So I’m not sure why it’s taken me an eon to write this entry about my dinner party but I regret to inform you that this post is almost two weeks late. My friends and I decided that with the pending Halloween holiday that we all wanted to throw different themed parties. Mine, we decided should be first and it was going to be a Single-Man party. Not a everyone had to be a single man though that could be a good theme, but rather a theme that revolved around the film A Single Man directed by Tom Ford. Haven’t seen it? Go now.
Well, I went for a walk in the park behind my house and made quite a discovery. You know how parks have those roofed picnic areas? Well Stratton Forrest has one with a fire place! I know! So suffice to say my theme party had lost its theme and become an outdoor picnic by fireplace.
Every day I checked the weather and every day Sunday promised to be sunny and bright. Every day that is but the night before my party when I got the super fun news that it was going to rain. Party was moving inside.
Then a certain friend had pretty much the shittiest week ever. I debated making Xanax an hours devours.
Well I’m pleased to report that despite these minor set-backs the party was a success. Let’s hear it for the healing properties of friends and alcohol.
The unofficial food-theme was apples. Here is the menu:
Apple-cheddar Palmiers
Roast Chicken with Apple-Sage-Sourdough Stuffing, and Balsamic Onions
Sweet Potato Casserole (See thanksgiving)
Fried Apple Rings with Blue cheese sauce
Hard Apple Cider
And finally, Apple Tart Titan
First things first. The Apple Tart Titan. Let me just say that I routinely have a problem with things that need to be flipped out of a pan. So I made the wise executive decision to make something with caramel that needed to be flipped out of a pan before a party. Suffice to say I was shitting a brick the whole time I was making it. Well it came out, except for a few apples which were easily removed and put back on the tart, which was baller by the way. Not too sweet considering it’s apple and caramel, and definitely something I would make again.
Next the Chicken. Quick Recipe:
Unpack and rinse the chicken, season the cavity with salt and pepper. Quick trick with this. I like to put salt and pepper in a small prep bowl before I season so I can move the chicken around while seasoning without worrying about any cross contamination. Take a stick of butter and cut it in half. Using your index finger, separate the skin of the chicken breast from the meat and insert one half of the butter with a sprig of rosemary. In essence you are giving the chicken what looks like a breast implant made out of butter. Place in a roasting pan with halved onions (cut the onion at both “pointy” ends to remove skin and make sure the onion has a flat bottom to stand on). I consult Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook for cooking time and temperature. About half way through cooking, when you open the oven to baste the bird, drizzle a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar on the onions.
The onions are what I like to call a “people pleaser”. I have never met anyone….ever….who didn’t like these onions. So making them is like dousing your recipes in truffle oil. It’s kindof a cheap ploy to get people to like your food. Trust me on this.
Also, I made them and in my haste to cut my bird I forgot to put them out. So until someone said, “wait! Where are the onions?” they didn’t make it onto the table. So note two” Serve them!!!
Lastly the Palmiers. Take two apples (I tried this first with Macoun but Granny Smith works better), peel them, and then grate on a box grater. Place the grated apple in a strainer over a bowl and press with a fork to remove some of the moisture. Let the apple sit for about then minutes and press again. Then add about half a cup of grated cheddar cheese. Roll out one package of frozen, thawed puff pastry. Sprinkle the apple mixture onto the puff pastry leaving a little at each short end. Roll each side in to the center forming what looks like a scroll. Cut the roll into slices about an inch thick and place on their side on a cookie sheet. Bake according to the package (about 15 minutes at 400 degrees)
My guests seemed to like the food and the only real suggestion (as always) was that I needed to make more food. So I hope you enjoy the recipes and take from my party crisis the important lesson that no diner party goes exactly as planned but can still go well and be fun no matter how much goes wrong.
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