2 quarts vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces wild mushrooms (chanterelle, enoki, maitake, royal trumpet, or a mixture), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces if large
¼ cup Madeira (optional)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh micro chives (or snipped regular chives) and cilantro flowers, for garnish (optional)
Put the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and stock in a stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until reduced by half, about 1½ hours. Line a sieve with two layers of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth and set over a clean 3-quart pot. Pour in the broth and press on the vegetables to extract all the liquid; discard the solids. The broth can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, make the wild mushrooms. In a deep 10- or 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until cooked through and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Return the broth to medium heat to warm it and stir in the Madeira, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange 4 or 5 sautéed mushrooms at the bottom of each bowl and pour the broth over. Garnish with chives and cilantro flowers, if desired.
POTATO LEEK SOUP WITH SLICED TRUFFLE AND FRIZZLED LEEKS
This is a luxurious soup with a lot of texture and flavor, yet it contains no cream—we never add any milk or cream to our soups. In addition to the leeks in the soup itself, which bring a wonderful sweetness to the broth, we first place sautéed leeks in the bowl and pour the soup around them. Then we top the soup with sliced truffle and a bit of frizzled leeks for crunch.
Serves 6 (about 8 cups)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 small or 5 large leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
½ large onion, diced
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1½ cups dry white wine
2 quarts chicken stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soft Julienned Leeks (recipe this page), for garnish
Shaved black truffle, for garnish
Frizzled leeks (see this page), for garnish
Truffle oil, for garnish
Melt the butter in a 3-quart pot. Add the raw leeks, onion, and potato and stir until well coated with the butter. Sweat over medium-low heat until soft (do not let the vegetables brown), about 10 minutes.
Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat; then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth, passing the soup through a fine-mesh sieve if you’d like it extra smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, place a small pile of soft julienned leeks in the center of the soup plate as a platform for the frizzled leeks and shaved truffles. Pour the soup around the pile of leeks. Top the leeks with a slice or two of black truffle and sprinkle with frizzled leeks. Drizzle lightly with truffle oil.
Soft Julienned Leeks
Makes about 1 cup
3 large leeks, white part only
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, rinse well, and slice into a fine julienne.
Melt the butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat and add the leeks. Stir to coat well with the butter and continue to cook over low heat until soft, but not browned, about 10 minutes.
SORREL SOUP
My chef originally developed this soup for a seven-hundred-guest glatt kosher wedding at the Park Avenue Armory for a very well-known family in New York City. They wanted really special food and we liked the idea of doing a sorrel soup, which is rustic and woodsy tasting and sort of esoteric. In the end they selected something a little more mainstream, but now the soup is on our menu anyway and it really is terrific.
It’s an unusual dish with the provocative flavors of the pureed sorrel and apple. Many soups benefit from the sweetness of a little diced fruit. The garnish of smoked trout adds a nice punch of flavor and texture.
Serves 6 (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1 leek, white and tender green parts, washed well and thinly sliced
1 large shallot, chopped
1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
4 bunches of sorrel (about 1½ pounds)
½ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
Coarse salt
2 ounces smoked trout, cut into 12 small diamonds
Red-veined sorrel leaves, for garnish
Warm the oil in a 3-quart stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, apple, leek, shallot, and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent and the apple is tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Do not let them brown.
Add the wine, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook until reduced by half, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the stock, cream, half of the sorrel, and the basil. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by one-fourth, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Pour three-quarters of the soup into a high-speed blender or a food processor. Pulse until smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean 3-quart pot. Pour the remaining soup into the blender, add the remaining sorrel and the butter, and pulse until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the first batch of soup. Season with salt to taste if needed.
Reheat gently over low heat (do not let it boil, or the soup will turn dark) before serving. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish each with 2 diamonds of smoked trout and red-veined sorrel leaves.
SUSHI STATION We designed this beautiful sushi display, with wooden platters set into a matrix of boxes filled with shaved ice, to keep the sushi cold. We put each kind of sushi on an individual plate.
