pre-prep at night after they go to bed.
DeleteOh, and Saturday B took them to a birthday party, so they were completely out of my hair for a while. So that was a big help.
DeleteI am drooling in anticipation of the pictures...
ReplyDeleteSoon, very soon. Prepare to be underwhelmed by my iPhone photography skillllz.
DeleteWhile I don't know what a butterscotch budino is, I do know that I wish it were in my mouth.
ReplyDeleteJust a fancy word for pudding. But it makes it Italian sounding. You know....for my theme...
Delete