Host
DI NN ER WI NN ER S
Impressyourguestsby servinginstyle IN TH E HOLI DAY SPIR IT
Mixology essentials forwarmwintertoasts HOW TO
Protipsfor throwing a holidaydinnerparty
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Pro tips for th rowi ng a holiday dinner party
by SA RA H RAVI TS
New Orleans is a city know n for its hospitality, culinary talent and penchant for pulling out all the stops when it comes to parties and celebrations Of course, Thanksgiving and other winter holiday parties are no exception.
But first-time hosts have to star t somewhere, so take it from the pros
“Even the most inexperienced can really pull of a nice (holiday) dinner if they think about a centerpiece that is within their ability range, plus two to three familiar sides,” says Kevin Litten, who regularly hosts friends and family for holiday gatherings
Morgan Scalco, co-owner of Oak & Ale, and the manager of Bayou Wine and Beer Garden, also loves to host. As a longtime service industry worker, her dinner parties come together with the help of likeminded friends eager to show of their talents, but she also does light planning ahead of time
Ty pica lly, Scalco li kes to pick a theme or focus on a type of cuisine, but sometimes she chooses a main dish to cook and then develops ideas for complementary sides and desser ts
If she’s hosting people from out of town, she likes to give them a taste of classic Creole and Italian cuisine, but if it’s for friends who live here, she’ll bounce ideas of them
“Sometimes it’ll be like, ‘hey, remember when we made osso bucco? Let’s do that again,’” she says. Scalco finds plenty of inspiration at local farmer’s markets and tailors the menu to what’s fresh and in season
She also likes to use local cookbooks and compare recipes, ofen adjusting and playing around with ingredients and swapping some out.
“For a lot of my recipes, I’ll refer to one or more book, and wonder, ‘why is this (chef) adding pickled ham, but this one’s adding bacon?’
Then I just tr y to kind of build of flavors I like,” she says
Litten, who also comes from a culinary background, says one of the most important things for hosts to do is stagger the prep work, especially for holiday gatherings
That means not only planning a menu but also figuring out which of the dishes can be made in advance.
“Try not to load yourself up with too much work the day of, or even the day before,” he says “Schedule yourself so that you’re maybe doing one or two sides a day
(beforehand). That will help you not to be overwhelmed.”
While entrees and dishes with fresh veggies are much better when prepared the same day of the party, plenty of holiday side dishes can be made in advance, “especially anything in a casserole dish,” he says.
Those can be covered, put in the fridge, and gently warmed up the day of the party. Mashed potatoes are another example.
Hosts should mostly just be focusing on the “centerpieces” the day of the gathering, he says, referring to the main dishes.
“The way I think about it is, what’s going to be the showstopper?” he says, describing it as the gasp-inducing dish that “you bring it out to the table and people will say, ‘wow’ and clap.”
“For Thanksgiving, that’s obviously turkey,” he says “But you
Planning a seated holiday dinner might seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be stressful.
don’t have to do a whole turkey A roasted chicken can be easier to pull of if it’s a smaller gathering.”
Both Scalco and Litten say Thanksgiving and Christmas are great holidays to serve gumbo, though Litten warns newbies not to attempt making it for the first time when hosting. It’s a laborious process that takes a bit of practice
In general, he says, “Don’t choose stuf that seems like it’s above your ability level. If you’re doing it for the first time and you screw it up, you’re going to be like, ‘I screwed up the dinner’ and dwell on it all night, even if it’s just one dish that you messed up.”
Litten also says to think about certain dishes that can be storebought Buying a desser t and bread ahead of time can help clear up precious oven space the day of the
Homemade whipped cream can impress guests, regardless of whether the dessert itself is homemade.
Scalco says a gamechanger has been storebought phyllo dough, which can be stufed with nearly anything, whether it’s oyster dressing, veggies or something sweet.
Hit up a farmer ’s market for local, seasonal ingredient s and meal-planning inspiration. Scalco says that mirlitons are a versatile ingredie nt this time of year an d “completely underrated.”
Ramp up a store-bought pie with homemade whipped cream, which only takes a few minutes to make from scratch.
Invest in some cloth napkins. “We’re not in our grandmother’s world, where you have to break out special silver ware or dishes,” says Litten. “But I do think it’s nice to have cloth napkins.” If you want to take it up another notch by learning how to fold them properly, YouTube has plenty of tutorials.
Fresh herbs make dishes really pop.
Aperitifs and digestifs are a great way to kick of, and then wind down, a party in addition to aiding with digestion.
Sparkling wine pretty much goes with ever ything, and it’s always celebrator y.
When it comes to wine pairings, “What grows together, goes together,” Scalco says. Look for wines that grow in the same region as whatever you’re serving.
Fresh flowers can go a long way in creating a cheery atmosphere.
party and save hosts time to focus on other aspects of the party.
“Not ever ything has to be handmade,” he says “The main idea is that you do not want to have a ton of work to do the day of.”
That takes pressure of hosts and makes guests feel more relaxed, too.
