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Stress-Free Entertaining Last week I taught a class in stress-free entertaining. The night before I made food for a party of six with this concept in mind. While hassle-free entertaining might seem difficult to achieve, it is more than possible during the summer. The key is designing a room temperature menu. Nothing has to be juggled on the burners or in the oven at the last minute. Each dish is laid out on a serving dish, making the meal look like an extravagant antipasto bar. You can go over the top and make a huge variety of dishes, like I did for the party the night before my class. This kind of menu lends itself to easy transport as well. Happily, all the dishes packed up well. When they were all laid out on serving dishes, the guests were astounded and delighted at the variety (and of course the flavors!). Here’s some of what was included in the two nights: Poached salmon: Salmon is in season from May through October and well-priced wild Alaskan salmon is readily available. On Wednesday night I poached steaks in a cort bouillion of onions, leeks, carrots, celery, white wine, sliced lemon, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaf. I cooked the stock for 25 minutes, then poached the steaks for 10. I served them with the mustard-dill-cucumber sauce from The Healthy Hedonist. We made this in class as well, only we sliced thick fillets into 1-inch pieces, and rolled them into even rounds that we tied with strings.  Poached Salmon Steaks Roasted Cauliflower with Fennel and Garlic Cloves. I used a variety of white and bright yellow cauliflower.  Roasted Cauliflower with Fennel and Garlic One basic crowd-pleaser was heirloom tomatoes with sliced fresh mozzarella with basil chiffonade, balsamic and olive oil.  Mozarella and Tomatoes with Basil Beets with fig-balsamic vinegar, walnuts, and purslane.  Beets with Fig Balsamic, Walnuts, and Purslane Sautéed shallots and corn, pan deglazed with balsamic vinegar.  Sautéed Corn and Shallots with Balsamic Vinegar Marinated roasted red peppers with anchovy breadcrumbs.
 Roasted Red Peppers with Anchovy Breadcrumbs Crab salad featuring Tanner crab from Vital Choice with buttered brioche. It’s kind of like a lobster roll, only with crab. The salad had homemade mayonnaise, tarragon, celery and a touch hot sauce.  Crab Salad with Buttered Brioche From class: Shaved zucchini salad with arugula and parmesan.  Shaved Zucchini Salad with Arugula and Parmesan Yellow tomato and golden beet Gazpacho.  Yellow Tomato and Golden Beet Gazpacho The one dish I did serve hot was an onion tart made with caramelized spring onions, spring garlic, egg yolks, and a tad parmesan, cream, and milk.  Caramelized Onion Tart Also included on this plate were marinated olives, Tuscan white beans, marinated grilled portobellos, and parmesan biscotti.  On the Plate I also included romano beans with a tahini and pomegranate dressing as well as parfaits with blackberries and cream! A good time was had by all!  Time to Eat! Share on Facebook and Twitter | Dinner, Happenings/Events | No comments
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