Peter Callahan's Party Food Read online

  Slice into chops and serve with seasonal vegetables and the salsa verde on the side.

  WILD MUSHROOM BUFFET

  I am enamored with all things mushrooms: how they grow from the forest floor, their earthy flavors, and their exotic shapes. This display is inspired by how mushrooms grow in the woods—often on a fallen log. Instead of a table, we use a log to hold the food. All manner of edible wild mushrooms are set on the log as decor, while wooden dishes hold an array of mushroom hors d’oeuvres. It’s all things mushrooms and beautifully rustic.

  MAGRET DUCK BREAST

  Duck is one of those foods that either you love or you don’t. We would never serve duck as the single entrée for a dinner unless it’s a multicourse meal; then if you’re not a duck person you have other courses to make you happy. But this is a very delicious dish.

  Since duck is a rich meat, we serve very simple vegetables on the side—pencil-thin white and green asparagus roasted with olive oil and sea salt, and baby squash cooked the same way. (Don’t cook the squash with the flowers intact; remove them before cooking and use them to garnish the plate.) Flowering sprigs of thyme top the duck.

  Magret duck breast is from the Moulard breed of ducks, a cross between the White Pekin and the Muscovy duck. It has a large, plump breast with deeper, richer, almost beefier flavor than the White Pekin that is most common here in the States.

  Serves 4

  1 whole Magret duck breast (about 2 pounds)

  Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Cut the breast into the two lobes and pat dry. With a very sharp knife, score the skin diagonally. Cut all the way through the skin, but take care not to cut into the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper.

  Place the breasts skin side down in a cold, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof 10- or 12-inch sauté pan. Set over medium heat and cook until the skin is crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook for 1 minute more.

  Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes for rare. If you prefer your duck medium-rare or medium, continue roasting for 5 to 10 minutes more, but take care not to overcook.

  Let the duck rest for 10 minutes before slicing on the bias.

  RIB EYE STEAKS WITH GRILLED SPRING ONIONS

  We prepare this hearty serving of meat simply, with chive butter and grilled spring onions on the side. We fabricated the cutting-board place mats with a small wooden block to hold the steak knife, and added mini bottles of steak sauce to complete the setting. The key to cooking these steaks well is to start with a really hot grill. We prefer to serve a rib eye medium rare.

  Note that the steaks need to marinate overnight.

  Serves 4

  3 cups extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for marinating

  2 bunches of fresh thyme

  8 shallots, minced

  1 head of garlic, minced

  4 whole boneless rib-eye steaks, about 2 inches thick (1 pound each)

  3 bunches of spring onions, halved

  Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

  4 tablespoons Chive Butter (this page)

  In a 4-quart container, mix the oil, thyme, shallots and garlic. Submerge the steaks in the oil and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. (The more it marinates, the more tender the meat.)

  Toss the spring onions with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.

  Bring the meat up to room temperature 1 hour before cooking. When ready to cook, remove the beef from the pan and wipe off the excess oil, garlic, and shallots. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

  Heat a grill or grill pan to high and grill the steaks to the desired doneness. For a medium-rare steak, grill the rib eye 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Grill the spring onions very quickly, turning once, just until they are grill marked and soft.

  Let the meat rest for 10 minutes. Just before serving (but while the steaks are still hot), spoon 1 tablespoon of chive butter on top of each steak. Serve the grilled onions on the side.

  Chive Butter

  Makes about ½ pound

  ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  1 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

  Grated zest of 1 lemon

  Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

  In a small bowl, combine the butter, chives, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.

  TAGINE SPICED CHICKEN BREAST

  When serving chicken, it’s important that it doesn’t dry out. So one thing that makes this dish successful is the great broth; the other is the spices—paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, crushed red pepper, and cardamom—that add a very distinctive flavoring. The dish is served in a shallow bowl; you pour the broth in first, then add the vegetables, and place the chicken on top.

  Years ago, I learned an important point about chicken. My mother always told me that fat is your enemy, so when I ate chicken at home, it never had any skin on it. However, when you’re preparing chicken for special-event dinners that need to be delicious, you must have the skin—but it needs to get really, really crispy. So the trick to making any chicken dish delicious is to sear it in as hot a pan as possible to make the skin as crispy as you can get it.

  Note that the chicken needs to marinate overnight.

