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Posts Tagged ‘easy entertaining’

LEH: Top 5 (highly debatable) Entertaining Rules

October 6, 2011 by Lydia Ellison Howerton

All of us A & O Girls (did you know Sarah and I work with 3 other amazing chefs?) are OBSESSED with the new Bon Appetit magazine. Under Adam Rapoport’s direction the food magazine feels fresh, modern and super useful. I end up dog earring almost every page to save in my “idea” file and we try recipes from the mag all the time at work. Anywho I was inspired by a column in this month’s issue from The Foodist: Top 5 (highly debatable) Entertaining Rules.

His Are:

1. Always serve coconut cake and Papy Van Winkle Bourbon for dessert.

2. Recruit at least one friend to help with the dishes.

3. Invite a fun mix of interesting guests.

4. Tidy up your house but don’t go crazy cleaning it from top to bottom.

5. Serve dishes that accommodate your guests dietary restrictions and your own cooking prowess.

I really like this list but I’m lucky enough to have friends who always help with the dishes unasked (thank you TL/MS/KB/AJ/EO) and I never worry about my guests mingling well together as I only ever invite good pals. So my list is a little different.

Mine Are:

1. Serve at least one store bought course (dessert or appetizers usually).

2. Start the night with a signature drink, people hate making decisions/this makes you look fancy.

3. Always buy one more bottle of wine than you think you need (never fails to get opened).

4. Force guests to play Trivial Pursuit after dinner.

5. Use the dinner party as an excuse to get your husband to tidy up living room and clean the bathroom while you do the fun stuff like setting the table.

What are yours? Maybe the other A & O ladies will share theirs soon? Here is our real dinner party advice.

xo,
LEH

10 No-Bake Appetizers

March 31, 2011 by Lydia Ellison Howerton

: Crudite with olive tapenade

You asked for it dear readers and we listened! 10 more easy appetizers that can be assembled from items from the store with out ever turning on your oven.

: cheddar and apples

Check out all 10 ideas over at The Daily Meal!

A & O Top 5 Dinner Party Tips

March 10, 2011 by Sarah Lagrotteria

We’re excited to announce that our second feature is live on The Daily Meal. For this feature we updated Lydia’s Dinner Party Advice into our all-time top 5 dinner party tips. Guaranteed to make entertaining more fun!

Tell us, any you’d add?

xoxosl

As private chefs we spend our working hours planning, prepping and executing meals and parties for clients, but at the end of the day we’re still excited invite friends over for an impromptu dinner party. Here’s our top 5 tips for simple but fabulous entertaining, some of it gleaned from the great Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame.

1. Only make 2 dishes for your dinner party but make them really good. A prefect roast chicken served alongside a fresh green salad with homemade croutons will wow your guests yet is managable for a week night dinner party. Trust us, cooking is fun but also tiring and you have to shop, get the house ready and plan your outfit, so go easy on yourself and just cook 2 really delicious items.

2. The other dishes you serve should be entirely store-bought, like a berry pie from a local bakery, or something you just assemble together, like a simple anti pasta platter or lovely cheese plate.The store is full of delicious and simple appetizer and dessert items. Make sure you take advantage.

Easy store-bought appetizers include:
Soft goat cheese drizzled with honey, wafer crackers or bread and walnuts
Prosciutto wrapped around bread sticks
Sliced cucumber and warm pita bread with store-bought tatziki
Sliced baguette topped with blue cheese, melt in the oven and then top with a drizzle of honey
Olive tapenade and mini mozzarella balls with baguette rounds

No-bake dessert ideas include:
Store-bought pound cake served with fresh berries and lemon yogurt sauce
Good chocolate cookies (from a bakery) and fresh strawberries
Good brownies (from a bakery) warmed slightly topped with vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sorbet with this raspberry sauce
Fresh dates, clementines and good quality chocolates

3. NEVER make a dish that requires lots of last minute work. You won’t be able to hang out with your guests if you are stirring risotto during cocktail hour!

4. Dress up your house! Set your table before your guests arrive, place fresh flowers and candles around your entertaining areas like your living room or den and make sure you have some music playing softly in the background. When guests walk into even the smallest apartment that has a pretty set table, music playing and fresh flowers in a vase it sets the mood for a fun evening. Simple white votives flickering in juice glasses and one bouquet of brightly colored blooms from the grocery store placed in bud vases around a room can make all the difference.

