Sunday, October 3, 2010

A Harvest Dinner with Wonderful Friends


Dinner parties are wonderful, especially when enjoyed with the company of goods friends and family. There is something about delicious food that creates conversation, relaxes the high-strung and can create community even amongst strangers. Hosting a party where the star is your food can be fun, if you stay well planned and relaxed enough to go with the flow.

Saturday afternoon, in the brisk fall weather of Minnesota, my husband and I set up tables and chairs, scavenged together enough silverware, dishes and glassware (borrowing some from a good friend) to have a group of friends over.

Our table was finished with menu cards and napkin rings my husband, Todd, designed.
Most of our friends are in their early thirties and are a mix of married, singles, kids, no kids. Some are meat and potato eaters, while others prefer vegetables. This can create challenges, however I don't believe that you need to create a menu that caters to everyone's eating styles or habits. It's wise while introducing new flavors or ingredients to accompany those items with familiar foods or tastes. This creates a nice balance of familiar and new, and people are likely to feel comfortable with trying a dish they haven't had before.



Fresh wild plums.
If you are at the stage of life where kids are involved in your get-togethers, they are the one group of people where new isn't necessarily the best. You don't want your guests distracted from their own food because they are trying to encourage their child to try something unfamiliar. I love kids, and I love my kids — but they can be very stubborn when they want to be, especially when you want them to simply go with the flow. For our dinner party we had 4 little mouths to feed, so I created a second menu that was friendly to our young guests. My husband made pigs-in-a-blanket with homemade crescent rolls wrapped around all-natural, nitrate-free hot dogs. We also prepared a mixed fruit salad and a vegetable medley of heirloom carrots, broccoli and green beans. Everything was easy to eat with the hands since none of the kids were over the age of 3 and utensils aren't always high up on the use list. I decided to serve our dinner in courses, but we gave the kids all their food at the start and then they were able to run around while we ate our food. It worked very well. Kids always add an extra element to a get-together, so you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride and not be too overly concerned about the outcome as long as everyone is having a good time.

Fresh figs.
When planning a dinner party I am a believer in having a theme, at least to start. Guests don't necessarily need to know there was a theme to the dinner, but it can help you choose your dishes more easily as you consider whether or not they fit into the theme you've chosen. In the case of our dinner, I focused on local and seasonal ingredients of autumn while staying in line with how I cook — everything was made from scratch, including all the butters, bread, pasta and even the ricotta cheese used to fill the ravioli. I hit up the local farmers market the week before our get-together to see what unique ingredients I could find. From there I was able to build a wonderful meal using almost all local ingredients. The flavors of in-season ingredients are unmatched and more often than not most of us enjoy the flavors that come with the seasonal bounty.

Wild mushroom, beats getting ready to ferment, heirloom carrots, mixed mushrooms.
 There are all kinds of wonderful ways to host a fabulous dinner party. Your guests can bring their favorite dishes to share, you can have an a la carte menu where people can mingle and munch on a variety of tapas style dishes, guests can participate in the cooking — like making personal pizzas or you can have the nice formal sit down dinner where your guests are served by you. I've done it a variety of ways, but because this was a special occasion, with my husband's help, we served our meal in courses. I usually try and invite people over earlier then I expect to actually eat. It's just about impossible to have people arrive and then immediately sit down at the table.

Homemade butters and fresh baked white and whole wheat bread. 
As people begin knocking on your door, it's nice to have something for them to munch on while you finish food preparation and they wait for dinner to be served. Food begins to relax people and gives them something to talk about, which is always a good idea when everyone doesn't know one another. We started our evening with an array of fresh homemade butters — truffle, herb, plain, apple and wild plum, to pair with fresh baked bread. While everyone enjoyed the first "nibbles" of our meal, I put together the salads.

Fermented beat salad with arugula and toasted pumpkin seeds.
For our salad I included beets I lacto-fermented earlier in the week. This was a way to show an example of the way foods were traditionally preserved and stored from the fall harvest. It also introduced the idea of including a fermented food with every meal to help aid in the digestion process.