  Serves 4

  1 2-ounce jar tagine spice

  4 or 5 garlic cloves, peeled

  Extra-virgin olive oil to make a paste, plus 1 tablespoon for the pan

  4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts

  Preserved lemon slices, for garnish

  Couscous with Chickpeas, Olives, and Pomegranate (this page)

  Combine the tagine spice and garlic in a food processor. With the motor running, add the oil in small increments until you have a spreadable paste.

  Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and place in a baking pan. Smear the tagine-garlic paste over both sides. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

  Bring the chicken up to room temperature at least 30 minutes before cooking. When ready to cook, wipe the chicken clean of all the paste.

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, ovenproof sauté pan over high heat until almost smoking. Carefully add the chicken, skin side down. Cook until the skin is crispy, then flip and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

  To serve, spoon some of the pan juices into the bottom of a bowl, add a mound of couscous, and place the chicken on top. Garnish with a slice of preserved lemon.

  Couscous with Chickpeas, Olives, and Pomegranate

  Serves 4

  2 cups Israeli couscous (also called pearl couscous)

  ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  3 tablespoons coarse salt, plus more to season

  ½ cup pitted, halved Castelvetrano olives, or other large green olives

  1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if canned)

  ¼ cup pomegranate seeds

  Freshly ground black pepper

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  On a half-sheet pan, toss the couscous with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and spread in an even layer. Roast until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

  Fill a medium pot with 1 quart water, add the 3 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.

  Add the olives, chickpeas, and pomegranate seeds and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  ADDING COLOR AND TEXTURE TO THE PLATE

  When you envision plating a dish, keep an eye out for color. In fall or winter you may be thinking everything brown is okay, but it’s nice to add color to the plate. We like to do this with the vegetables, the sauce for the entrée, and the garnish. We also like to have different t
extures on the plate. It’s one reason we top the branzino with toasted panko (see this page). It adds a nice crunch and a golden brown color to contrast the whiteness of the fish. Watermelon radish is popular in an entrée side dish because it adds both crunch and beautiful color.

  White plates make food look the most beautiful. You have a blank slate, and the ingredients themselves add the color. On a very ornate plate, the food can get lost. Sometimes clients have a specific plate in mind, especially for smaller parties in their home where they want to use their own china. So we think about what the color of the plate is and what looks good on it, if we have the option.

  As a change of pace, we sometimes use slate gray plates, which make the colors of the food pop. We also like to serve our food on wooden boards, which we cut ourselves. It makes for an unusual presentation.

  CORN CAKES

  We serve delicious, light corn cakes (bottom left on this page) with a sour cream and chive sauce on the side.

  Makes about fifty 2- to 3-inch cakes

  ½ cup cornmeal

  ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

  1¼ teaspoons coarse salt

  3 large eggs

  3 large egg yolks

  ⅓ cup Drawn Butter (this page), plus more for the griddle

  1½ cups roughly chopped fresh corn (can do in a food processor)

  ½ bunch of fresh chives, chopped (about ½ cup)

  Sour Cream and Chive Sauce (this page)

  In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolks. Add the butter to the eggs and whisk to combine.

  Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the corn and chives.

  Heat an electric griddle to 350°F (or a stovetop griddle to medium), and brush the surface with butter.

  Drop the batter onto the griddle by spoonfuls, about 1½ inches apart. Let cook until bubbles begin to form on the top and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 1 minute. Transfer the cooked cakes to a platter.

  Bring the griddle back up to temperature, brush the surface with butter, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with the sour cream and chive sauce on the side.

  Sour Cream and Chive Sauce

  Makes 1½ cups

  ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  1⅓ cups chopped fresh chives

  ¾ cup sour cream

  Combine the oil and chives in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Place the sour cream in a medium bowl and fold in the chive mixture. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

  CORN ON THE COB STATION A buffet of everything corn is a great way to celebrate summer. We have freshly grilled corn with herbed olive oils and salts (Maldon and pink and black Himalayan) for garnish, corn cakes and spicy corn soup shooters (you’ll find the recipe for the soup in my first book, Bite by Bite), and shaved corn dressed with fresh herbs for those who don’t want to eat it off the cob. Having some whole corn jammed into the slats of the table brings the theme of corn to life.

  Carts have become a big part of the entertainment at events and we often do a roaming cart where the waiter shaves corn tableside. It’s a new take on the old Caesar salad service. People like to see the corn cut right in front of them—it’s a show and it emphasizes that the corn is fresh.

