"Holiday Entertaining"
December 17,
2009 - Vol 1, Issue 21
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| Farmer's Market
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2010
DBA
Farmer's Market The Elko DBA is
working on an annual Farmer's Market to start in July of
2010. If you interested in volunteering, becoming a
vendor, or would just like general information, email
Amber at: elkofarmersmarket
@yahoo.com
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E-News Drawing
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If you
receive our newsletter, you will be entered into a
drawing each month for a great prize for your
kitchen. Check here each month to see if you have
won, if so, come in to collect your prize!
November's
winner: Carol Sims
Congrats, Carol, come by anytime to
pick up your
prize!
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Let the Celebrations
Begin!
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It's nice that many
different traditions celebrate in some way this time of
year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah,
Kwanzaa, or just the Winter Solstice, all customs call
for celebration and being with friends and family.  And together, in just a short time,
we'll celebrate another New Year and the start of
another decade. (It seems that we just rang in the new
millennium!) Whatever your celebratory plans are, we
suspect they will involve sharing food and good times
with others. Building upon our November "Do-Ahead"
issue, this newsletter focuses on hors d'oeuvres and
beverages as the beginning of a party, or as the party
itself. We finish with three recipes for delicious
beginnings to a wonderful celebration! Our best
to you and yours in this holiday
season!
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Current Holiday Specials
at Cucina Fresca
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Take advantage of our
in-store specials and mail-in-rebates for many of our
name-brand lines of cookware, cutlery, and
appliances. During the holiday season, we are
featuring incredible deals on  select items from:
- Wusthof
- Cuisinart
- Emeril Cookware
- Waring Pro
- KitchenAid
- LeCreuset.
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| December Wine of the
Month |
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Cucina Fresca's Online
Holiday Shopping Options
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View our Holiday Gift Basket
Brochure! |
| Feed a Family
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Bring a Bag
and Feed a Family!
Each
time you make a purchase and bring your own bag, we will
drop a dime in a jar on our counter. All dimes collected
from the jar will be donated to the F.I.S.H. Food bank
to feed Northeastern Nevada families in need.
Thank
you!
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Nibbles &
Noshes!
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We know
several of you that would prefer a meal of appetizers instead
of big entrees and sides. There are many advantages and
occasions where this style of entertaining is just the right
approach. Such an affair can be quite formal or very casual,
or anything in between. Consider a party of nibbles and noshes
in these situations:
- The number of guests invited exceeds the table seating
available
- The timing of the party is late afternoon, or late
evening, i.e., not at a meal time
- The party's activities or purpose don't lend themselves
to a sit-down affair
- The guests will be coming and going during a window of
time
Create
Variety -- A party of appetizers allows guests to eat
as little or as much as they would like. Especially appealing
is the ability to try a wide variety of foods one bite at a
time. Everyone is sure to be pleased. Choose a variety of
appetizers featuring different flavors. Make sure that your
choices are not biased to one food category. For
example, make sure that not every appetizer contains
mayonnaise, or seafood, or olives, etc. While each occasion
may vary, experts
recommend planning on six to eight appetizers per person for
each hour of the party.
Warm or Cold? - Logistically
it's difficult to have more than two or three hot appetizers.
Shuffling too many trays in and out of the oven keeps you from
being with your guests. Consider using a warming tray, a
chafing dish, or a small slow cooker to keep your appetizers
warm. Ev en at this time of year, it's
important to keep cold appetizers cold. Use nested dishes that
can be filled with ice to keep dips, shrimp and other cold
appetizers safe and crisp fresh.
Presentation - Creating
beautiful presentations of appetizers is half the fun of a
cocktail party. Bring out your unique serving dishes for the
occasion. Use washable dinnerware for the occasion; it's a
great sustainable choice, and not that difficult to clean-up.
An eclectic mix of plates, napkins and serving dishes lends to
the festive nature of the event. Garnish your tables and
platters with themes of the season:
- Add green to serving dishes with a sprig of evergreen,
boxwood, or holly; fresh cranberries add color and an
ornamental look when nestled in the greens.
