If we are serving two courses before dessert, we often do a room-temperature first course and then a warm main course to give the kitchen time to recalibrate. For a room-temperature course for a large group of guests, the dish has to be designed to be set up in stages starting up to an hour before it’s to be served.
I look for ingredients that won’t wilt in that time, or fall, or change in any way while sitting on the plate. I also consider the “waiter factor.” Waiters leave the kitchen holding one plate in each hand and they often may have to walk fifty yards or more before they reach the table. They’ll often swing their arms a bit as they go, so you want a dish that can pass that stability test. And the dish itself needs to be something that has universal appeal without being too dumbed down.
Many of our techniques are equally helpful in home entertaining, where the goal is to serve your guests a dish that both looks impressive and tastes delicious. It’s the same set of guidelines—make it special, but make it achievable. A great example is a first course that can be set up before your guests arrive.
A two-course dinner can last close to two hours—one very helpful trick we’ve learned for plating main courses is to have all the vegetable accompaniments for each serving laid out in advance on pieces of parchment. So if you have six people for dinner, you want all of your vegetables precooked—already charred, caramelized, blanched, whatever—and arranged on six pieces of parchment paper set on baking sheets. Then you can pop the baking sheets in the oven for less than ten minutes right before you’re ready to serve. Transfer that piece of parchment onto the plate with a spatula and then hold the vegetables in place with the spatula while you slide the parchment from underneath—your vegetables are all beautifully arranged on the plate in one move. That took us only twenty years to figure out!
We’ve also learned that certain entrées are more forgiving than others—like osso buco and beef short ribs. The longer you cook them, the more tender they become, so you don’t have to worry about what time you’re serving them.
When planning courses for a large event, the timeline for the evening is paramount. Remember that simple courses take thirty minutes from service to clear: ten minutes to serve, ten minutes to eat, and ten minutes to clear. Main courses take forty minutes: five minutes longer to serve and five minutes longer to eat. We can often beat these times, but it’s best to be realistic if you need a concise timeline. So if there is dancing after dinner, or if it’s a dinner where people are leaving immediately after, it’s good to remember that it takes ten to thirty minutes to get guests to transition from the cocktail area to their dinner seats. A two-course dinner can last two hours—and that’s without any speeches or delays.
This chapter includes many of my favorite dishes for seated, multicourse meals. They all meet my criteria for success: they look impressive, taste delicious, and are relatively easy to prepare, with many elements that can be made ahead of time.
ARTICHOKE MUSHROOM TOWER
This dish has many things going for it, but one of the best is that you can make it up to 45 minutes ahead of serving and it will still look and taste great. Serve it at home and your guests will be amazed—how did you pull that off? Although this is a tower, its structure comes from the artichoke bottom at the base, which is a whole round disk. We stack it with seasonal wild mushrooms, baby greens, frizzled leeks, shards of Parmesan cheese, and a bit of pesto oil. The bok choy flower gives it a nice crown at the top. You can make the artichokes and the mushrooms a day ahead, too. You can also purchase artichoke bottoms that are already cleaned and cooked. If using these, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes.
Serves 4
For the Artichoke Bottoms:
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 large artichokes
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 white onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
2½ cups vegetable broth or water
For the Sautéed Mushrooms:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced maitake mushrooms
2 cups sliced trumpet mushrooms
¼ cup minced shallots
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sautéed Morels:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 whole morel mushrooms, rehydrated if dried
1 tablespoon minced shallots
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Frizzled Leeks:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 leeks, white part only, julienned
Coarse salt
½ cup Pesto, store-bought or homemade (this page)
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
2 cups microgreens
1 cup Lemon Dressing (recipe follows)
8 sprigs of edible flowers, for garnish (optional)
ARTICHOKES
Fill a large bowl with water and add the lemon juice. To clean the artichokes, slice off the stems and about 1 inch of the tops; then remove most of the tough outer leaves. Place in the lemon water until needed.
Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and basil and season with salt and pepper. Gently cook until the onion is translucent. Add the wine and cook until reduced by three-quarters. Add the artichokes and vegetable broth and simmer until the artichokes are tender, about 35 minutes. Drain the artichokes and let cool, about 15 minutes.
When the artichokes are cool enough to handle, remove the remaining leaves and use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon if you have one) to scrape out the choke; discard it. Set the bottoms aside until you’re ready to assemble the dish.
MUSHROOMS
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
In a deep 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the maitake and trumpet mushrooms. Sauté, stirring, until cooked through and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to assemble the dish.