From our salads we moved on to our first course of hand-made mushroom ravioli in a mushroom wine broth. I had the broth hot on the stove and the ravioli made before the guests arrived, so when it was time to serve this course all I had to do was drop the ravioli in boiling water for a minute or two then ladle the hot broth over top. The "soup" was then garnished with wild mushroom and fresh parsley.

Hand-made mushroom ravioli in a mushroom wine broth.
At this point the kids were done eating and began to run and play. Parents got up and mingled while following after some of the new walkers - keeping their hands from touching the fire or getting into something they are not supposed to. This was the perfect interlude to finish up my entree. My pork tenderloin finished roasting while guests arrived and had been resting (a necessary step for any well prepared meat) while we ate our first course. As my husband sliced the meat, I mashed the already cooked potatoes and warmed the fig jam which I had made the day before. Together we plated the food and a friend helped serve it.

As the sun set and the evening cooled we gradually moved inside to enjoy our dessert. All in all I would call it a very successful evening and I think that everyone had a nice time. I'm glad that we had some wonderful friends to share our meal with and I had the opportunity to participate in challenge 3 of Project Food Blog.

Apple spice cake with caramel icing.
After the last bite was eaten and the kids began to yawn, our friends casually made their way home. My husband and I put our kids to bed, sat down on the couch, put our feet up and relaxed after a full, but wonderful day.
After a wonderful evening.

53 comments:

  1. Therese, this is beautiful! I think we need to get together and plan a dinner party of our own!! Beautifully written and I love that you had a different option for the kids! You're a great mommy!

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  2. You most certainly have my vote. I only wish I could have joined you. Not only did you present your guests with a lovely selection of food but you were able to use so many local ingredients, which is truly worth admiration. You are such a thoughtful person and chef. Warmest wishes!

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  3. A most fabulous time and fantastic food. Thank you so much, Therese.

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  4. I love your table and I LOVE your menu. Just voted for you- good luck!~

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  5. WONDERFUL post! I want that apple cake recipe with the sauce FOR SURE! ANy chance at getting that? I am sure you will be posting it soon. My vote was cast for you!

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  6. What a fabulous post, Therese! I felt like I was at the dinner party enjoying your food as I read it. One question - are there any leftovers :-)?
    You have my vote!

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  7. This is a beautiful party!!! Your table is so elegant- well done, really!!! You've definitely got my vote!

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  8. So perfectly seasonal and the setting is beautiful. Great entry. GREG

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  9. Nicely done...organized and love that you kept your theme true to your site! What can I say - voting now!!!

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  10. lovely. And of course the artwork is great!

    see my entry (a fall symphony) here: http://www.foodbuzz.com/project_food_blog/challenges/3/view/1094

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  11. I love that you used local ingredients in your menu and the pictures are beautiful. You got my vote and good luck!

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  12. There are lots of entries with beautiful food for the FB challenge but I've voted for those that focussed on the people. I would love to be a guest at your party as it sounds relaxed and fun as well as delicious and beautiful. Good luck - you've got my vote.

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  13. Wowee! What a gorgeous set up! We'd planned to be outside but it rained. :-( I want the recipe for that apple spice cake!

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  14. GURL look at you showing us up making those butters! I LOVE it! congrats on a great dinner party, voting for you!

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  15. I'm loving the tablescape and the menu looks delicious! Good luck in round 3!

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  16. Great entry. It looks like we had similar concepts! You got my vote :)

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  17. Wow, beautiful! I'm impressed with all the homemade butters--that's the kind of cool detail that makes people remember your dinner parties. :)

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  18. Just dreamy! What a beautiful evening! Voted!

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  19. A beautiful party that anyone would be proud to host. nicely done. I voted for you!

    Good luck! Fingers crossed that we both make it through to the next round! =)

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  20. Absolutely beautiful, and breathtaking. What a gorgeous set up! Good luck!

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  21. Mmmmm, cake. That one looks so good, especially for a crisp fall night. The change in the weather made all of our harvest menus shine. You did a great job with this challenge. Good luck in the competition!

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  22. so beautiful and so wonderful for fall...beautiful photographs. You have my vote.

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  23. Wow this is so impressive and totally beautiful. I can't believe you did all this and also fed four children. Good luck in project food blog!

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  24. Very pretty. Truffle butter is such a treat!

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  25. Great job with the dinner party! I love that you made a separate menu for the kids and the bounty of fresh vegetables look gorgeous! Good luck!

