Calling ATOT chefs - updated with pics - party held.

[Hayabusa Rider]

For one, I am not a complete noob in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe and have a good result on the first try.

Not saying that cooking is easy. But even the best cooks are not Michelangelo reincarnated as a chef, not matter what they might think of themselves. Simply put, most cooking isn't that hard.

Second, I will be prepping most of the entre and sides in advance, so that all that needs is to heat/cook the stuff before the guests arrive. Its called planning.

Third, I do not want to sous vide because while it might produce the most fucking orgasmic meat on earth, I have zero experience with it. A new recipe I can handle. A new recipe with a new piece of cooking equipment . . . who knows what will happen. I've BBQ'd pork shoulders since before I can remember, and I still messed up a couple roasts when I first switched to a weber smokey mountain cooker. There is a learning curve with cooking equipment . . . one I would rather not go through when trying to entertain.

Well then you have it all worked out. Good luck.

 

[Ophir]

You make a good point. FWIW, my wife really wants me to do the chicken parm recipe. Guaranteed success, I can plate it well, and most everyone likes chicken parm. I don't mess around with ingredients with that either. All fresh herbs, including garlic I grew and dried myself. Sauce made from scratch. Whole milk fresh mozzarella. Aged parmesan. Damn I am making myself hungry just thinking about it.

Really?! Chicken parm?! Whole milk mozzarella, lol, AND aged parmesan. Way to go all out.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

You make a good point. FWIW, my wife really wants me to do the chicken parm recipe. Guaranteed success, I can plate it well, and most everyone likes chicken parm. I don't mess around with ingredients with that either. All fresh herbs, including garlic I grew and dried myself. Sauce made from scratch. Whole milk fresh mozzarella. Aged parmesan. Damn I am making myself hungry just thinking about it.

Chicken Parmesan? Seriously? Has this been a troll thread?

When cooking for guests you target their likes, not yours. Your dislike of seafood already hamstrings you since awesome foods like lobster and scallops seem to be out of the question. But you want to impress with chicken parm? Wow!

lol. Good luck.

 

[norseamd]

how much do the rich snobs like the chicken parmesean?

 

[gorcorps]

Hot pockets

 

[norseamd]

lean pockets

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Allow Chef ICF to help you with the following menu, which just may be pretentious enough for your snooty guests:

1. Appetizer: Fine white corn nachos with gourmet Campbell's Nacho Cheese sauce

2. Main course -- a choice of:
a. Peanut and banana butter sliders with a fine Smucker's jam medley on the side
b. Gourmet Ravioli from the famed kitchen of Chef Boyardee

3. Sides:
a. Aged Van Camp Beanies and Weenies, prepared with a hint of brown sugar
b. Imported Green Giant broccoli, steamed and prepared with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"

4. Dessert: select from several expertly-prepared Little Debbie or Hostess desserts.

lol at snob dinner parties.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Really?! Chicken parm?! Whole milk mozzarella, lol, AND aged parmesan. Way to go all out.

There is only so much one can do with chicken parm. FWIW the ingredients I use make it taste much better than "vanilla" chicken parm. Not saying it will impress. And I did not say I was necessarily going to do it. I just said that my wife wants me to make it and not mess around with something new.

 

[norseamd]

thought you lived in colorado?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Has this been a troll thread?

No.

When cooking for guests you target their likes, not yours. Your dislike of seafood already hamstrings you since awesome foods like lobster and scallops seem to be out of the question. But you want to impress with chicken parm? Wow!

lol. Good luck.

I have met these people maybe five times before. I do not know their likes. Only that they seem to prefer "higher end" food.

I said it before and I will say it again, Lobster and shellfish generally do not impress people in the coast of NH and Maine. I know people who eat that stuff every week. Couple that with the fact I do not like seafood, and there is not a chance that I am going to make it. Seafood is not the only thing on earth that will impress people.

There seems to be a fixation here on doing something "exotic" because "exotic" translates to impressive. I'm not sure I subscribe to that. Simple food done well can impress too. It might not have the "oh wow" factor of more exotic items, but simple food can be impressive nonetheless. Particularly if it is presented in an uncommon way.

That is precisely why I'm attracted to the Wellington idea. It is a a common dish (filet mignon) presented in an uncommon way. I'm going to try and do a trial run tomorrow and see how it comes out.

Also, I could smoke a pork shoulder and pretty it up, as some have suggested. I don't think any of my guests will have eaten something as good and "common" as my smoked pulled pork. Particularly as I generally prepare it (eastern) North Carolina style ... something I would guess most New Englanders have never seen. Serve it on some rolls from a local bakery with some fresh slaw, a couple good homemade sauces, some grilled veggies and homemade pomme frites . . . could be an excellent meal that would impress simply because it is completely different from what most folks in southern NH/Maine eat.

 

[norseamd]

my limited knowledge of gourmet food would seem to think that some sort of filet of meat would be a good idea

 

[Sho'Nuff]

thought you lived in colorado?

Where did you get that idea? I live in New Hampshire.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Allow Chef ICF to help you with the following menu, which just may be pretentious enough for your snooty guests:

1. Appetizer: Fine white corn nachos with gourmet Campbell's Nacho Cheese sauce

2. Main course -- a choice of:
a. Peanut and banana butter sliders with a fine Smucker's jam medley on the side
b. Gourmet Ravioli from the famed kitchen of Chef Boyardee

3. Sides:
a. Aged Van Camp Beanies and Weenies, prepared with a hint of brown sugar
b. Imported Green Giant broccoli, steamed and prepared with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"

4. Dessert: select from several expertly-prepared Little Debbie or Hostess desserts.

lol at snob dinner parties.