5. Always offer a signature drink. This can be your “wow” factor. A signature drink can be as simple as beer or liquor from the same region as your meal, e.g. Sapporo if you’re making Japanese, a bourbon and soda if you’re going Southern. What’s important is that it marks this night as different and sets the tone for the menu to come. Naturally, you offer it up cold in a pretty glass as soon as your guests arrive.

Other signature cocktail ideas include:
Prosecco with a spoonful of lemon or raspberry sorbet mixed in the glass
Gwyneth’s dirty martinis
White wine sangria- fruity Sauvignon Blanc with sliced citrus fruit and a cup of lemonade all mixed in a pitcher
Bottle of rose champagne (so chic!)

Meatless Monday: Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

February 7, 2011 by Lydia Ellison Howerton

Flaky buttery puff pastry slathered in a lemony layer of fluffy ricotta cheese topped with sweet zucchini and savory fresh thyme. Sounds good right?

This simple to make (we promise this time) tart is one of our new favorite recipes. We are recommending it as an elegant appetizer in our Dinner Party Blueprints and it is garnering rave reviews at work as a lunch dish paired with a mixed green salad.

Zucchini and Ricotta Tart

Serves 2 for lunch or 4-6 as an appetizer

1 sheet all butter frozen puff pastry, thawed per the package instructions

1 1/2 cups good quality ricotta cheese

zest of one small lemon

salt and pepper

1-2 zucchinis, sliced into 1/4inch thick rounds

1/4 cup grated gruyure cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Defrost the puff pastry sheet according to the package instructions which takes at least 45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay the rectangle of puff onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Using a fork, make pinpricks all around the center of the tart dough leaving a 1 inch border on each of the four sides. Mix the ricotta with a pinch of salt and pepper and the lemon zest. Top the pricked section of the dough with the ricotta cheese into a thin but even layer. Slightly layer the sliced zucchini on top of the ricotta. Sprinkle the zucchini with a dusting of salt, shredded gruyere and chopped fresh thyme. Brush the exposed edges of puff dough with egg wash. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes until the dough if puffed and the edges have browned. Try not open the oven door while it bakes, use you oven light if possible. Allow to cool for 10 minutes to room temperature and them slice into wedges or small, bite sized squares.

xo,

LEH

Chinese New Year Dinner Party

January 28, 2011 by applesandonions

Dearest Readers,

In celebration of our new service A & O Dinner Party Blueprints being featured on Daily Candy today we are sharing all the recipes from this beautiful dinner. Please try them, they are a true taste of entertaining the Apples & Onions way.

XOXO,

SL + LEH

PS- Our friend Beth Liebetrau took ALL these beautiful pictures!

PPS- Thanks so much to the Daily Candy team for their support of A & O!

Chinese New Year Dinner Party Menu

Mandarin Orange Fizz made with mandarin orange sorbet and prosseco and chilled TsingTao beers

Baked vegetable egg rolls with sweet soy dipping sauce and seasoned rice cracker mix

Whole leaf salad with radishes and sugar snap peas matchsticks with rice wine vinaigrette

Soy-ginger glazed short ribs with scallion crema, cilantro white rice and steamed baby bok choy

Szechuan Sundaes–good vanilla ice cream, orange-infused dark chocolate sauce and crushed szechuan pink peppercorns

Mandarin Fizz
Makes 1 cocktail

One small scoop of Mandarin Orange Sorbet (or any citrus sorbet)
Chilled prosecco or champagne

Chill champagne flutes in freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Fill champagne flute ¾ of the way full of chilled prosecco. Add a tiny ice cream scoop or tablespoon full of sorbet to the glass. Enjoy immediately. The sorbet keeps your cocktail chilled as you drink it!

Dipping Sauce
For store-bought eggrolls or dumplings

½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Pour into decorative dipping bowl and sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions.

