Ideas for Entertaining

Essentials for Entertaining Featured Cocktails

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There’s no shortage of good drink ideas out there. Aside from the usual sources, gourmet food magazines and fashion magazines are suprisingly good resources for clever cocktail recipes. Fabulous cocktail recipes--recent inventions as well as new takes on the classics--are often buried among the elaborate recipes or hidden behind the celebrity pages in these magazines. Be sure to check our site regularly as well for featured cocktails.

The Tiramisu Martini
1/3 Vanilla Vodka
1/3 Kahlua
1/3 Amaretto
A Splash of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
Pour ingredients into martini shaker. Add Ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into martini glass and top with whipped cream and a decoration of your choice – we suggest a few coffee beans or chocolate shavings! Enjoy!

Bellini Champagne Cocktail
White Peach Juice
Dash of Peach Brandy (optional)
Prosecco or Champagne
Stir peach juice and brandy in a champagne flute, carefully fill with champagne or prosecco. Relax and enjoy the signature cocktail of Harry's Bar, a venerable Italian cafe that overlooks the canals and cathedrals of Venice.

Personalized Entertaining: individual attention to each guest

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Whether you throw a large or small cocktail party, personalizing the event adds a touch of thoughtfulness.

Personalization can be done for both formal and casual parties, depending on your preference and/or budget. Whether you add a personal note to each party invitation, or personalize your guests’ drink glasses, simple gestures mean a lot. Your guests will surely appreciate your efforts to personalize your evening of cocktails and camaraderie and will warmly remember the extra effort you invested in making them feel special.

Cocktail Cuisine: Let Food Set the Stage

2005-05-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Essentials for Entertaining Featured Hors d’oeurve: Shrimp Cocktail

What can we say? A classic that always pleases. The trick is in the presentation. Whether served on a platter or pre-arranged into glasses, shrimp cocktail always requires appropriate flatware and napkins (no one likes messing around with shrimpy fingers and lemon water when enjoying a party). Although every host likely has their own take on this classic hors d'oeuvre, here is one innovative version sure to tickle your taste buds.

EXOTIC SHRIMP COCKTAIL (serves four)

2 navel oranges
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp (32 total), shelled and deveined
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon minced and mashed garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup 1 1/2 tablespoons cognac
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
a pinch of cayenne
3 avocados
6 canned hearts of palm, drained, rinsed, patted dry, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

Shell and devein shrimp.With a sharp knife cut a slice from top and bottom of each orange, exposing flesh, and arrange with a cut side down on a cutting board. Cutting from top to bottom, remove peel and pith. Working over a bowl, cut orange sections free from membranes, letting sections drop into bowl, and squeeze in excess juice from membranes.

Plunge shrimp into a large saucepan of boiling salted water and poach at a bare simmer just until firm, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain shrimp in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. While shrimp are still warm add oil, garlic, and 1 tablespoon juice from orange sections, stirring to coat shrimp. Let shrimp cool to room temperature.

Next, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl whisk together mayonaise, ketchup, cognac, lime juice, sugar, and cayenne until smooth. (Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.)

Peel and dice avocados. Transfer orange sections to shrimp mixture with slotted spoon and add hearts of palm and avocado, folding ingredients together gently.

Divide ingredients among 4 plates or glasses and spoon sauce over each.

(Inspired from recipe featured in Gourmet, August 1996.)

Simple recipes for cooking novices or for hosts who prefer conversation to cooking…

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Love inviting your friends and family over for dinner but hate spending the better half of your evening cooking while your guests socialize without you? Have trouble serving cocktails and surveying the stovetop at the same time? A simple solution to this entertaining dilemma lies right before your very eyes: your oven! With a little advance preparation, you can pop these dishes into the oven and enjoy cocktails with your guests instead of fretting over cooking. Intoxicating aromas from your kitchen will alert when your meal is ready.

Here are some simple oven-cooked recipes that let you entertain and cook at the same time.

- The Layman’s Coq au Vin

- Baked Winter Fish

- Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis

The Layman’s Coq au Vin

chicken legs and thighs (2 pieces per person)

russet potatoes, cubed (1-2 per person, depending on size)

2 carrots, diced

2 yellow onions, diced

1 bottle red wine

olive oil

Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence (rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory, sage, oregano, and basil)

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken and vegetables in large roasting pan and cover with olive oil. Generously sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper on top. Pour the bottle of wine over contents.

Place roasting pan in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Check to see if the dish is fully cooked by inserting a knife into the chicken and potatoes. If the chicken is no longer pink and the potato cuts easily, your meal is ready. If more cooking is required, add another generous dose of wine to the pan and cook for another 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve immediately and don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.

Baked Winter Fish

white fish filets (you can use Tilapia, Bass, Sole, etc., 1 per person)

leeks, coarsely chopped (1 per person)

onions, coarsely chopped (1 per person)

1 bottle white wine

olive oil

salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place fish in a roasting pan and cover generously with olive oil. Add leeks and onions and another splash of olive oil to the entire contents of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove pan and carefully add wine. Place the pan back in the oven and continue to cook for 10–15 minutes.

Serve immediately. Hint: this dish is delicious with rice! Don’t forget to generously douse your guests’ servings with the delicious wine sauce that has formed in the pan.

Stuffed Vegetables with Tomato Coulis (serves two)

2 red pepper, large

2 round zucchini, large

12 oz. seasoned ground lamb or beef (ground meat already mixed with finely chopped parsley, onions, garlic, etc. cuts down on preparation time. If none is available, add your own flat leaf parsley, onions, garlic, salt and pepper.)

tomato paste, small can

diced tomatoes, one can

garlic, 2 cloves, crushed

salt and pepper

red wine, 2 T.

pinch of sugar

olive oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Carefully hollow out the peppers and zucchinis by cutting off their tops and removing their insides. Remove the interiors of the peppers and zucchini; be careful to remove all of the seeds. Save the tops to the side.

