If you are at all like me, you probably plan very elaborate menus for your dinner parties that impress guests but leave you in the kitchen for most of the evening. I tried to plan a menu and a schedule that would actually allow me to be present this time, and it worked out beautifully. I also had to work with some dietary restrictions (one pregnant guest, one vegetarian, and one guest who will eat birds and fish but not mammals). Here is the menu for our "fall in New England" themed meal, complete with links to recipes and helpful tips. I'm also including the schedule I made for the day, as I think that also contributed to the success of the overall meal (and my overall well-being)!
Cheese course
Cloth-bound cheddar, from Cabot
Homboldt Fog goat cheese from Cypress Grove Chèvre
Verano, a raw sheep's milk cheese from Vermont Shepard
I wanted to offer cheeses that would be hard to find in South Africa, and ended up with a trifecta of cow, sheep, and goat. I grabbed the cheddar while in Portland a week or two before from the Cabot store. They have all things Cabot (including yogurt), and you can try everything before you buy. If you live anywhere near the South Shore of Boston, you MUST try the Bloomy Rind, which is where the goat and sheep's milk cheese came from. The Bloomy Rind is a slice of heaven owned by Mary and Robert, and it is a place where you can purchase cheese galore and all degrees of cheese accoutrement. Mary is only too happy to impart her knowledge and let you taste your way through her cheese case. Robert makes amazing salads, sandwiches, and cheese condiments (try the carrot hummus, the homemade fig jam, homemade olive tapenade, and the puttanesca). Robert's kale salad will turn anyone into a kale lover. I told Mary about the nature of the party and what I had for condiments (in this case quince paste and truffled honey, from DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia), and she selected the other two cheeses with me.
Pasta course
Confession: the weekend prior to or party, I attempted to make home-made sweet potato gnocchi. They are sitting in our freezer. My first gnocchi making experience was not a total flop, but I need to work on my texture, so I didn't feel comfortable serving them. In comes Nella Pasta to the rescue. Nella Pasta is based in JP and they offer a variety (many of which are seasonal), hand crafted pastas and raviolis. In keeping with our theme of New England, I selected the butternut squash ravioli, which are constructed with sage and a hint of brown butter. I served them with sage brown butter sauce and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Perfect, and no one minded that I didn't make them from scratch. Brown butter hardly needs a recipe, but I followed Mario Batali's advice all the same. The lemon juice cut the richness of all that butter nicely.
Main course
One of my guests graciously offered to bring a salad of mixed greens, dried fruits, and goat cheese. I served parmesan and sweet pea "risotto" and herbed salmon, both courtesy of Ina Garten. The beauty of the risotto is that is cooks in the oven. I was able to finish it on the stove while the salmon cooked, overcoming the problem of only having one oven. A few tips: you can keep the risotto warm on low heat on your stove while the salmon cooks / rests. I suggest taking the peas out of the freezer long enough for them to come to room temperature before adding them to the risotto, as they can bring the temperature down substantially. You can never add too much cheese, in my humble opinion, but keep a spoon nearby to taste for seasonings. I used low sodium chicken stock, and needed to add quite a bit of salt, despite all the cheese. Ina suggests using skinless salmon, and coating both sides of your fish. I used salmon with the skin to hold it all together, and had enough herbs to coat the top only. I might suggest having the salmon "rest" face down in the olive oil and lemon mixture before you cook it (the recipe suggests just pouring it over the top), and remember to baste the salmon with the juices as it cooks and again before serving. Also, Ina cooked the piece of fish whole. I made the mistake of slicing it after cooking, and it flaked apart in places. I suggest slicing your fish before cooking to make it look neater.
Dessert
Fruit crisps are EASY, can be made ahead, and have huge wow factor. I made a cranberry-pear crisp (cranberries freeze beautifully, so pick up a bag or two while they are in season and pop them in the freezer) and served it with locally made vanilla ice cream from Nona's, another South Shore treat. Nona's is conveniently located a few doors down from Bloomy Rind, FYI.
We served dessert with some ice cider from Shelburne Vineyard. One of my best friends lives very nearby, and I grabbed this while we were visiting last spring. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to open it.
Lastly, here is my schedule for the day. Bonus time for you if you can get ready in under an hour and get someone else to take your pup to school!
Saturday Schedule
7:00-8:00
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Tidy up house
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8:00-9:00
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Walk dog
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9:00-10:00
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Leave for agility class
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10:00-11:00
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Agility class
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11:00-12:00
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Drive to farmer’s market
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Farmer’s market for
ravioli
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12:00-1:00
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Bloomy Rind
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Nona’s / salmon / drive
home
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1:00-2:00
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Set up dining room
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Set table
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2:00-3:00
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Shower
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Get ready
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3:00-4:00
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Chop herbs for salmon
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Prep risotto, get out
salad serving ware
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4:00-5:00
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Prep pasta appetizer
(chop sage, butter ready to go)
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Put out cheese plate and
put drinks on ice; music ready
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5:00 – 6:00
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Serve cheese etc.
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6:00-7:00
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Serve pasta appetizer (6:15) and put risotto in oven (5:45)
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Put salmon in oven
(6:45)
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7:00-8:00
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Serve dinner and put cobbler in oven
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8:00-9:00
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Serve dessert with ice cider
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9:00-10:00
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