- Bring sparkle to the platter with small, glittery
ornaments.
- Use hollowed out vegetables or fruits to hold dips and
spreads.
- Curl small lengths of ribbon and scatter them between
the hors d'oeuvres.
Serving Logistics -Appetizers
may be placed on a table, or served by a roaming host or
hostess, or both. Spread out the food locations to minimize
congestion in any one area of the room. Use several small
platters for the hors d'oeuvres instead of one large platter.
The smaller platters will fit more easily in the refrigerator
and line up better on a buffet table. Small platters can
easily be replenished by simply exchanging the tray with a
full one. 
Serving Gear - Equip guests
with small appetizer plates and have plenty of small cocktail
napkins available. If the appetizers are not appropriate as
finger food, offer toothpicks as part of the food's
presentation, or have a separate toothpick holder nearby.
Small cocktail forks, spreading knives, or demitasse spoons
may also be useful depending on your menu
choices.
Cleaning
Up - Set up your party for success with a clean-up
plan. This includes providing a space with a tray for guests
to set aside their used plates and glasses. The tray of dirty
dishes can be whisked away as needed keeping the room neat and
the kitchen countertop uncluttered. Have small plates
available at the serving table to hold serving spoons. Have
garbage receptacles inconspicuously available. If easily
available, guests will naturally clean up after themselves;
don't leave them hanging without any options for discarding
their items.
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Party
Beverages
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The type
of event and the time of day will direct the beverages served
at your party whether it's a formal or informal
occasion. If your event has a theme, choose beverages
that complement the festivities. Then decide the extent of
your bar.
 Non-Alcoholic Drinks -
Always provide several non-alcoholic choices for your guests.
Have sodas and water available as part of your bar. Other
great non-alcoholic drinks for the season include all types of
coffee drinks, teas, ciders, and hot chocolates.
Beer - The vast number of
exquisite microbrews make the serving of beer totally
acceptable at both casual and more formal events. Set up your
cooler with choices between ales and lagers. Seasonal brews,
some for autumn and others for winter, are a great complement
to many holiday foods.
 Wine - Have both red and
white wines available. Choose a dryness that complements the
hors d'oeuvres being served. Glass stemware makes any wine
better - avoid any temptation to use disposable wine glasses.
Ideally choose stemware that complements the wine. Wine charms
help guests identify their glass. Plan on 1 bottle
of wine per hour for every four guests.
A Short Bar - A basic simple
bar can be set up with the addition of vodka and whiskey to
the beer and wine choices. Have mixers such as orange juice,
soda, tonic, and cola ready along with lime and lemon slices.
Plan on
having extra glassware available when serving drinks - at
least two per guest.
A Full Bar - Add the
following to the Short Bar list above: gin, tequila, rum,
bourbon, vermouth, sherry and brandy.
 Winter Drinks - The winter
season begs for eggnogs, wassails, mulled ciders/wine, and
gloggs. These drinks don't seem to make sense other times of
the year, so enjoy them thoroughly now.
Champagne Drinks - Champagnes
and sparkling wines will certainly be part of the New Year's
season. Enjoy champagne with a toast to family and friends.
Have extra champagne ready for brunch mimosas. Champagne
flutes hold the bubbles much better than coupe style
stemware.
Cordials - The holidays seem
a perfect time for indulging in specialty cordials. The sweet
sips seem to invite lingering and relaxation. Cordial glasses
are fun, stylish pieces that are fun to collect and use. They
also make perfect containers for bite-sized
desserts.
Punches - Holiday punches are
a simplified alternative to a bar. Clearly identify which
punch bowl is spiked. To keep ice from diluting the punch,
freeze portions of the punch in decorative molds ahead of time
and use instead of
ice.
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Top Ten Tips for Stress-free
Entertaining
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You have
permission to relax and enjoy your entertaining! Diane
Phillips, the Diva of Do-Ahead, is back again with ten, (ok,
eleven), tips for stress-free entertaining. Read them twice,
then put them to work! (Thanks for sharing,
Diane!).
