Ten for Dinner

It is often said that the secret to good cooking is mise en place, the French phrase that signifies having everything prepared - measured, washed, chopped, grated, sliced, minced, etc. and placed in appropriate vessels in waiting for use. This is true.

But what about the secret to cooking for a large group (for me, anything more than five)? For me, this is all about making and continually updating a very detailed schedule.

Last night, we had ten for dinner, and I made four appetizers and a four-course meal including sides, altogether twelve or thirteen separate items including the bread, which I baked. Obviously, this required planning and time: spreading the work out over five days made it possible, and having my trusty schedule helped with the final execution. The guests seemed happy and so was I.

Apple tart with bourbon caaramel sauce on bottom and top

Of course, it helps a lot to have a beautiful table and flowers, and J did her normal great job.

Table with heirloom presentation plates from J's late Aunt Sophie

Also, it helps to have help for the actual meal, so you can spend time with your guests. We had a bar tender/general helper whom we have hired before, and that made a huge difference. Not only did he help in serving, but by 11:30 the kitchen was clean and everything we had used was set out waiting to be stored: what a relief!

Finally, there is no substitute for great guests, which we had. Each invitee had substantive interaction with every other, just what you hope for in a gathering of this size.

Still reading? Here's the menu for the evening and the detailed schedule that I used.
 

Dinner 12.6.13

Toasts with smoked ricotta and sun-dried tomatoes

Toasts with tapenade

Gougères

Bar nuts Union Square Café

Caramelized fennel soup

Slow cooked loin of pork with port cherry sauce

French beans and snow peas with hazelnut and orange

Squished Yukon gold potatoes

Artisan greens salad with shredded Trappist cheese

Caramel covered apple tart with ginger ice cream

Ordre du Jour

√	Days before	Make ginger ice cream
√		Make and freeze gougeres
√		Make tapenade and ricotta spread
√	Day before	Make soup
√		Make bread dough
√		Make tart dough and line pan
√		Salt and sugar rub pork roast; place in fridge in large ziploc
√	8:30-10:45	Complete and bake bread
√ √ √ √	11:00-1:00	Pre cook tart shell Slice and microwave apples Make caramel, coat bottom of tart Assemble and bake tart
√	4:25	Small oven to 250
√	4:30	Season pork with pepper, tie together with bones and put into 250 oven
√	By 6:00	Make French beans
√		Make sauce
√		Prepare bar nuts
√		Make salad dressing
√		Get ice
√	6:45	Big oven to 425
√		Toast bread
√	7:00	Guests arrive
√		Serve cocktails
√		Assemble and serve toasts
√		Heat and serve gougeres
√	7:05	Boil potatoes
√	7:30	Potatoes out of water
√	7:35	Potatoes squished and put into oven
√		Heat soup
√	8:00	Soup served
√	8:15-8:18	Pork under broiler
√	8:20	Pork, sides and sauce served
√	9:00	Assemble and serve salad
√	9:30	Caramel onto tart, then serve tart with ice cream
√	Thereafter	Serve coffee and tea and after dinner drinks

Bobby Jay