Whole leaf salad with radishes and sugar snap peas matchsticks with rice wine vinaigrette
Serves 6

rice wine vinaigrette
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon agave nectar or honey
scant ¼ cup grapeseed oil (or canola oil)
black pepper to taster

1 large head butter lettuce
1 cup snap peas thinly sliced on the bias
¾ cup red radishes thinly sliced on the bias

Make dressing: whisk together rice wine vinegar, salt and agave. Still whisking, add oil in a slow continuous stream until dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with pepper and more salt as needed.

Arrange lettuce in serving bowl and top with snap peas and radishes. Add dressing to taste just before serving or serve dressing on the side in a pretty bowl with a spoon so guests can help themselves.

Soy-Ginger Glazed Shortribs
Serves 6

6 beef short ribs or about 4lbs of short ribs
1 onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1-½ inch knob of ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup mirin
⅓ cup soy sauce (low- sodium)
¼ cup brown sugar
4 cups beef stock
pinch of red pepper flakes
6 springs fresh cilantro

Note: this recipe calls for cooking the ribs the day before your party. To do in one day, cook your ribs in the morning so you have time to cool and strain the sauce before serving.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch ovens work beautifully) over medium-high heat, sear the beef in batches until golden brown on all sides. Set browned ribs aside on a platter.

Add the vegetables (onion through garlic) to the pot with the heat on medium and saute until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the liquids and brown sugar (mirin through stock) to deglaze the pan and bring to a boil. Add red pepper flakes and cilantro.

Add the beef back to the liquid and cover with a lid. Place in 325 degree oven for 2.5-3 hours. Allow to cool completely and then store in fridge overnight.

Next day remove the ribs from the pan and strain the sauce through a fine sieve to catch any congealed fat. Place the ribs and sauce back in the pot and boil on high, uncovered, until the ribs are warmed through and the sauce is reduced to a shiny glaze, about 5-10 minutes.

Serve over white rice tossed with chopped fresh cilantro and topped with cold scallion crema.

Scallion Crema
Serves 6

1-½ cups sour cream
6 scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
½ teaspoon of salt
black pepper to taste

Note: scallion crema is even better when made the day before

Mix sour cream and scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until dinner.

Steamed White Rice with Cilantro
Serves 6

2 cups dry jasmine rice
4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wash rice in several changes of cold water in a bowl until water is clear, then drain in a sieve. Combine with water, olive oil and salt in a 1-1/2- to 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in half the cilantro then spoon rice into serving dish and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Easy Braised Bok Choy
Serves 6

6-8 bulbs baby bok choy

Slice each bulb in half the long way. Place greens on top of hot shortribs in pot just before serving. Cover pot with lid and steam for 3-4 minutes.

Remove bok choy and serve immediately.

Chocolate Orange Sauce
serves 6
3/4 cups heavy cream
4 oz. good-quality semi sweet chocolate
4 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp fresh orange zest (zest of one small orange)
1-1/2 teaspoons warm water

In a small pot, warm the cream over medium-low heat. Stir in the orange zest. Break the chocolate into small pieces and add in all together, stirring continuously into a smooth sauce. Keep refrigerated and warm in pot over low heat just before serving.

Szechuan Sundaes
Serves 6

1 quart good vanilla ice cream
Chocolate Orange Sauce
Freshly ground or well crushed Szechuan Peppercorns and/or pink peppercorns

Scoop the ice cream into your favorite bowls. Spoon warm orange chocolate sauce over ice cream and top with a sprinkle of crushed peppercorns. Serve immediately.

For more information or to start planning your next fabulous Dinner Party, email us at applesandonions@gmail.com!

xo,
LEH + SL

A & O Dinner Party Blueprints

January 27, 2011 by applesandonions

We hinted at some exciting news yesterday…. we are thrilled to share with you that we are offering a new service, A & O Dinner Party Blueprints. Now you can entertain the Apples & Onions way!

photo by Beth Liebetrau

We’ve done weddings, Christmas parties, bridal showers, baby showers, Fourth of July Barbecues and fundraisers for 200+.

But what we love most is a dinner party among friends, the pause in a busy week to share delicious food and even more delicious conversation. A moment to feel pretty and witty by candlelight. To feed and be fed, love and be loved, even on a week night.

If only you had time to plan the perfect menu, research great recipes, come up with chic decor and the perfect signature cocktail to set the tone of your fabulous dinner party.