 De-Stress #1: Keep it
simple---simple food is much more approachable for you to
prepare and for your guests to eat.
De-Stress #2: Don't
challenge your culinary abilities.
De-Stress #3: Make food
that can be prepped ahead and then needs only last minute
attention.
De-Stress
#4: Keep décor simple, river rocks, sea glass or
shells in low vases with a few flowers rather than ornate
décor helps everyone feel at ease with an inviting ambiance
rather than over the top styling. This will save you time and
money.
De-Stress
#5: If something goes wrong, keep your cool!
What's the worst that can happen? You can call for pizza and
it will be a memorable evening regardless of the food because
you kept your cool.
De-Stress #6: Meet your
guests at the door-no one feels welcome when they enter
someone's home and no one is there to greet them. Make sure to
make people feel welcomed, by taking their wrap, asking if
they would like a drink and guiding them to the entertaining
space where everyone is gathered.
De-Stress #7: Hire a
bartender if you are serving a full bar - you can't
concentrate on great food and drink orders at the same time.
Hire them for a few more hours to clean up and do dishes
too.
De-Stress
#8: Give yourself permission to hire out parts of
your party. Order veggie trays, desserts and breads if you
need to - I call these "mental health" hires - they help you
to keep your cool and sanity; and, there are some things that
you may just not want to do.
De-Stress #9: Keep
lists: (a) Invitees and RSVP's, (b) Food to be served, (c)
Shopping list (check out www.dianephillips.com for a
downloadable shopping list and blank calendar for
planning)
 De-Stress
#10: Relax and have fun-none of your guests will
have fun if you are stressed and crazed, so relax and enjoy
your time together.
De-Stress #11: If extra
people show up, don't panic, just be prepared. Always
have extra salad greens, cheese and rice on hand. You
can stretch salad servings with extra greens, but then raid
the fridge and add fruit, cut up veggies, marinated artichoke
hearts, olives, and cubes of cheese. A few wedges of
cheese will stretch out the appetizers if you are serving
them. Arrange them on a platter, with small sour
pickles, olives, or grapes and orange wedges along with
crackers or baguettes.
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Cucina Fresca's Entertaining
Tips
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Tip #1: Color code your
punch. If you have a number of children around, it may be
easier to have a second punch of a different color in order to
direct them appropriately to the non-alcoholic choice. 
Tip #2: Remember to
have plenty of ice available for chilling drinks and for use
in drinks. Parties can challenge even the most efficient
built-in freezer unit. Make ice ahead or buy bags of ice.
Bring out the summer coolers to keep back up stock ready and
cold.
Tip #3:
Serve "dessert shooters" in cordial glasses with a demitasse
spoon. Try a chocolate mousse topped with a swirl of ganache,
a mini-trifle drizzled with a raspberry coulis, or a
gingerbread pudding cloaked in crème anglaise.
Tip #4: Keep in the fridge a
selection of cheeses that can be turned into a cheese platter.
Keep handy a set of cheese knives to match the cheeses - this
will turn a plain platter into something quite a bit more
elegant.
Tip #5:
Have a plan ready ahead of time for getting guests home  if need be - a designated driver,
or the phone number for a taxi.
Tip #6: Keep in the pantry a
selection of crackers, gourmet dips, specialty mustards, and
other nibbles that can be accessed in a jiffy for an instant
party.
Tip #7:
Spills are bound to happen. Anticipate the situation by having
an "accident kit" ready. Include paper towels, club soda,
sponge or whatever tools needed for your situation. Deal with
the spill quickly while minimizing any disruption. Ease the
guest's feelings by being prepared and calm in the
moment.
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Q &
A's
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 Q: What is the origin of
the term hors d'oeuvre?
A: The word is
French in origin and translates literally as "separate from
the main body." Or, food that is served before the main course
of the meal. Hors d'oeuvres may be the only food in the case
of a cocktail party. In French, the word hors d'oeuvre is both
singular and plural; here we feel compelled to add an "s" when
speaking of multiple hors d'oeuvres.
