Life Is Meals_ A Food Lover's Book of Days - James Salter [7]
Sometimes for a special occasion, you can write a single copy of the menu by hand and display it on the table.
After shopping for the ingredients, prepare anything possible ahead of time: dessert, salad and its dressing, assembling the main course if it will be baked, and the accompanying dishes up to the point of cooking.
When an important guest was expected in ancient Egypt, the entire household went into a frenzy of cleaning, brewing, and baking weeks in advance. That was then. Don’t exhaust yourself by cleaning the house to inspection readiness. Tidy the bathroom guests will use, clear clutter, and let it go at that. Devote yourself instead to the elements that will actually be memorable: the food and the conversation.
GIVING A DINNER PARTY (III)
The Air Force taught Jim the value of knowing exactly what should happen and when—something crucial to a dinner party. He draws up a flow chart, working backward from the time we expect to sit down at the table. Especially important are the times certain dishes go into the oven or come off the stove. If the baked potatoes aren’t ready when the meat is rare, you’re going to be eating undercooked potatoes or overdone meat. Gavril Lourie, the son of friends, apprenticed at two-star restaurants in France, and he goes as far as making a diagram of each dish and how it will be arranged on the plates, then tacks it on the wall as he cooks.
We also have a basic master list: set table, set up bar, hors d’oeu-vres out, open wine, light fire in fireplace, prepare cups and plates for later coffee and dessert. And just before sitting down, fill water glasses, cut bread, light candles.
As a child, you learn that promptness is a virtue, and we do have a few friends who arrive for dinner at exactly the designated hour. We know who they are, so on those evenings, we’re ready. But usually, people show up about fifteen or twenty minutes later. As hosts, we can always use the extra time. If everything is actually done, we can sit down for a few minutes and congratulate ourselves.
We allow forty-five minutes to an hour for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, conversation, and unwinding, and to allow for guests who are late. Usually we serve something quite light with drinks—olives, nuts, sometimes a tapenade with crackers—depending on how rich the meal will be.
The end of the dinner is as important as any other part. It is like the “finish” of a wine, the aftertaste. We often bring a plate of chocolates or another sweet—butter-crunch candy or chocolate-coated candied oranges—to the table. Then, perhaps, liqueurs and small glasses or even cognac, occasionally in another room. The energy of the evening has died by this point, but one doesn’t want a collapse. It is good to sign off with a flourish, sometimes even a game of poker.
GIVING A DINNER PARTY (IV)
It’s more fun to cook with someone, even given differing opinions on exactly how it should be done. There are many men who are great in the kitchen and have a good time being there. It’s worth remembering that the one who shops, chops, and is otherwise in a supporting role gets no credit and may be less inclined to be part of the team next time. Each cook likes to have a glory dish—the salad with the wonderful dressing, the memorable tart—that reliably gets compliments.
Serving should be decided on ahead of time. One system is to have the first course on the table when the guests sit down. Then you can present the main course and accompanying dishes around the table. They can be passed by the guests, or they can be served already on the plates. Flexibility is crucial: just because you’ve made a plan doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. If whoever is in charge of dessert is deep into a discussion of death and how to think about it, the other can take over those duties.
If you ask who wants coffee, there’s usually an awkward moment when the guests wonder if they’re putting you