Passover dinner of Cooks Illustrated Onion Braised brisket, a large roesti pancake served with applesauce, and Vichy carrots. A refreshing bibb lettuce salad with different citrus, shave fennel, and grated beets with toasted slivered almonds and an orange vinaigrette. Drbabs' coffee meringues for dessert.
When serving a lot of people, I tend to favor proteins that are really long cooking, or really short cooking. I don't like trying to time things when guests are involved. One of my favorites from recent memory was a braised short rib, which I braised ahead of time, then grilled right before service for a bit of caramelization and to reheat. I then drizzled over a reduced braising liquid (which had onions, parsnips, fennel, garlic, porcini, mustard and wine) and served it over pureed parsnips with homemade pickled vegetables for a bit of sharpness. On the side I had a salad of shaved kale, brussels sprouts, shallot, sliced almonds, green apple, avocado and pecorino cheese with a light lemon vinaigrette. For dessert, which i nearly always make sure is made ahead, was a lemon poppyseed upside down cake with fresh apricots and blackberries topped with whipped cream.
Why thank you! I had for years as a teenager, tried to get my friends to appreciate dinner parties over house parties...and while I may not have been successful at converting them, I picked up a few things along the way :)
We recently hosted a paella night, as we often have, with manchego cheese, anchovy stuffed olives and iberico ham as openers, then the paella, salad, asparagus, bread. I made a trifle to use up some berries I had on hand and it was good, it was really too much would have been better. What made it a wonderful party though, was not the food, but that we were a gathering of friends who enjoy spending an evening together catching up, sharing food, wine and friendship.
Hemlock shakes, Beladona shooters, Fugu sushi made by my cousin,
"Mystery Mushroom Soup" and chicken Mac Nuggets with 'carseat surprise dipping sauce'.
1)Rolled veal roast braised in white wine with mushrooms (usually with gremolata but I left that off this time), crispy roasted potatoes (Kenji Lopez-Alt-style), asparagus. Hazelnut torte with chocolate-orange glaze. Strawberries.
2) red-wine braised beef roast with mushrooms, roasted potatoes, salad. Hazelnut torte (again), cocoa meringues, lemon-almond cookies.
Those were my Passover menus for Seder night and for the last day's luncheon but they work well for the remainder of the year as well.
10 Comments
"Mystery Mushroom Soup" and chicken Mac Nuggets with 'carseat surprise dipping sauce'.
2) red-wine braised beef roast with mushrooms, roasted potatoes, salad. Hazelnut torte (again), cocoa meringues, lemon-almond cookies.
Those were my Passover menus for Seder night and for the last day's luncheon but they work well for the remainder of the year as well.