Ahem.

We’re available to do all that for you!

Tell us who you’re having and why plus any dietary restrictions or food allergies and then share an inspiration with us–a favorite dish, photo, movie, book, memory—whatever you have in mind for your ideal soiree.

We’ll blueprint the party ASAP and it’ll be yours to throw.

Fabulous guests not included.

The Blueprint kit includes:

1 signature cocktail recipe OR suggested wines for pairing
1 custom 3-course menu (one course will be entirely store bought, a cardinal rule of calm hosts everywhere)
3 recipes to help you execute your menu
3 simple decor ideas to transform your space (may include floral arrangements, centerpiece ideas, music suggestions, party favors, DIY decor project, etc.)
1 timeline–detailing when to shop, when to prep and when to preheat your oven

Cost: $100

To start planning your next party email us at applesandonions@gmail.com!

xo,

SL + LEH

Store Bought Appetizers

August 9, 2010 by Lydia Ellison

I’m always inspired by my mom’s easy entertaining style. On a recent visit she served some store bought appetizers which were delicious and innovative. Hope they inspire you too and in honor of my mom you should serve these with chilled Prosecco as she always does.

Slice a pizza into wedges and serve it room temperature with some pepperoncinis! Granted this was especially yummy as the pizza was from the Cheese Board in Berkeley.

Afghani spinach flatbread from the Farmer’s Market with complimentary dips. The red one is a sweet pepper jelly, the green is a cilantro pest and the white is a garlic mint cheese spread. DIVINE when all three are heaped onto a wedge of spongy bread together.

It’s all about the presentation, make it look nice on a platter! You could replicate these dishes above with items from Trader Joe’s or your own local artisan vendors. For more tips on entertaining read this.

Lydia’s Dinner Party Advice

March 1, 2010 by applesandonions

by Lydia Ellison

IMGP4880

Got this question yesterday from a dear friend…

“So I have 5 women coming over (in their 50’s, 40’s and 30’s) and I want to really do it up. Something impressive, but also, not terribly hard to make as I am an amateur.”

This was my response…

Ok this is my advice on entertaining, much of it I learned from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa books and cooking show. Her two biggest rules are…

1. Only serve 3 dishes for dinner and a dessert and only cook 2 of the dishes (i.e. a store bought dessert, or one dish a green salad.) Trust me, cooking is fun but tiring and you have to shop and get the house ready so don’t over do it. Just make 2 really yummy dishes and simplify the other dishes.

2. NEVER make a dish that requires lots of last minute work, you won’t be able to hang out with your guests if you are stirring risotto during cocktails!

So for your party based on that above advice these are my suggestions…

Do 1 store bought appetizers and a signature drink (the sig. drink adds the “wow” factor)
Appetizers ideas-
soft goat cheese drizzled with honey, wafer crackers or bread and walnuts
proscuitto wrapped around bread sticks
sliced cucumber and pita bread with store bought taziki
sliced baguette topped with blue cheese, melt in the oven and then top with a drizzle of honey
olive tapenade and bread and mini mozzeralla balls

Signature Drinks-
prosecco with a spoonful of lemon or raspberry sorbet mixed in the glass
Gwyneth’s dirty martinis
white wine sangria- fruity Savingon Blanc with sliced citrus fruit and a cup of lemonade all mixed in a pitcher
bottle of rose champagne (so chic)

Salad Course– (you must make your own dressing, this one is good)
grilled eggplant with goat cheese
mixed greens with a round of goat cheese on a baguette round toasted in the oven
butter lettuce with a creamy vinaigrette
roast butternut squash salad

Dinner Course-
Vegetable Lasagna this recipe is SO GOOD and you can make it in advance warm it up during cocktails
Indonesia Ginger chicken with garlic smashed potatoes (so so yum)
Baked Shrimp Scampi– incredible!! serve with white wine, french bread and this

Dessert course- no bake ideas
store bought pound cake served with fresh berries and lemon yogurt sauce
good chocolate cookies (from a bakery) and fresh strawberries
good brownies (from a bakery) warmed slightly topped with vanilla ice cream
chocolate sorbet with this raspberry sauce (very light which is good for women) salad

Thought this might be helpful to some of you out there!

xo,