The display is made of square trays that we fill with shaved ice; then we set a charger plate filled with sushi on top of each tray. You can make this at home from boxes in any size or configuration that you want.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI
We make these with wonton wrappers and steam them, so they puff up and are very light. This dish works well as a first course, but we also use it as a “silent” vegetarian entrée (see this page). We serve these with a nice herb sauce on the side, often a basil sauce. Everyone loves them and they can be fired off fairly quickly if need be.
Serves 4
2½ cups diced peeled butternut squash (about ½ small)
¾ cup diced carrots
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 yellow onion, cut into thick wedges
2 garlic cloves
1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh sage
24 wonton wrappers
Basil Cream Sauce (recipe follows)
Shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, toss the squash, carrots, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon salt and toss again. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss the onion wedges and garlic in the same bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a second baking sheet. Roast until soft but not browned, 35 to 40 minutes.
Transfer the roasted vegetables along with the ginger and sage to a food processor and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice. Set aside to cool completely.
Lay 12 wonton wrappers on a work surface and brush the edges with water. Place a ½-tablespoon mound of filling in the center of each and top with a second wrapper. Press the edges to seal,
making sure to remove trapped air. Cut with a 2-inch square cutter to trim. (If you have leftover filling, save it for another use or make more ravioli.)
Fill a pot large enough to snugly hold a bamboo steamer halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and set a bamboo steamer on top. Working in batches, steam the ravioli until the wrappers are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
To plate, spoon some of the warm basil cream sauce onto individual serving plates and arrange 3 ravioli on each. Top with shaved Parmesan.
Basil Cream Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup heavy cream
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) basil leaves
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Continue to cook until reduced by half.
Add the vegetable stock and heavy cream and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.
Pour the sauce into a blender or food processor along with the basil leaves and puree until smooth. When ready to serve, return the sauce to the pan and warm gently over low heat. Do not let the sauce come to a boil, as it will turn brown.
The American Chef Corps
The American Chef Corps is a network of chefs from across the country who serve as a resource to the U.S. Department of State in its efforts to incorporate culinary engagement in its public diplomacy efforts. Created in 2012 in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, the corps is part of an initiative developed under then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Her rationale, she said, is that “food isn’t traditionally thought of as a diplomatic tool, but I think it’s the oldest diplomatic tool. Sharing a meal can help people transcend boundaries and build bridges in a way that nothing else can.”
Secretary Clinton wanted to update the food that’s served throughout the diplomatic corps to reflect the best of American cuisine. So the State Department invited more than eighty chefs from all over the country to participate in whatever ways were meaningful. I was asked to cater and design the kickoff party at the State Department that announced the formation of the Chefs Corps, and another reception held in preparation for the 2015 World Food Expo in Milan.
I am very proud to be a part of the Chef Corps, which includes top chefs from all over the country, among them José Andrés, Dan Barber, Rick Bayless, April Bloomfield, Marcus Samuelsson, and Ming Tsai. It’s a great program and it really brings home the importance of learning about other cultures and sharing ours through the global world of food.
CRUDITÉ FIELD
Martha Stewart’s American Made celebrates artisanal products made across the country through an annual award program and conference held during its first two years at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. We conceived this display for the event’s second year to tie in with the program’s theme of farm-to-table foods and other items made by hand. It’s a “back to the land” take on crudités that’s literally grab and go, as if guests are picking vegetables from the field.
We construct a series of plywood boxes: a large box to hold the soil and a matrix of smaller boxes for the vegetable beds. All manner of vegetables—carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and even potatoes—spring up from the field of wheat grass, while hollowed-out Savoy and red cabbages and ornamental kales make natural serving bowls.
The amazing variety of heirloom vegetables available now means this beautiful display isn’t limited to the summer months—there’s a rainbow of different colors in winter vegetables, too, and many can be found in “baby” sizes. Visit your local farmer’s market to find the best of what’s in season. The veggies in the photo come from Chef’s Garden, a wonderful resource (see Sources, this page).