  CINNAMON-SUGAR PRETZELS

  Pretzels are the perfect item to display on a dessert wall (this page). With savory, pictured, we love to pair our favorite beers; with sweet, as in this recipe, try Prosecco.

  Makes 20

  1 tablespoon active dry yeast

  2 tablespoons light brown sugar

  1 cup warm (110°F) water

  6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the bowl

  3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

  2 teaspoons coarse salt

  1 cup granulated sugar

  3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

  ¼ cup baking soda

  1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

  In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water. Set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, the flour, and salt and mix to incorporate. Turn out on a lightly floured work surface and knead until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turn it to butter all sides, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

  Punch down the dough and portion into 1-ounce balls (you should have about 20). Roll the balls into ropes and then twist into pretzel shapes, placing them on a tray as you go. Cover the pretzels with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until puffy, about 20 minutes.

  Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a wide shallow dish and set aside.

  In a large pot over medium heat, bring 6 cups water and the baking soda to a simmer. Working in batches, carefully drop the pretzels in the water and simmer for 15 to 30 seconds, or until they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly on both sides with the egg wash.

  Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just beginning to color. Brush quickly with the remaining melted butter and return to the oven to bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Brush once more with butter after baking. Toss in the cinnamon-sugar while still warm.

  DESSERT WALLS

  Food displays that fill vertical space make for an attractive and user-friendly design. The doughnut wall I dreamed up is a great example. You can create a simple pegboard using plywood and hooks. It works with doughnuts, bagels, soft pretzels, Bundt cakes, and more.

  A couple who are regular clients moved from New York City to Brentwood, California, and were having a party for all of their new West Coast friends. As guests left the party, they passed the wall, hung with bagels that we had flown in from H & H Bagels in Manhattan. Everyone could take home an authentic New York bagel.

  We introduced this wall to New York (and the world) on the Today show at Savannah Guthrie’s baby shower, where we used doughnuts and cinnamon-sugar-coated soft pretzels. It also made an appearance at a U.S. State Department event for the American Chef Corps (see this page), which brings together chefs from all over the country.

  We can set up the display in two different ways—as part of a dessert buffet (or as a dessert buffet on its own) or by the front door or just outside the entry as a take-home treat. In either case, we have custom bags with printed stickers available to hold the doughnut or pretzel, since this is not a one-bite item and guests may want to take it home.

  I filed and got a U.S. Design Patent on this as I was the first known person to create this idea.

  INDIVIDUAL APPLE TARTE TATINS

  Many of our seated dinners feature very classic menus, and this is one of our favorite desserts to finish such a meal. It’s very simple to make (especially if you use store-bought puff pastry), and yet people always love it. We take a thin slice from the center of each apple and dry it in the oven to make the garnish. A honeycomb serves as the base for a mini scoop of cinnamon ice cream. We make our own, but it’s easy enough to add cinnamon to your favorite brand of store-bought vanilla. Store-bought caramel sauce is a good shortcut for this recipe, too.

  Serves 6

  All-purpose flour, for dusting

  1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed if frozen

  Nonstick cooking spray

  6 cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Cortland

  6 tablespoons unsalted butter

  1½ cups (packed) light brown sugar

  1 tablespoon cinnamon

  ¾ cup Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

  Dried apple slices, for garnish (optional; see Note)

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Dust a work surface with flour and unfold the sheet of puff pastry. With a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut 6 circles from the dough and
lay them out on a baking sheet. Prick them all over with a fork, place another baking sheet on top, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

  Line six 4- or 4½-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms with aluminum foil and spray liberally with nonstick spray.

  Peel and core the apples (see Note). Slice 3 of the apples into very thin crescents. Fan the slices to cover the bottom of the tart pans.

  Cut the remaining apples into small dice and place in a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, along with the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. Let the apples cool slightly, then divide the mixture evenly among the tart pans. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce over the apples in each pan and bake until bubbling and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

  When ready to serve, place a dessert plate on top of each tart. Flip the tart over onto the plate and remove the tart pan and foil. Use the remaining caramel sauce to squeeze over the apples and decorate the plate. Garnish with the dried apple slices, if using.

  NOTE

  If you wish to top the tarte tatins with a dried apple slice, cut a thin slice from the center, including the stem, from each of the apples before peeling and coring. Place the apple slices in a bowl of water with the juice of half a lemon and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Dry the apple slices well and lay them in a single layer on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, turn, and bake for 1 hour more. Turn off the oven, crack open the door, and let the apples cool in the oven.