RICHARD FRISBIE :: Making A Party Easy

Monday - Fresh back from an intensive 8 day food assignment in the Adirondacks, I was faced with 5 days to clean the house, mow the lawn, clean the pool and - oh yeah - host a party for 60 people! It sounded like a good idea when I said Yes several months ago, but - OH MY! - 5 days!!!

Every year I help a friend host a reception for the musicians after a Maverick concert. If you don't know, Maverick Concerts
is the oldest continuous Summer Chamber Music series in the US, originating as the first Woodstock Music Festival - not the copycat 1969 era event widely publicized for recently celebrating it's 40th anniversary. Every Summer Sunday afternoon for over 80 years Maverick has a concert. This year we hosted the Amernet String Quartet.

Tuesday morning, in fact, EVERY morning last week, I went shopping. I knew I had to do a little each day, then go to work, and afterwards do a little more in order to be ready. The heat was a bear to work through. Plus 90 degrees everyday added chores (watering) and slowed me down, but here's what I did:

Tuesday night I made 80 miniature meatballs out of beef and Italian sausage, cooled them and froze them.

Wednesday night was lawn mowing and chicken liver pate with calvados & currents (always a huge hit and very easy to make.)

Thursday I vacuumed the pool, cleaned and vegetated - it was HOT! Between times I clicked the switch on the cuisinart to make pie pastry, and made an easy tomato sauce for the meatballs.

Friday morning (before shopping!) I wished for a miracle to occur in my refrigerator that made the tomato sauce taste good. It didn't! That night I made the first focaccia. While it was (and again while it wasn't) rising, I rolled out the pie pastry and cut out small disks to make 60 tarts - some guests call them my "homemade crackers". While I was at it I baked the wonton shells. They are crunchy, tasty and gorgeous looking with anything in them - I love 'em!  I figured What the Hey! It's only 90 degrees - I'll bake bread. While the oven and I were hot (425 degrees), I baked the other stuff too. I'm nothing if not multitasking and efficient in the kitchen (not to mention a glutton for punishment!)

Saturday I weeded the gardens and fed the mosquitoes. I'm now related to countless future generations of those buggers! I also made a new tomato sauce, cleaned the house and generally neatened up. Oh, and I made a white bean & red onion dip for the vegetable platter.

Sunday morning I started another focaccia because the first one failed the second rising. My plan was to cut it in half the way one cuts a cake in half to make layer cake. Then use each half, crust side down, to make pizzas. I used to buy bread for this, but haven't seen it in the market in some time. If I wanted focaccia pizza (and I did) I had to make it myself. I went shopping while it rose.
When it was time for the second rising in the pan it was 91 degrees and the bread didn't rise again!! Now I had two flatbreads to make into pizza. ARGH!!!

Sunday afternoon I crinkle cut (by hand) the cucumbers, and cut up the other vegetables. Baked the second focaccia. When it was done I cut 2 lbs of Woodstock sausage into bite-sized pieces and popped them into the hot oven for 20 minutes or so. Next went the frozen meatballs. Then I set up 2 tables and, as the time for the reception approached I sliced soppresatta, made some antipasto platters, heated tomato sauce, stuffed the wontons with store bought ham salad, dressed the vegetable platter, set out blocks of cheese with bread and crackers, 2 wine stations (Yellow Tail wine was chilling in a cooler under one of the tables) and pitchers of water and homemade lemonade.

Guests brought deviled duck eggs (rich and creamy - the BEST deviled eggs) a sage cheese spread and bite-sized quiches. Somewhere in there I jumped into the pool to give it (and me) a final cleaning.

The last step - I sliced fresh mozzarella cheese and New Jersey tomatoes (August and no local tomatoes!!) shredded Parmesan and made pesto. I spread the focaccia with pesto and laid out the other ingredients so it was ready to "pop" under the broiler when the guests arrived.

Then I poured myself an ice water and spritzed myself with bug spray (fool me once!) and went out to direct the first cars to park so no one would get blocked in. Those first few are so important. Get them right and the rest follow - besides  - there were the parking signs I put out earlier while I was filling the empty hours of my day!

When people arrived everything was done. I could enjoy the guests, meet the musicians, and - as I saw what food "went" - go back into the kitchen and prepare more. We really had a good time, and everyone raved about the concert and the food. I especially liked Javier Arias' (cellist) comment:

"Richard, you contributed the most important part of the festivities - the food." I demurred that it was the music that was most important. He's such a jovial Spanish gentleman that we both finally agreed that music and food were the most important things in life - after sex, that is.

My reward? Bragging rights, a clean house and memories of a great party. Plus - I lost some of the pounds I put on while "working" in the Adirondacks! Oh - I almost forgot. My friend (the best-selling author and NY Times columnist) brought me a new toy - a stovetop smoker - with an assortment of sawdust in various flavors and a copy of her cookbook with smoking recipes in it. I can't wait to use it!

A note about the photos:

They were an afterthought, something I had little time for, but still tell a small part of the story.

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food. It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we?ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- I look forward to hearing from you.

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BIO - Richard Frisbie writes culinary travel articles, is a columnist for his local newspapers, and is a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE Publications, GoNomad and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

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