A la Carte | Fresh Dish Fall-Winter 2008

Seasons Greetings,

The nip is in the air and the skies are vibrant. It’s a great time to reconnect with friends and family after summer vacations, back-to-school, and our daily commutes. Parties in any size are a wonderful way to catch up, celebrate, pamper yourself, and/or generate income for a worthy cause. This issue has some great ideas that work for at-home, at your favorite venue or even for a destination event.

In addition to some sumptuous recipes you can prepare yourself, we are offering the big ta-da meal of the year – Thanksgiving dinner!
Read on, we hope to be able to help you reconnect this season.

All the best,
Karen Baker, Proprietor

Give thanks to Àla Carte
Really relax and pamper 8 to 800 of your closest friends and family this year.
A la Carte is cooking your Thanksgiving dinner, right down to the homemade apple pie.

Orders should be in by Friday, November 21st.
Your meal will be delivered to you on Wednesday, November 26.
Your meal comes complete with step-by-step instructions.
Email karen@alacartecaters.com or simply call 703-754-2714 x301.

Click image to the left for the complete menu and choices.
You will need Adobe Acrobat

Shots of Comfort
Glam up some soup. Shots of this ultimate comfort food can be done with elegance, flair and warm the tummy too. Great choices for Fall and Winter are: golden chestnut, butternut squash, and porcini mushroom. Surprise your guests by passing the soup on trays as an amuse-bouche. Serve in shot glasses, demitasse cups or martini stems. Dress with ginger infused carrot curls, crème fraiche or savory biscotti.

Bartending tips from the Abode Restaurant and Lounge in Santa Monica include:

Use no more than three or four ingredients per drink — easier for
the bartenders and better for flavor.

Put drinks in small glasses, or include less alcohol to keep it from
flowing too freely.

Make drinks in batches beforehand.At a meal, serve drinks in a pitcher,
family-style, at tables.

Forgo offering drinks with labor-
intensive muddling to prevent lines
of guests as bartenders futz with complicated cocktails.

Wireless lighting makes creating a magical environment easier than ever. There are many new options in battery operated LEDs and mini lights.

These lights can go underwater, in a balloon, the colors can change, twinkle, blink, or simply shine on. LED tea lights keep dining safer when food is being passed family style.

Your options expand since you can light displays that are not near an outlet. Adorn the center of a table; add glow to a ceiling, or some sparkle to a mantle.

Backlight organza swags over a window or door, add brilliance to a centerpiece, fill glass hurricanes with ornaments and light, or fill a beautiful glass vase with water, your favorite flowers and dunk a light amongst clear pebbles.

Let your imagination take light!

Having family, friends or co-workers over, or all three throughout the holidays?

The seasoned host has a few tips to keep organized and inform guests.

Hopefully you have the menu planned in advance, so make sure have your serving dishes planned in advance too. Set out your serveware and label each one with the food it will hold. Rest the utensils needed on top.

If pressed for time, volunteer kitchen help need not rummage through your cabinets for the gravy boat.

When setting up a buffet, it is nice to add placecards describing the food and highlight ingredients. Your guests will appreciate the gesture, especially if they have food allergies or abstain from certain foods.

BISTRO BITES with Kyle
3 amazing recipes from the
À la Carte kitchen.

  White Chocolate Cappucino Bread Pudding - decadent
  Pumpkin Mushroom Soup - like no other
  Duck Confit with Red Onion Jam - elegant & impressive

Pear Down.

Which sounds best – “They served a wonderfully moist loin of pork stuffed with dried fruits and herbs and perfectly poached pears in Sauterne with ginger vanilla cream.” OR “They had so much food, I was stuffed” — I’d guess the pork and pears.

It is hard to stand out in a crowd. You wouldn’t think to mix an array of decorations to please everyone. So, instead of loading the buffet with everything under the sun, choose fewer stand-out dishes. Pick great complements and contrasts like a warm succulent duck breast over baby greens with clementines and pomegranates or comforting cheese grits with jumbo shrimp and tasso ham then finish with something savory and sweet — the perfect Stilton cheese spread on tart apples and served with a fine aged Port aside a silver tray of the finest chocolate. Select fabulous pairings and leave your guests sated and satisfied, not sleepy and stuffed. Less is more than ever.

Lounge Around

For your next event at your favorite venue add comfy loveseats and oversized chairs. Your female guests with “taxi shoes” will appreciate it. New acquaintances will welcome the casual environment to take the edge off. When paired with occasional tables, they offer the perfect lounge, with a relax and stay awhile atmosphere.

Freshen Up
When entertaining at home, do not forget the powder room. Make sure there is fresh soap and individual paper hand towels. Even fancy dinner napkins found at your grocer, when placed in an adorable basket or elegant tray will do the trick.

Put away personal items such as toothbrushes, and your face cream. And, so your guests don’t have to make that urgent “pardon me” request, have extra toilet tissue individually wrapped and visible, but never center stage.

Click the olive branch to read past newsletters full of tips and recipes.