Sounds good to me. Though I would replace the Van Camp Weenies with Dinty Moore Stew.

"Dinty Moore, makes you smart, the more you eat the more you . . . "

 

[norseamd]

Where did you get that idea? I live in New Hampshire.

from you posting something on a cop beatdown?

so did that go on somewhere in new hampshire?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

how much do the rich snobs like the chicken parmesean?

No idea. But I do not know many people who do not like chicken parm.

 

[NetWareHead]

No.



I have met these people maybe five times before. I do not know their likes. Only that they seem to prefer "higher end" food.

I said it before and I will say it again, Lobster and shellfish generally do not impress people in the coast of NH and Maine. I know people who eat that stuff every week. Couple that with the fact I do not like seafood, and there is not a chance that I am going to make it. Seafood is not the only thing on earth that will impress people.

There seems to be a fixation here on doing something "exotic" because "exotic" translates to impressive. I'm not sure I subscribe to that. Simple food done well can impress too. It might not have the "oh wow" factor of more exotic items, but simple food can be impressive nonetheless. Particularly if it is presented in an uncommon way.

That is precisely why I'm attracted to the Wellington idea. It is a a common dish (filet mignon) presented in an uncommon way. I'm going to try and do a trial run tomorrow and see how it comes out.

Also, I could smoke a pork shoulder and pretty it up, as some have suggested. I don't think any of my guests will have eaten something as good and "common" as my smoked pulled pork. Particularly as I generally prepare it North Carolina style ... something I would guess most New Englander's have never seen. Serve it on some rolls from a local bakery with some fresh slaw, a couple good homemade sauces, some grilled veggies and homemade pomme frites . . . could be an excellent meal that would impress simply because it is completely different from what most folks in southern NH/Maine eat.

I like the BBQ idea and pulled pork would be better than say smoked ribs. When your guests are in a suit and dress, ribs are just the worst idea. At least pulled pork can be eaten with a fork. Serve the pulled pork in a way fancy restaurants would. Add some fancy garnish and inventive ways to present the plate, the sides and sauces. It would be mildly hilarious to see pulled pork with all of the trimmings presented gourmet style

 

[norseamd]

No idea. But I do not know many people who do not like chicken parm.

to me it is lots of protein. so maybe i am not the right one to know how people with "refined" taste might like it

 

[cherrytwist]

I used to work as a waiter in my late teens at a country club and loved it when we had private parties that ordered beef wellington. Needless to say, we would get first crack at the leftovers (along with decadent desserts).

Making $10/hr at that age nearly 25 years ago wasn't bad, along with occasional tips and free perks (like all the alcohol we could drink after shifts). I wasn't above eating leftovers (of course it was carved by our General Manager or our Chef).

I also love a good duck confit, filet mignon, rack of lamb, (and a good 80/20 burger with s&p is always awesome) etc, but for a party I think beef wellington is the right choice for a dinner party.

Chicken Parm is mehh, may as well serve Spaghetti with Meatballs.

 

[NetWareHead]

No idea. But I do not know many people who do not like chicken parm.

At the risk of sounding snobbish, the other posters have a point about chicken parm. It is definitely your choice on what you want to serve but according to the description of your audience, they may look down on this dish... Whats the best way to describe it? Chicken parm is more like diner territory than fine dining. Sure it is delicious. Again it is up to you on what you want to cook, no judgment from me here.

If you like something Italian, make fresh pasta with the same tomato sauce you were going to use on the parm. You can make the pasta yourself, or I know a good Italian specialty shop in Manchester NH you could visit that I've purchased from. The pasta quality is excellent. A nice pasta dish by itself is good but fresh pasta takes it up a notch and is on par with something a 4 or 5 star restaurant would serve. Everybody loves pasta but fresh pasta is even better.

You could serve a two course entree. In Italy, the pasta comes first and is followed by a meat. Try a chicken/veal francese or marsala, both great restaurant quality dishes.

 

[brainhulk]

 

[manimal]

If you make parm make a risotto on the side instead of pasta. A nice risotto with asparagus tips and mushrooms goes well with the cheesy chicken.

Since your in NH get some connoli and serve that after or some tiramisu.


A rack of lamb always impresses as well.

 

[Fritzo]

If you make parm make a risotto on the side instead of pasta. A nice risotto with asparagus tips and mushrooms goes well with the cheesy chicken.

Since your in NH get some connoli and serve that after or some tiramisu.


A rack of lamb always impresses as well.

Risotto doesn't hold well. You really have to baby it so it doesn't get mushy.

 

[NetWareHead]

Risotto doesn't hold well. You really have to baby it so it doesn't get mushy.

If you've never made risotto, do a trial run or 3 so you have the technique down. Risotto is a delicate dish that needs broth added to it in proper amounts and at proper times allowing the rice to absorb the broth and not be mushy or watery.

You could par-boil the rice first. Risotto takes 20-30 minutes to cook from scratch demanding alot of attention. You may not want to become a slave to the risotto when you have guests over. You could pre-cook it halfway to 2/3 of the way and then cool it down. When you ready to serve it, the parcooked rice goes in a pan along with broth and its finished off.

 

[disappoint]

Chicken Parm is mehh, may as well serve Spaghetti with Meatballs.

I'm liking this idea. Flying spaghetti and meatballs with muenster cheese. It will be a religious experience.

 

[silverpig]

I'd do a take on a beef bourgignon. You can do everything ahead of time - braise the beef, fry the lardons, reduce the demi glace, cook the vegetables (mushrooms, puy lentils, potatoes, carrots, fennel, onion), and have it all ready to go in the oven in a cast iron pot, or your slow cooker.

When they arrive, just turn it on to heat everything up, and you're good to go.