“What you want to do is focus on serving your guests drinks and having conversations,” Litten adds “You don’t want to be completely distracted by a dish that has a lot of elements that you’re going to have to work on while ever ybody else is enjoying themselves As much as you can do ahead of time is important.”
For experienced home cooks who want to show of their talents, Litten says holidays are a great time to get creative with traditional ingredients.
Last year, for example, he made a turkey porchetta, which he describes as a take on a traditional Italian pork dish The dish is a more sophisticated take on a traditional turkey, with fresh herbs and tons of flavor
“It was very Thanksgiving-y, and then you just bring it to the table and slice it and it’s very easy,” he says.
This year, Litten’s creating stufed pumpkins to accommodate a vegetarian co-host.
“Each person gets a pumpkin, and that’s a showstopper,” he says “It’s beautiful, and it’s somewhat easy to pull of because we’re doing a lot of work ahead of time.”
Despite the emphasis on a solid, hear ty entree, Litten points out that people at holiday gatherings typically want to indulge in a little bit of ever ything
“I think a lot of what people look forward to the most are the side dishes,” he says “If you can find ways to make great, memorable sides, those will be the ones that end up making the meal.”
Pa rt of the reason Scalco loves host ing so ofen is because her group of friends is very collaborative. There’s a sense of anticipation leading up to the party, where ever yone’s efor ts all come together.
“I think it’s a Southern hospitality thing,” says Scalco “You don’t go to someone’s house empty-handed.”
That takes a lot of the pressure of her as a host
“I think it’s more fun when ever ybody pitches in,” she says. “If you have out-of-towners visiting, they may not have access to a kitchen, so you have more of an issue there. But the last party I threw, I had two people who wanted to make an entree ... Ever ybody else brought wine or bread or apps, and then I just whipped up all the other fun stuf.”
While Scalco’s dinner parties tend to be more of a collective efor t, Litten prefers to take on the bulk of the work himself or enlist a co-host, especially when it comes to holiday meals.
Given the helpful nature of New Orleanians, though, he ofen finds that guests insist on helping or literally bringing something to the table. In those cases, he guides them to accommodate his vision
“It’s fine to assign things,” he says “But if you’re going to do that, you need to let your (guests) know what the theme is, and what the dishes are that you’re already planning. Make sure what they’re bringing will fit in.”
Both Scalco and Litten point out that guests ofen love to help out with drinks.
“People love playing bartender,” Litten says. “If you do a (batched) cocktail ahead of time, and you have fruit cut and ice ready, for most drinks, you can have them assembled in a minute or two minutes.”
He notes that his dinner parties vary from potlucks, which are usually much more casual in nature and less cohesive. But potlucks are still a popular option, especially if you’re on a budget and don’t want to cook a ton of food.
“If it’s a potluck, who cares what the theme is?” he says. “They’re
bringing the thing that they’re good at.”
When the food is the st ar of the show, decorating doesn’t have to be over the top, especially if you’re on a budget.
Fresh flowers can go a long way in brightening up a space.
“I like grabbing fresh flowers from the market if they have them,” Scalco says. “If not, don’t sleep on Trader Joe’s flower section. They have great prices and last forever.”
Scalco acknowledges that space is ofen an issue.
That’s why, instead of putting a huge vase of flowers in the middle of the table, she’ll break up the flowers and put them in mismatched jars and small vases around the dining area.
Litten, meanwhile, says to take into account the size of the table and remember that the food is center stage. The table will likely be crowded, so he recommends focusing more on nice place settings and smaller home accents.
He also swears by batter y-powered candles. “You can get really inexpensive votives and put them into little glasses,” he says “And then you don’t have to really worr y about lighting.”
Sometimes guests just want to stand around and mingle, and many New Orleans kitchens feature an open layout for exactly that reason
Scalco says a lot of times when she has guests over for casual gatherings, she makes several items tapas style and serves them on smaller plates so people can get a taste of many diferent things.
But holiday meals tend to be hear tier and best enjoyed while seated around a big table all at once
As Litten puts it, if you serve the meal family style, “where you can put the dishes down on the table and pass ever ything around, that makes it a little more special.”
If your holidayguest list is huge, or youfindyourself overwhelmed by tr ying to accommodatediferentdietary needs, it’s nota badideatoget some professional help if it’s in your budget
“Tryingtodotoo much with aregular housekitchen, when alarge number of guests areexpected, canbedifficult,” says JefBybee,apar tner andmanager at MoPho, Tana andMaypoprestaurants,who has25years of catering experience.“Bringing in outsidehelpwho canset up stagingareas with professional equipmentcan assure that the eventgoesofwithout problems.”
Thecost, of course,variestremendously,but thereare a lotofoptions
“Itcan be as simple as drop-ofcateringpackages, allthe waytohiringa celebritychef. Obviouslyatrayofroast beef po-boyswill be cheaperthancaviarser vice,” says Bybee. Hostswho hire help should also be awareofsteeringthe conversation away from costs.
“Avoid discussing thecostofthe partyorhow hard it was to putthe partytogether,”hesays. “You don’twantguests to feel badabout attending, youwantthemto enjoythemselves.”
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