Hi,
When MAG recently posted on her New Year's Eve dinner, I zeroed in on her tips for seamless entertaining:
MAG wrote:I made it about an hour before our first course and kept in a thermos on the back on my stove. The base was a cauliflower-potato puree that I also made prior to guests arriving and kept in a double boiler.
Yesterday after my swim class, I chatted up a woman who is a retired caterer. I wanted her feedback on some food I was bringing to a party. The hostess wanted the minimal amount of finishing at her home, which was very understandable. I was bringing Blinchiki, which are crepes filled with meat, then folded into neat bundles and fried to color them. Normally, they would be served immediately with some sour cream.
I wanted to keep them warm for the trip, I also wanted to retain their crispness. She said treat them like catered Reuben sandwiches, which take a long time to fry making it impossible to do just before serving 200 people. Instead, she fries up the sandwiches and refrigerates them, then just before serving reheats them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes in an oven. She said it is important they are warmed through, though piping hot is not wanted or desired.
I did as she suggested, heated the Blinchiki for 10 minutes at 350 degrees for 10 minutes with no ill affects.
I have more ideas along this line, which I will get to later, what ideas or tricks-of-the-trade can you offer for seemingly* seamless entertaining?
Regards,
Cathy
*We know it's work we love, though our guests cannot figure out how we pull it off.