We’ve done versions of our field of crudités for many other parties and events since then. It’s perfect for outdoor parties and also makes a great table centerpiece for a rustic-themed wedding. We buy wheatgrass flats from local flower shops and push bamboo skewers of vegetables into the grass.
OPEN-FACED LOBSTER RAVIOLI
This is a remake of lobster ravioli with an almost deconstructed approach—you get to see all the beautiful ingredients and make your own decision how much pasta you want to have with your meal. This is an elegant first course that is very easy to make at home. Store-bought fresh pasta sheets work perfectly and steamed lobster can be purchased from your fishmonger.
Serves 4
For the Pasta Sheets:
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
For the Fennel Confit:
2 fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
For the Lobster:
2 lemons, halved
½ cup coarse salt
2 1½-pound live lobsters
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
For the Sautéed Spinach:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups spinach, stems removed
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
For Serving:
White Wine–Lemon Sauce (this page)
Chervil leaves or fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, for garnish
PASTA SHEETS
Place the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Lightly beat the eggs. With the motor running, slowly add the flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough just comes together (you may not need all the flour). Turn off the mixer and exchange the paddle for the dough hook. Continue to mix the dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
FENNEL CONFIT
Meanwhile, place the fennel in a medium saucepan and pour in the oil. Cook the fennel—submerged in the oil—over medium-low heat until completely tender, about 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain before plating.
PASTA
Roll out the pasta. Run the dough through a pasta machine, beginning at the largest number and ending with the thickness you prefer. Run the dough through each number twice. Once the pasta is rolled to your desired thickness it can either be cut into squares and frozen between layers of parchment paper and placed in a plastic bag or cooked while the lobster is poaching. Do not cook the pasta ahead of time; frozen pasta can be cooked as described.
LOBSTER
Prepare an ice bath in a bowl large enough to hold both lobsters. In a lobster pot or large stockpot with a lid, bring 2 to 3 gallons of water to a boil over high heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt. Quickly place the lobsters in the water, cover, and cook for 7 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to the ice bath.
Use kitchen shears to cut the shells. Carefully remove the meat from the claws and the tails, leaving the meat intact. Cut each tail in half lengthwise, removing the vein that runs down its center. Reserve any remaining lobster meat for another use.
In a medium saucepan, bring ¼ cup water to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter. Continue to whisk until the butter has melted and emulsified (do not let the butter foam).
Add the lobster claws and tails to the butter and poach until the meat is no longer translucent and has just turned white and pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
SAUTÉED SPINACH
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add all of the spinach and sauté, stirring constantly, until evenly cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to overcook
as spinach discolors quickly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
ASSEMBLE
Cut the rolled pasta dough into four 4-inch squares and three 3-inch squares. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the squares to the boiling water and cook for only 2 to 3 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
SERVE
Drizzle some of the white wine–lemon sauce on each plate and place 1 large pasta square in the center. Top with a ½ lobster tail and arrange a spoonful of the fennel and the spinach on either side. Place the smaller pasta square to partially cover a bit of the tail and arrange the lobster claw on top. Garnish with chervil or parsley sprigs.
White Wine–Lemon Sauce
Makes about 1½ cups
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
Coarse salt
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, wine, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
LEMON-SCENTED QUINOA
Like the Ratatouille (this page), this is another vegetable-forward dish that works well as a first course or a main dish. I love to take advantage of the wide variety of colorful heirloom vegetables available today—the candy-striped beets, the beautiful watermelon radishes. Peeling thin strips of asparagus and carrots and letting them curl in ice water adds a modern, fresh look to the plate.
Quinoa and grains have definitely been rediscovered and are a great addition to a salad or a salad alternative. Shaving the vegetables is an easy technique that elevates their presentation. This dish has a lot of substance. It’s filling, but still has the lightness and crisp texture of a salad—and it can be plated ahead of time without wilting as a salad would.
Peter Callahan's Party Food Page 8