MORELS
In an 8-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the morels. Sauté, stirring, until cooked through and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the maitake and trumpet mushrooms and keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to assemble the dish.
LEEKS
Pour the oil into a deep 10- or 12-inch sauté pan and heat to 350°F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of leek into the oil. If the oil bubbles, it’s ready.) Carefully drop the julienned leeks into the oil in small batches. Use a spider or slotted spoon to keep them moving in the oil and prevent them from clumping; you want individual straws. When golden brown, about 15 seconds, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt immediately.
ASSEMBLE
Slice all the artichoke bottoms in half horizontally (you will have 12 slices for 4 plates). Place a dot of pesto on each plate and then 1 slice of the artichoke bottom. Top the artichoke bottom with 1 teaspoon pesto and ¼ cup of the sautéed mushrooms topped with a few shards of Parmesan. Top with another slice of artichoke bottom. Lightly dress the microgreens with the lemon dressing. Add ¼ cup of the dressed microgreens and top with a pinch of the frizzled leeks. Place a third slice of artichoke on top and garnish with more dressed microgreens and an edible flower garnish, if using. Decorate the plate with dots of pesto, if you like.
Variation:
LOBSTER TOWER
We also do a version of this dish that uses lobster instead of the wild mushrooms. Lobster is a very popular first course and it’s especially nice if you have only one main course: there is a surf, then a turf, and then a dessert. And t
he mushroom version becomes a vegetarian option.
Follow the recipe for the artichoke mushroom tower but replace the mushrooms with steamed lobster. Two whole lobsters will make 4 lobster towers. Replace the first layer of mushrooms with half a tail. Split the tail lengthwise and cut it into pieces while maintaining the shape of the tail put back together so it will fit nicely on the tower. Then replace the mushrooms on the top layer with the meat, left intact, from 1 lobster claw.
Lemon Dressing
Makes about 2½ cups
2 large shallots, peeled
1¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 lemons
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the shallots in a small baking dish and toss the shallots lightly with the tablespoon of olive oil. Roast until soft, about 25 minutes.
Zest 2 of the lemons (you should have 2 tablespoons zest) and set aside. Juice all 4 lemons for ¾ cup lemon juice.
Combine the lemon juice, shallots, mirin, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add the remaining oil in a slow, steady stream until incorporated. Add the lemon zest and pour into a glass jar or squeeze bottle.
CAPRESE SALAD
This salad never goes out of style: it just makes people think of summer. We add watermelon to lighten the dish and give another layer of flavor. Sometimes we serve this salad family style, or we serve a family-style charcuterie platter with it. We’ll use prosciutto, Serrano ham, beef bresaola, and perhaps duck prosciutto. The platter is a nice addition that pairs well.
Serves 4
5 to 6 pounds heirloom tomatoes, preferably in different colors
Sea salt
4 cups ¾-inch cubed watermelon
2 8-ounce balls fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into 1-inch pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
12 to 16 basil sprigs, for garnish
Basil Oil for the plate (optional; recipe follows)
Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch wedges (you want 24 to 32 wedges) and sprinkle with salt. Arrange 6 to 8 tomato wedges on each plate and tuck 3 to 5 pieces each of the watermelon and mozzarella into the empty spots. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and garnish with basil sprigs. Garnish the plate with a few drops of basil oil for extra visual appeal, if desired.
Basil Oil
Makes about 1 cup
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
⅓ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Prepare an ice bath and bring a 3-quart pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the basil leaves in the boiling water for 15 seconds; then, using a spider or large slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice bath. Drain and coarsely chop. Place the leaves in a blender or food processor, along with the oils. Puree for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is bright green. Strain through a very fine mesh sieve into a glass or squeeze bottle.
THE SEASONAL PLATE “Farm to table” is obviously the phrase du jour these days, but it just makes sense. You always want to serve foods that are (a) in season; (b) grown locally; and (c) capture the feeling of superfresh ingredients. People want to know what it is that they’re eating just by looking at the dish and its ingredients, so we’re always looking to highlight just the ingredients themselves, not what we did to them. We often do this by leaving stems on tomatoes, keeping a little bit of the carrot tops intact, or garnishing a dish with peas still sitting in the pods.
A TRIO OF EGGS
Everyone loves eggs, and little is required to elevate a simple scrambled egg to an elegant first course like this one. The trick here is to keep the eggs warm and moist, so they’re cooked until just set and then spooned into the shells. They’ll continue to cook on their way to the table. Each egg has a different topping: caviar, foie gras, and shaved truffle. A bed of salt is built up on the plate to hold the shells in place. We purchase egg shells that have been cleaned and sterilized (see Sources, this page), choosing a variety of colors and patterns.
