The Art of Eating In - Cathy Erway [31]
When dining at home, there is no room for illusions. I’d have to get used to that, no matter how much I managed to improve my entertaining know-how in the future. Entertaining at home will always throw wild cards at you—a noisy neighbor, forgotten ingredients, or a killer cat. But it also allows you to loosen up and put your elbows on the table—or coffee table—if you like, and fight back against that killer cat. So I had a little room to grow at entertaining guests. Unlike a rejected restaurant, though, I knew that my friends would come back again.
I didn’t see any reason to keep Dracula cooped up in Erin’s room once Sam and Richard had left, so I opened the door. I saw Dracula for a glimpse once more that night, while heading to my room to shuck off to sleep. He, too, was sleepy-looking and serene, curled up on the couch just as innocently as a kitten.
Late that night when Erin came home, I could hear her cooing and snuggling with him through the closed door of my room. A thought crossed my mind somewhere in between sleep and consciousness. It had something to do with reports I’d read in newspapers about cheap restaurants cooking up stray cats instead of chicken. For a moment, I could almost understand why.
Hearts of Palm Crostini
Since the dinner party in this chapter, I’ve come to rely on a few simple appetizers that keep guests from starving while I’m cooking. This one needs little preparation other than slicing the hearts of palm and scooping them onto the bread slices. Yet it’s always been a hit.
(MAKES ABOUT 24 PIECES)
1 French baguette, sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 15-ounce can hearts of palm, thinly sliced crosswise
¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the baguette rounds in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for about 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove and let cool completely before topping.
Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl (can be made a day ahead). Top each toasted baguette slice with a spoonful of the hearts-of-palm mixture. Serve immediately.
Red-Curry-Glazed Roasted Eggplant
Another great party snack with a bold flavor. These eggplant bites can be served with toothpicks or placed on top of crostini or seeded crackers for a bit of crunch.
(MAKES ABOUT 4 APPETIZER-SIZED SERVINGS)
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 long Asian eggplants, halved lengthwise and chopped into about 2-inch pieces
Combine all the ingredients except the eggplant in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a container with a lid and enough room to fit the eggplant pieces. Toss the eggplant in the sauce until fully coated by covering container and shaking. Let marinate for about 15 minutes before roasting.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread eggplant pieces across an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes or until crisp on the edges. Remove carefully with a spatula and let cool a few minutes before serving.
Boneless San Bei GiwithGreen Beans
I recommend trying the classic version of this Taiwanese dish, but this bastardization using boneless strips of chicken and the addition of green beans for a complete meal has been a popular and tasty variation that many have found easier to digest.
(SERVES 4)
3 pounds boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs, sliced against the grain to ¼-inch-thick pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons sesame oil
20 cloves of garlic, smashed or coarsely chopped
20 slices of fresh ginger
⅓ cup