we've all done it--carried on about how different we were before we became mamas. you know, when we had time to put on makeup every day. and go shopping for clothes that actually fit and don't have to be vomit-food-marker proof. it's not that i don't talk about that stuff--believe me, i do--but i more often talk about how well i entertained before isaac. when there was time to care about details, perfect recipes and timing, plan ahead for days, and roll out a perfectly elaborate cocktail party in heels and lipstick without breaking a sweat. yea. those days are gone.
after a two year hiatus (isaac is 2-years-old--do the math), my baby-daddy and i decided to bring our holiday party back. unlike previous years, we put rules designed to keep the party as low stress as possible in place: isaac must spend the night AND next day at grandma's (key to enjoying a party is not having to care for a toddler the day after), and limit cooking and clean up so that we can actually enjoy ourselves.
leaving isaac with grandma overnight--easy breezy. low impact party menu--not so much. what's a party without days of prep? cooking for hours and hours? making everything homemade? it was tough, but i was up for the challenge. and am happy to report that we had a great time with great friends, no kids, and good food that i was proud to serve... even though i didn't slave for days.
MENU PLANNING
advance planning is necessary, but i knew it had to be minimal enough to handle in just 1 or 2 nights after isaac went to sleep. it couldn't drag on for days and days the way it used to. as much as i love that process, i just don't have the time. to keep myself on track, i asked three questions to assess potential menu items:
can i make extra to have around for isaac?
cooking for a party is enough major cooking for the week. there was no way i was going to put any significant amount of time into something that i couldn't also feed isaac.
can i make the recipe while isaac sleeps or is playing around the kitchen?
this focused me on stuff that could be easily and quickly made ahead. it ruled out all elaborate recipes or anything that required delicate timing. no souffles. nothing made to order. (yes, i've gone there.)
can store bought components pass without sacrificing quality?
this was a hard one for me. i'm a nut for making everything myself. but i knew i couldn't feed 25 people 100% homemade food without breaking the rules and stressing out. in sticking to this rule i learned that a few, high-quality, specialty store bought items mixed in with an otherwise homemade menu works really well. it's kind of like mixing expensive accessories with an otherwise inexpensive outfit. if you do it right, you look barneys when you're really 90% forever 21.
when you consider store bought items think beyond your conventional market's prepared foods or frozen section. while there are exceptions, most of that stuff isn't so good. is there an ethnic section of your neighborhood that has a killer specialty store or bakery? what about online resources? iGourmet has an interesting international section. i've never ordered from dean and deluca online, but have been curious about their mail order appetizer selection. trader joe's is a good option, too. (any other suggestions?)
MENU
so, after some (but not much) deliberation, here's where i ended up:
dub pies
these are delicious australian/new zealand-style gourmet meat and veg pies made in my beloved brooklyn. i got 100 2" party pies (50 steak mince & cheese, 25 curry veg, and 25 chicken) for $130. we still have a bunch left over and though they aren't organic, i feel comfortable feeding these high quality, hand-made, hand-held meals to isaac. he likes all of the flavors, though the curry veg might be too spicy for some kids. dub pies offers mail order all over the country (they come frozen) and delivery or pick-up options for either frozen or hot pies throughout nyc.
bacon wrapped dates (stuffed with almonds)
my holiday party stand-by. delicious. a crowd pleaser. this is not something i'd feed isaac, but there's also NEVER any leftover, no matter how many i make. and these are so easy to make ahead that it barely matters. just stuff a blanched almond into a pitted date (or prune); split a strip of bacon down the middle; use half to wrap the date. pile prepped dates onto a platter, cover, and put in the fridge until it's time to pop these babies in the oven. when it's time, i preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake until the bacon looks nice and brown. remember that bacon will crisp up more once out of the oven and left to rest.
hearts of palm dip & pita chips
this is the easiest dip ever. it's basically a simple hummus made with hearts of palm instead of chick peas. toss 1 can hearts of palm, a couple of garlic cloves, and juice of a lemon into a food processor. puree while slowly drizzling in olive oil until the mixture becomes the consistency of hummus. done and done. it's light, refreshing, and delicious. people dig in expecting hummus and are always pleasantly surprised. i've passed this recipe on to many people for whom it has also become a staple.
feta dip & crudite
the feta dip was new for me. i adapted this recipe from martha stewart. i didn't have quite enough sour cream, so i added cream cheese which worked fine. i wanted to make the recipe even easier, so i put everything but the scallions into the food processor (i mixed the scallions in afterwards). it worked well, though i would have preferred the chunkier texture achieved from hand mixing. next time i'll use the processor but set some crumbled feta aside with the scallions to mix in before serving.
potato pancakes served two ways: with gravlax and creme fraiche, with homemade applesauce
classic cocktail party combos made easy thanks to pancakes purchased at trader joe's. i decided to make the applesauce from scratch because i thought it would have a nicer texture than the jarred stuff. (it did, which actually helped the potato pancake a lot--i wasn't thrilled with the gravlax version). plus, applesauce is so easy to make and freeze. you can do it with your eyes closed and it's about as family friendly as food gets. i didn't even follow a recipe. just peel and core a bunch of apples (try to use two different kinds--i used fuji and gala--here's a list of varieties suggested for apple sauce); throw in a pot with some water or apple cider (about 1/2 a cup per 4 apples, though you can easily add or drain liquid as necessary); squeeze juice of a lemon; throw in a few dashes of cinnamon and some sugar if you wish (about 1/4 cup of sugar per 4 apples seems standard--i use less--you can always use a little honey at the end).
deviled eggs
i fell in love with the deviled eggs with tuna and black olives at oleana in boston years ago. i've worked hard to approximate their deliciousness. i haven't perfected a recipe, but basically mix the following to taste: hard boiled egg yolks, creme fraiche, low fat mayo, either chopped gherkins or black olives (don't use the kind that come in cans--they'll give a tinny taste), italian oil packed tuna, salt, and pepper. i added the tuna last this time so that i could set a few vegetarian eggs aside for isaac. he ate one for breakfast this morning. yum!
cheese plate
if you can, go to a cheese store and splurge on a few special kinds. it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. i used umbricao, ossau iraty, and idiazabal. just place on a platter with almonds (i used marcona almonds), grapes, crackers and, if you want to get really fancy, quince paste.
gougeres
these delicious cheese puff apps are not hard to make from scratch, but i had to follow the rules and my to do list was growing. anyway, cheese temple artisinal in nyc sells a delicious frozen version that just need to be popped in the oven. believe me. these don't need a homemade component. they are delicious as they come.
BOTTOM LINE
i ended up making 2 dips (both with basically only 1 step), a bunch of bacon wrapped dates, applesauce, and deviled eggs from scratch. not bad.
PREP SCHEDULE
i made the applesauce and boiled and peeled the eggs during isaac's nap the day before the party. i made the dips the morning of, while drinking coffee and watching isaac play in his bean box. i prepped the bacon wrapped dates and deviled eggs while isaac napped the day of the party. i composed the cheese plate and crudite and preheated the oven just a few hours before guests arrived. the first thing to go in the oven were the potato pancakes. once crisped, it took all of 10 minutes to top them as the first guests arrived. then it was just a matter of doing oven rounds: popping batches of dates and gougeres in and out and warming the dub pies as necessary.
it was honestly a breeze. for the first time ever. i don't think the food was quite the same caliber as it has been in the past, nor was i as organized or put together, but that was mostly because i was so excited to be entertaining--loudly!--in a house with no sleeping toddler. it worked out beautifully. and i learned myself a little something about taking it easy.
cheers to that. happy holidays.
-S
Comments [1]