Q: What's the difference
between canapés, tapas, meze, antipasto and hors
d'oeuvres?
A: All of the above are
forms of appetizers. The term hors d'oeuvres is a broad
term encompassing many styles of appetizers. Tapas is the Spanish word
for appetizers, while meze is Turkish, and antipasto is Italian.
Canapes are small, bite-size, open-faced
sandwiches.
Q: If
brought a bottle of wine as a hostess gift, should the wine be
served immediately?
A: A gift of wine is a
great hostess gift especially when presented festively in a
wine bag or package. The gifted wine may be used that evening
if already chilled appropriately, or simply accepted as a
"replenishment" to your wine
collection.
Q: What is the difference
between champagne and sparkling
wine?
A: All champagnes are
sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are champagnes.
 Champagne
is bubbly from the Champagne region of France. By law in
Europe, only products from this region may use the word
champagne. In the U.S., it is not illegal to use the word,
just considered bad form. Dissolved carbon dioxide is
responsible for the bubbles in the sparkling wine. A
semi-sparkling wine is called a "frizzante."
Q: What is a
wassail?
A: A wassail is
associated with medieval times in Northern Europe. The term
"wassail" is said to be a contracted form of the early English
phrase "be healthy." Today, a wassail is more like a mulled
cider, (with or without alcohol), steeped with cinnamon
sticks, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and ginger and apple
slices.
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Cookbook
Review
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Perfect
Party Food by Diane Phillips. Copyright 2005. Published
by Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA.
A
James Beard Foundation Book Award
Nominee
 The Do-Ahead Diva is back again
with great ideas and suggestions for stress-free entertaining.
Every recipe in the book is a "Do-Ahead," and we all know that
that is the key for smooth times in the kitchen especially
when entertaining! This book is perfect not only for this
season of entertaining, but all year long. Ms. Phillips spans
the entire repertoire of occasions with the inclusion of
simple cocktail parties and afternoon teas, to formal black
tie dinners and everything in between. The chapters are
organized by food category including two chapters on
appetizers, followed by Party Salads, Sides, Poultry, Fish and
Shellfish, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Sauces, Sweet and Savory Breads,
Breakfast and Brunch, and Desserts. We especially appreciated
the ending chapter on menu planning and the couple dozen
suggested menus by specific occasion. With Diane's guidance,
each of us should feel quite enabled to entertain in style
with scrumptious food while also enjoying the party because
it's all done
ahead!
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Recipes for
Parties
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Recipes excerpted from Perfect
Party Food by Diane Phillips. Published by Harvard
Common Press, Boston, MA. Copyright 2005. Reprinted with
permission of the publisher. All rights
reserved.
Smoky
Blue Dip
 This is one versatile dip that has
just the right amount of flair and uniqueness. The chunky
pieces of creamy blue cheese melt in your mouth. We tried both
potato chips and vegetables with this dip and were most
satisfied with the results. We can easily see this dip working
well with buffalo wings or other spicy nibbles.
Click here to view the
full illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the recipe.
Cranberry-Walnut
Cheese Ball
 This cheese ball gets a bit of a twist in
this rendition of a classic appetizer. We love the frosty
white color of the cheese contrasted with the cranberries and
parsley for a decidedly holiday look. Oh, and the taste was
marvelous as well! It makes sense to have a couple of these
cheese balls or cheese logs in the refrigerator for impromptu
parties and dropovers this time of year.
Click here to
view the
full illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the recipe.
The
Crabbiest Spread of All
 If you love seafood dips and spreads,
this one will be your new favorite. Loaded with crab, the
accompanying flavors complement well. This spread is also
quite versatile; it may be served cold or warm. Use it to top
individual canapés or, as the author suggests, in a hollowed
out bread bowl. It's a great holiday treat!
Click here to
view the
full illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the
recipe.
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Wassail! Be healthy and
well! Happy Holidays and best New Year's
wishes!
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