Holiday-minded hosts can breathe a little easier this year. The recent glitzy entertaining era has passed. Caterers no longer are heroes; expensive spreads and matching china are strictly optional, and costly shows of excess are passe.
The trend now is strongly in favor of parties that are noticeably more relaxed, warmer and more personal.
A spate of new cookbooks, timed for the holiday entertaining frenzy, touts the new no-nonsense attitude. Four of them soft pedal the extraneous details such as invitations, flowers, guest lists and decorations. Instead, they acknowledge that the heart of parties lies in the food. The authors of these books make it their mission to make the food easy, yet appropriately festive.
”Parties: Menus for Easy Good Times” (HarperCollins, $27.50) by Melanie Barnard and Brooke Dojny (HarperCollins, $27.50) is a compact and nicely photographed book filled with year-round party menus. Altogether, there are 20 party plans and menus, such as an Easter egg hunt and bridal shower for the spring and a summer ice cream social.
The season suggests turning first to the Christmas Open House or the Cookie Exchange menu. Both are stylish yet quite manageable. Tips and shortcuts included with each menu help with the planning. The recipes, such as white Christmas fruit punch, currant and sage-glazed corned beef and chocolate macadamia rum balls, are appealing as well as easy to prepare.
In ”Rose`s Celebrations” (William Morrow, $25), author Rose Levy Beranbaum also takes the stance that life is a party, or at least offers an endless succession of reasons to have one. This, too, is an all-seasons guide to entertaining that follows the calendar.
Starting with a New Year`s toast of oysters with buerre blanc, Beranbaum, author of ”The Cake Bible,” makes an effort to unravel any mystique that hovers over special events. Her mixed bag of recipes, offered for 28 occasions, range from homey and simple foods like cherry pie and orange cheesecake to more elaborate extravaganzas such as artichoke flowers filled with truffled pate. She offers few details for planning parties and doesn`t always have a menu or a theme, but her recipes are well written and concise.
Barbara Kafka, a veteran food writer and cookbook author, has assembled a thorough list of festive foods in her newest book, ”Party Food” (William Morrow, $25). Kafka notes that this book is all about entertaining with a more casual attitude. ”People have stopped doing things that make them uncomfortable. You either give it (entertaining) up or you find another way to do it,” she explained.
With that in mind, she offers a large collection of recipes that can be used for any type of gathering. Mixed in with elaborate fare such as pates, terrines and rich melanges of seafood are many recipes that require minimal cooking skills, because Kafka hopes to inspire more cooks to try their hands at home entertaining. ”You just need one or two successes to keep on with it,” she said.
”Fast” continues to be one of the buzzwords of the kitchen, and perhaps never more so than during the holidays. ”Fast & Fabulous Hors d`Oeurves” by Michele Braden (Collier Books, $16) is subtitled ”A Survival Guide for Today`s Busy Entertainer.” Braden offers a sophisticated and diverse collection of 350 recipes which can be used as appetizers, cocktail food or even as the mainstay of the party meal. With each recipe, she includes do-ahead hints, simple ideas for flashy presentations and little twists that can turn hors d`oeurves into main courses.
Here are some holiday recipes adapted from the books.
CRANBERRY PECAN POUND CAKE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: One 10-inch Bundt cake
This recipe is adapted from ”Parties” by Melanie Barnard and Brooke Dojny. A classic poundcake, it contains no leavening agents.
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 cup each: sour cream, orange flavored liqueur
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 1/2 cups cranberries, coarsely chopped
Confectioners` sugar for top of cake
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust the inside with flour. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the heated oven until they are light brown and fragrant, 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Stir together both flours and the salt; set aside.
2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, liqueur, vanilla and orange rind.
3. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined. Fold in the pecans and cranberries.
4. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes; loosen from the sides of the pan with a small knife. Invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap airtight. Cake is best served a day or two after making. Dust with confectioners` sugar before serving.
HOT BUTTERED RUM CIDER
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A winter warmer, adapted from ”Rose`s Celebrations” by Rose Levy Beranbaum.
4 teaspoons each: pure maple syrup, dark brown sugar, unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark rum
1 lemon, quartered, seeded
4 thick orange slices
16 whole cloves
2 2/3 cups apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks
1. Put equal parts of the syrup, sugar, butter and rum in each of 4 large mugs. Squeeze a quarter of a lemon into each mug. Put 4 cloves into the rind of each piece of orange. Add them to the mugs.
2. Heat the cider until it is just below boiling. Add to the mugs and stir with a cinnamon stick. Serve hot.
REUBEN SAUSAGES
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: Several hours
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 75 sausages
This recipe, from ”Fast & Fabulous Hors d`Oeurves,” can be deep-fried ahead of time, then reheated in the oven just before serving. The author suggests serving the tangy sausages with mustard sauce.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound cooked corned beef, ground
1-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, to taste
3 cups sauerkraut, rinsed, very well drained
2 tablespoons fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 slices rye bread, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup each: milk, dry vermouth
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups rye bread crumbs
Oil for deep frying
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes.
2. Transfer onion to a food processor and add corned beef, mustard, sauerkraut, dill and 2 slices rye bread in pieces. Mix until smooth. Transfer mixture to skillet and add milk and vermouth. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until thickened, 5 minutes. Reduce to low heat, add cheese and cook until melted. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled.
3. Combine eggs and water in a small bowl. Put flour on one plate and breadcrumbs on another. Shape meat mixture into 1-inch sausages. Coat with flour then egg/water mixture and lastly the crumbs. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and refrigerate until firm.
4. To deep fry, heat several inches oil to 350 degrees in a deep saucepan. Add sausage, in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Cook each batch until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. They can be held at room temperature for several hours or frozen. To reheat, heat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange on a foil lined jelly roll pan and bake until hot, 15 minutes.
CHEDDAR-SHERRY SPREAD
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
In her book ”Party Food,” Barbara Kafka notes that this is much like the cheese spreads that come in crocks, only with more oomph. It can be spread on bread or vegetables, served plain or topped with jalapeno slices, olives or roasted red peppers. Consider doubling the recipe because it stores well and is apt to come in handy over the holidays.
8 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, cut in cubes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Large pinch cayenne pepper
Chopped fresh chives and parsley, if desired
1. Combine cheese, butter, sherry, mustard and peppers in a food processor; mix until smooth. At this point cheese can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
2. Serve in a crock or shape into a log and roll in the chopped herbs.
