Fresh Tart

You're likely thinking finally, sheesh, have the party already.  And indeed we did, and it was great fun.  I can't say enough about how awesome Silver Service catering is, I wish they just lived with us - it is so decadent to have someone think about how the table looks, and add garnishes, and light candles, and do all the things I would do (except waaay better) so that I can completely relax and talk to my guests.  Heavenly, truly.

The food - other than what I made - was prepared by Vincent Francoual, owner of the Vincent's Restaurant.  He actually delivered the food himself, which I didn't expect and left me more than a little starstruck.  Nothing like making your own kitchen feel completely weenie than to have one of the best chefs in town standing in it, eek.  Thankfully, he's a very sweet and low-key person and it was way cool that he delivered the goods himself.  Made my day.

So the wine flowed, and food was devoured, and friends and coworkers had plenty of time to chat and spread good cheer.  My 13-year old son was a huge help, greeting guests, taking coats, clearing plates, and making me so proud I almost burst.  All that remains are a few lemon tartlets (from Vincent's) and a few almond triangles (the Star Trib cookie contest winner that I prepped, very tasty).  For the rest of the menu, see below.

All in all, a grand time, thanks again to Silver Service and Vincent's and John's partners and spouses for making such a fun afternoon/evening.

I'm done entertaining until Christmas Eve (menu, haven't considered, but stay tuned).  Until then, Happy Holidays!

Ho ho whoa, it's holiday party time!  Always fun, of course, seeing friends and coworkers and tasting all sorts of delicious appetizers, cookies, and drinks.

Back in the 90s, I used to do a rip-roaring holiday buffet for the neighbors each year - I thought of it as the perfect opportunity to serve all of my favorite appetizers in one night and experiment with new ones.  I would start cooking and freezing a couple of weeks before the big event, then spend the whole night in the kitchen chatting and cooking my brains out.  Great fun, but exhausting.

 

 

 

 

These days, I edit my menus - and stretch my energy! - a bit more carefully.  John and I are hosting his partners and spouses on Sunday, a group of about 70, for a late-afternoon cocktail party.  I'm making a few things and having the rest catered (by the fantastic Silver Service, they always do a lovely job), with the goal of leaving the kitchen to greet our guests.  The buffet menu is shaking out as follows:

cold, sliced, grilled beef and pork tenderloins with wild mushrooms and fresh herbs (me)

assorted cheeses with crackers  and apple slices (me)

roasted vegetables

warm chicken curry with red pepper skewers

warm puff pastry with cauliflower puree & sauteed mushrooms

warm shrimp spring rolls

mini lemon tarts with raspberries, chocolate truffles, almond triangle cookies (me), & grapes (me)

 

 

 

 

John and I are doing all the beverages, ice, and set up.  I'm renting plates, glassware, and silverware.  I'll complete the decorating and flowers.  I've done giant parties this way before - plugging in a caterer to help with the most time-consuming tasks and clean up, but taking care of decor, set up, drinks, and a portion of the food myself.  It's pretty much the perfect combination - I get to do what I like to do without killing myself, or our budget.

I managed to put the final touches on the Christmas decorations despite Puppy Louis having a difficult time post-neutering.  Bad reaction to pain meds, biting/licking his incision despite the "cone of shame," special food and narcotics, lots of puppy pain, trips to the vet, antibiotics, and finally...a happily healing pup.  A bit more of an adventure than we expected, but all's well that ends well.

Happy Partying!

Happy Birthday Stu The Wine Genius! I forgot to wish him Happy Birthday last night when he and Debbie were here for my party. They had flown in from sunny Florida earlier in the day, quickly switched mental gears into winter mode, and then set out in a snowstorm for our house. Today Stu will be ice climbing! The Williams embrace it all, most definitely - that's why they're such a blast to hang out with! (Can you say Napa, in April, with Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield? Here we come and I. Can't. Wait!)

As was everyone who made it here last night. It takes a certain adventurous (reckless?) spirit to set out for a party in a snowstorm, so those who made it here were definitely ready for some action, namely FOOD. And plenty of food there was! (See below.) Oh, so good, there are some nice leftovers of which I will giddily partake this afternoon...yeah, baby! I probably ate 20 tuna tartare potato crisps last night, uff I was full. Totally worth it, of course! Despite my ongoing efforts to pare things down, I've thoroughly enjoyed several lovely meals and glasses of wine in the ongoing celebration of (the end of) my 40th year. (Yeah, it's been rough, ha. I should have turned 40 years ago...)