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  26. Such a beautiful table and great looking food! Good job and good luck with the next round. You've got a vote from me.

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  27. Everything looks and sounds delicious! Please post all of the recipes, including the special butters. Thanks!
    obparker

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  28. Therese!! This is your brother's better half aka Kelsey...hahaha. Your pictures look amazing and now more than ever, I want to begin developing my blog entitled: "Beyond the Butter Cream."

    I hope all is well with you and the family. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon.

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  29. I may not have tasted your lovely entrees, but it was a feast for my eyes to see the beautiful pictures! I loved your selection of foods. It sounded adventurous to use the seasonal wild plums, wild mushrooms and figs, along with the truffles, fermented beets, heirloom carrots, etc... all at one sitting, with homemade breads and butters as well. I loved the beautiful invitations Todd designed. I think all your hard work turned out very well. You have my vote!!

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  30. This is absolutely incredible. I could have stopped at the fresh bread and five butters! I love all the local food, and you give some great tips for having kids at a party. You definitely earned my vote!

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  31. Wow, everything looks so great! I'm so impressed by how well planned this all was and how much thought you put behind what the kids will eat and how to time everything just right - so great! Looked like it was a fun, relaxing, and wonderful night. Good luck in PFB!

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  32. Oh my gosh this all looks so beautiful AND delicious!! You've got a vote from me. :)

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  33. I'm voting for you ! It's just beautiful..and the food...you are very talented and creative !

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  34. This was very creative and you have my vote!

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  35. I am now thinking of moving my dining table outside for a Fall dinner party. I love the atmosphere you created. And the food is not an after thought- it looks fabulous! I am sending you a vote.

    Lisa.

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  36. This is beautiful!! I LOVE the homemade butters. Awesome dinner party... Good luck :) :)

    Sues

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  37. Everything looks awesome! Love the photos! Hope we both make it to the next round! :-) You have my vote!

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  38. Very Creative! Love the lighting and the credit you give to your hubby:-) You've got my vote and I hope to make it with you to Round 4!

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  39. You have my vote! What a lovely evening, and such great fresh food. Hope to see what you're up to in Round 4!

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  40. The colors of your photos are harvest-tastic! You have my vote. Good luck with round 3!

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  41. Makes me wish that we could have driven up to see you guys and helped you enjoy all that yummy food! Your pictures are a real treat for the eye and I love that you had a different menu for the kids the night of your party. Thanks for the wonderful suggestions and best of luck in future Project Food Blog rounds!

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  42. Lovely setting, food, and photos- really great job!

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  43. Wow! What a beautiful presentation, and the menu sounds incredibly delicious. If I were a guest I would be able to sense the love and care you put into making this happen. Heck, I can sense it through a screen (wish I were there though!) I especially love how you made various butters for the bread--wonderful! You've got my vote without a doubt!

    XO best of luck!

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  44. Absolutely fabulous. And homemade butter - I love it! I have to hand it to you - two menus and 4 kids - you are amazing...everything looked so beautiful, warm, comfortable, relaxed....and delicious - looks like a success! I am voting here for sure.

    - Butter
    (from Running On Butter)

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  45. The Apple spice cake with caramel icing looks delicious! Good luck.

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  46. I'd love to come to this party, so you have a vote from me!

    My dinner party was designed to take the diner food from Gooch's Diner, where my parents first met over 40 years ago, and elevate it to luxury for their 39th wedding anniversary. Come see if you'd like :)

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  47. I'm glad you included children in your dinner party. Voted for you.

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  48. I love that you held your dinner party outside! Everything looks delicious... especially the mushroom ravioli in broth!

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  49. I love the simple flavors and colors. Children at dinner parties are a must!

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  50. Congrats Congrats going onto challenge #4!!! Must be exciting for you! Good luck and all the best. Happy Thanksgiving to you! You'll be getting the next vote from me :) Your awesome!

    Have a happy thanksgiving!
    jen @ www.passion4food.ca

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  51. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the wonderful comments!!! They make a girl feel warm in the heart and they are beyond encouraging.

    Also, thank you for the votes. For those of you who made it to challenge 4 of PFB, GOOD LUCK!

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