Stuff the peppers and zucchinis with the seasoned ground lamb or beef. Replace the vegetable tops on the stuffed vegetables.

Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil.

Place the stuffed peppers and zucchinis in the pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.

While vegetables are cooking prepare the coulis. Pour tomato paste and diced tomatoes into saucepan. Add garlic and pinch of sugar (this kills the acidity of the tomato sauce). Add red wine and salt & pepper to taste. Heat over low flame until near boiling. Remove from the stove and set aside for reheating just before the meal.

Serve vegetables topped with tomato coulis. (Coulis can be prepared before your guests arrive and reheated in the microwave).

The Cheese Course: a stylish dinner finale
Creative Napkin Folding: the lily

Creative Napkin Folding: The Lily

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Surprise your guests with this simple and attractive napkin folding technique.

Step 1: Put a square napkin facedown on a flat surface.

Step 2: Fold one corner of the napkin to meet the furthest corner, creating an isosceles triangle. Turn the napkin so that the longest side of the triangle is nearest to you.

Step 3: Next, bring each of the bottom triangle corners up to meet in the top corner of the isosceles triangle, so that the two corner ends now touch the top corner of the triangle. Now you have created a diamond shape.

Step 4: Fold the bottom corner of the diamond two-thirds of to the way to the top of the diamond.

Step 5: Flip over the napkin, carefully holding all of the folds in place.

Step 6: Now, taking the bottom left-hand portion of the napkin, roll the napkin from left to right, creating a cylinder until you notice that the right-hand portion may tuck into the fold you created.

Step 7: Tuck the right-hand portion of the napkin into the fold, and you will find that the base of the napkin will stand on its own.

Step 8: Stand the napkin upright on its base. You will see three corners of the napkin at the top of your construction. Gently pull down the left and right points so that they are almost parallel to the table surface.

Congratulations, you have folded a napkin into a lily!

The Cheese Course: a Stylish Dinner Finale

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Offering a cheese course is a delicious way to top off a wonderful meal.

Cheese has long served as the finishing touch to dinners in Europe, and when you begin to investigate the world of cheeses you’ll begin to understand why. With hundreds of different cheeses to choose from - in all shapes, colors, tastes, and textures - you are almost certain to ignite a love affair between your guests and at least one of the cheeses you carefully select.

There’s no advantage to being traditional when it comes to experimenting with cheeses. If you're new to the art of cheese, the first order of business is to locate a reputable and knowledgeable vendor. Next, spend some time in the store, asking lots of questions and sampling as you go. Try picking out a few cheeses that interest you in appearance, texture, smell, and of course taste, while carefully considering the ways in which each will compliment the various wines and foods your dinner guests will be enjoying.

Bread, fruit, and crackers are all classical accompaniments to a cheese plate, although many people enjoy appreciating the full taste of the cheese by eating it alone. Again, your cheese vendor is a great resource for advice about the ideal accompaniments for each particular cheese. A cheese course is best presented on a specially designed cheese board along with the appropriate cheese cutting tools. Small identifying labels for each cheese are always a nice touch, avoiding unnecessary confusion if you or your guests are eager to try any of them again.

Send "Love" Notes

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When appropriate, prepare cards or post-it notes with hand-written welcoming phrases like "So happy to have you here!", "We’ve missed you!", "Welcome!", "We love you!". Place the notes in noticeable places, like on your guest's pillow, on a bedside table or mirror, or near an arrangement of fresh flowers.

Bathroom Bliss

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Make your bathroom a blissful escape for your overnight guests. A tasteful selection of perfumed and hypoallergenic soaps, scented candles, bath gels, lotions, and perfumes promotes a luxurious and relaxed atmosphere. A small stereo with assorted CDs is a thoughtful touch to encourage guests to linger in the bath. If you’re quick, pop a few towels in the dryer as you see your guests heading toward their morning shower. Nothing says comfort like being offered a toasty towel (most appropriate for family members or close friends only).

The Best Part of Waking Up

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Plan breakfast the night before your guests's overnight stay. If possible, inquire as to each guest's personal favorite breakfast -- fruit and croissant? pancakes? bacon and eggs? -- and plan accordingly. If you want to make fresh pastry, prepare the batter and let it rest overnight. If you choose to buy baked goods such as croissants, get to the bakery early before your guests awake (if this is impractical, most pastries can be gently re-heated in the morning). Nothing says a warm "good morning" like the smell of freshly ground coffee and a classic breakfast wafting into your guests's room as they awaken.

Bedtime Rituals

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Offer your guests an assortment of nightcaps--from cognac, to chamomile tea, to warm milk. Choosing their own perfect evening beverage will definitely make your geusts feel pampered. On a more practical note, make sure your guests know how the TV and stereo work, and have a selection of books and a few new magazines prominently displayed in the guestroom.

Unexpected Luxury

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Place fresh flowers in the guest room or mints on the pillows. Offer assorted bottled waters or an arrangement of sweet and savory snacks. These classic hotel gestures make any guest feel welcome and even spoiled.

Ask, ask, ask.

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When in doubt, ask questions. Better to have asked too many times after your guest's comfort than not enough. Many guests are initially reluctant to complain about something in your home, but if you ask more than once, they will likely be forthcoming about any problems or special needs. Believe us--your guests will be flattered by your impeccable hospitality and grateful that you asked, again.