Archive for December 2008

Alexis putting the finishing touches on her chickens

EVENT: The Supper Club Holiday Party
VENUE: Wendy’s Apartment, Financial District
PARTY SIZE: about 20 twenty-somethings
TYPE: Cocktail Hour and Buffet
MENU: JC’s Roast Chicken (Julia Child, not Jesus), White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Classic Hanukkah Latkes, Creamed Corn Crostini (P), String Beans with Spiced Nuts and Apple Cider Vinaigrette (P); Gingersnaps (C)

To call Wendy’s Sunday-evening holiday party a potluck would be to do it a grand injustice. While it’s true that Phoebe was in charge of the buffet’s veggie dish and pre-dinner finger food and Cara, late in…

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Apple Cider Vinaigrette

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics. It is fantastic on blanched string beans, as in this recipe, and it is equally good on a plain greens salad.

Ingredients
¾ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
About 3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the cider, vinegar, and shallot over medium-high heat. Let simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is reduced by half. Off the heat, whisk in…

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The Judges.

EVENT: Chili Cook-off
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: 18 - 20, mostly male with notable appetites
TYPE: Casual Buffet
MENU: Keith’s Spiked Meat-Lover’s Chili (recipe not included; interested parties can beg Keith for it), Phoebe’s Smoky Chipotle Vegetarian Chili, Cornbread, Spinach Salad with Corn, Avocado, and Cilantro Citrus Vinaigrette
DESSERT: Mexican Wedding Cakes, Cinnamon-Mocha Dulce de Leche Bites (see Cara’s post, below)

What I’ve come to realize from hosting…

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EVENT: Phoebe’s Top Chef Chili Cook-off
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: 18 - 20, mostly Male with notable appetites
TYPE: Casual Buffet
MENU*: Keith’s Spiked Meat-Lovers Chili, Phoebe’s Smoky Chipotle Vegetarian Chili, Spinach
Salad with Corn, Avocado, and Cilantro Citrus Vinaigrette
DESSERT: Mexican Wedding Cakes, Cinnamon-Mocha Dulce de Leche Bites
*The meat, if you will, of this menu is featured in the following post

You know how everyone always likes to say that there are bakers and then there are cooks? The cooks get depicted as creative, impulsive types,…

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Cinnamon-Mocha Dolce de Leche Bites
Makes 48 cookies

Pondering the second batch of post-chili cookies, I conjured up every Mexican sweet I’d ever had: Flan, covered in caramel. Tres Leches cake, spongy and soaked with dulce de leche. Mexican hot chocolate or coffee, made piquant with cinnamon. And though I swear I do value my sense of proportion and ability to practice restraint, I really didn’t want to pick any one of these flavors.

So using a simple, butter-sugar-egg-flour refrigerator dough (note: refrigerator doughs have to chill for at least an hour before you use them!)…

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