I received - get this - a Mod-Hair Ken doll, from - who else? - Kim and Suz! I've oft reminisced about my Mod-Hair Ken, with his white turtle-neck dickie, brown-n-white checked sport coat, and decal facial hair. Soooo cheesy 1970s, I loved him (and so did my Barbies, ha!). Suz and Kim, dear friends that they are, were actually listening to my dumb stories and took it upon themselves to find me a Mod-Hair Ken (yay eBay!), to craft decal facial hair when none was available (yay Suz!), and to design an evil-genius-raunchy, perfectly photo-shopped birthday card (yay Brian and Kim!) that depicted, uh, a me-Barbie in some rather uncompromising positions with said Ken. I'll let you imagine the details. If you're having a hard time, it included pom-poms and an askew dickie. Yeah. 'Nough said. (OMG, it's hilarious, totally made my, and everyone's, night.)

It was particularly cool of Andrew and Rishia Zimmern to show up, because 1) they live in St. Paul so had a nasty drive, and 2) Andrew's Bizarre Foods television series, the filming of which has had him traveling constantly the last several months, finally debuts on the Travel Channel tomorrow (Monday) night (woo hoo!) and they are swamped getting ready for the big event! Make sure to tune in!

Oh, I just have to point out how gorgeous all the girlfriends looked last night! Being the practical yet stylish Minnesotans they are, all showed up in snowboots, carrying their party shoes separately to don once in the house. Genius!

Well, I sure had a great time last night. Again thanks, my dear friends, for making my party so special! And thanks to Silver Service and the staff from Vincent's as well. Snow be damned, we had a party!

Well, what can I say? Several didn't make it to my party tonight, but most did, so how honored am I that my dear friends and family braved snow and wind to be here to celebrate with me? VERY!!! It was a fabulous night, with fabulous people, amazing food from Vincent's, and plenty of wine and good cheer. And the service from Silver Service catering - unbeatable, truly. Both the chefs from Vincent's and the servers from Silver Service were here early, despite the crummy weather, ready to go. I just can't say enough about their level of professionalism.

The tasties included tuna tartare on potato crisps, roasted tomato and caramelized onion tartlets, mini-croque monsieur sandwiches, roasted vegetables, smoked salmon with creme fraiche, steak with chimichurri sauce, chicken and red pepper skewers, imported cheeses with freshly baked baguette, and assorted cookies and truffles. Oh my gosh I had a great time, The Best. I'll post more pics tomorrow, but for now, I'm toddling off to bed, full and happy and so grateful for the company of my brave guests.

And, Happy Birthday Jen (chillin' here with Jon Brown and her husband, Steve Katz)! Tonight may have been my party, but it was Jen Leopold's real birthday!

Friday Morning Coffee with Suz! Man, it's been weeks again, waaay too long. It was great to see her beautiful face and talk super-fast so I could fill her in on all the goings on of the last couple of weeks. You know, the stuff we haven't covered in email or on the phone, ha. Like bitching about the oncoming snowstorm! Bad timing, my friends, since I'm hosting a Silver Service-catered 40th Birthday Bash tomorrow night...pour MOI! Uuuuugh (or more likely a far more offensive word!) if the snow wrecks my lovely party! Vincent Francoual - yes, of the fabulous Vincent A Restaurant- is doing the food, people, this is serious business! (That's the beauty of catering with Silver Service - they work with many of the best chefs and servers in the city.) So although I of course want everyone to be safe - I also want everyone to realize that the food is going to be worth braving the snow - this isn't just me cooking (that's our usual party routine), it's Vincent...

Sigh. Well, at least we were unhampered in our trip to Fugaise for dinner last night. It was as great as I had hoped - for me, silky squash soupfollowed by three small wild boar raviolis (small raviolis, I mean; I have no idea the size of the boar but I'm guessing not terribly small) garnished with figs, wild mushrooms, and truffle demiglace. The usual attentive, knowledgable service. Lovely wine list. Rarrr...

And tonight? Back to spiffing up the house, arranging flowers, setting out candles. And of course plowing through my closet to figure out what the hell I'm wearing - even if I end up standing here alone, just me, a few cases of wine, and a mountain of croque monsieurs, I want to look DAMN GOOD. Hmph.