Serves 4
4 cups flaky sea salt or kosher salt
12 egg shells, in a variety of patterns and colors, cleaned and tops removed to make a cup
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
12 large eggs
½ cup milk
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons caviar
2 ounces foie gras, sliced, seared on both sides, and cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons shaved truffle
Mound 1 cup of the salt on each of 4 serving plates. Nestle 3 of the egg shells into the salt on each plate.
Melt the butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Beat together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl and pour into the pan. Let the eggs set and then begin to lift and fold with a spatula to form soft curds. Remove the eggs from the pan while they are slightly undercooked.
Carefully spoon the scrambled eggs into the shells, topping one egg with ½ teaspoon of the caviar, one egg with the foie gras, and then the third egg with the shaved truffle.
BURRATA WITH GRILLED PEACHES, DUCK PROSCIUTTO, MUSTARD GREENS, AND MCHE
This is one of our most popular first courses. A recent bride, Alex Carl (who was an actress on Gossip Girl), and her South African groom, Peter Campbell, brought the combination to us and we did the styling. The bride and groom are real foodies; they can both cook and they have great ideas. Not only is this a good-looking salad, it also holds up well. The stone fruit (we use peaches or nectarines) can be grilled in advance and plated with the prosciutto; then the burrata and greens are added and dressed right before service. Burrata—creamy soft curds of cheese encased in mozzarella—is the star and it works beautifully here. The dish hits all tastes and textures: the sweetness of the fruit contrasts with the saltiness of the prosciutto and the slightly bitter baby mustard greens; the burrata is luscious and creamy, while the mâche adds another soft texture; and one crisped piece of prosciutto adds a touch of crunch.
Serves 4
10 slices of duck prosciutto
16 peach wedges (3 to 4 peaches, depending on their size)
2 8-ounce balls of burrata cheese
2 cups baby mustard greens
2 cups mâche
Red sorrel leaves, for garnish
Peach Vinaigrette (this page)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a small baking dish with parchment paper.
Lay 2 slices of the prosciutto on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the meat is dark and the fat has browned, about 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the prosciutto to paper towels to drain; it will crisp as it cools.
Place 4 peach wedges on each plate. Cut each ball of burrata into quarters and tear the remaining 8 slices of prosciutto in half. On each plate, tuck 2 pieces of cheese and 2 half-slices of prosciutto in and around the peaches. Use equal portions of the mustard greens and the mâche to fill the spaces. Garnish with 1 shard of the crispy prosciutto and a red sorrel leaf.
Dress each plate lightly with the vinaigrette.
Peach Vinaigrette
Makes about 2½ cups
2 shallots, peeled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
13 ounces peach preserves
⅓ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup grapeseed oil, or as needed for desired consistency
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Toss the shallots lightly with the olive oil and place in a small baking dish. Roast until soft, about 25 minutes.
Put the roasted shallots, peach preserves, cider vinegar, and mustard in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add the grapeseed oil in a slow, steady stream. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a squeeze bottle
to dress the plate.
The Secrets to the Perfect Salad
A successful salad needs a specific set of flavor and texture components: it needs something with crunch, something rich, something flavorful, and something a little sweet. For crunch, we often crisp something, like pancetta. Croutons are obviously good for that, too, or frizzled leeks (see this page), which have great crunch and delicious flavor. Cheese is the perfect choice for a rich element, as are wild mushrooms, which are very meaty, or prosciutto. You do want a little meatiness—some substance—to your first course if it’s the only course before the entrée. Tomatoes and artichoke bottoms are meaty, and so is a grilled peach. Plus fruit always adds a touch of sweetness.
WILD MUSHROOM SOUP
I believe that Jean-Georges Vongerichten was the first to serve soup in this manner when he opened his Jean-Georges restaurant on Central Park West. He would snip fresh herbs into the bottom of the soup plate and then pour the hot soup over the herbs tableside. Years later, we adapted the idea for a wedding on a small island off Maine: we perfectly plate mushrooms and herbs in the bottom of the bowl and set it in front of the guest. Then another waiter comes with a pitcher of hot soup and pours that into the bowl. It makes for a beautiful presentation. It’s a very flavorful broth, but you can still see the mushrooms, and people just love that layer of service and the theater of a waiter finishing the dish right in front of them.
Serves 4 (about 4 cups)
3 pounds wild mushrooms or sliced button mushrooms
2 large shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Peter Callahan's Party Food Page 7
