Peter Callahan's Party Food Read online

  Caramel Sauce

  Makes about 1¾ cups

  2½ cups sugar

  1½ cups heavy cream

  2½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  1½ ounces dark rum, bourbon, or amaretto (optional)

  Combine the sugar with ¼ cup water in a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Boil until the sugar caramelizes and turns a dark golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully, as the caramel can burn very quickly.

  Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream slowly and carefully. Whisk to blend. Add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted and fully combined. Stir in the alcohol, if using.

  Store any extra sauce in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 months. Use it as a topping for ice cream or apple pie.

  HAMANTASCHEN

  The most traditional fillings for these cookies are poppy seed or prune butter, but feel free to use your favorite jam or preserves. Note that the dough needs to chill overnight.

  Makes 30

  ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter

  ½ cup sugar

  ¼ cup honey

  ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  2 large eggs

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  3 cups pastry flour

  1 cup bread flour

  ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  Nonstick cooking spray

  All-purpose flour, for rolling the dough

  2 cups apricot jam, raspberry jam, or Nutella

  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale in color. Add the honey and salt and mix until just combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

  In a large bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda, pastry flour, and bread flour. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Stir in the vanilla, cover the bowl, and chill the dough in the fridge overnight.

  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and grease with cooking spray.

  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough ⅛ inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Place 1 tablespoon of the desired filling in the center of each circle. Gently fold one edge of the circle up and press it against but not over the filling. Repeat with the other two sides to form a triangle, pinching the seams together. Some of the filling should remain exposed.

  When you have formed all the hamentaschen, cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Bake the hamentaschen until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

  HAMANTASCHEN CHANDELIER

  Hamantaschen are filled cookies traditionally baked during the feast of Purim, which celebrates the victory of the Jews over the evil Persian overlord, Haman. These delicious cookies are a springtime favorite. Hung on an acrylic chandelier, they look like small pieces of stained glass, ready to grab and go. You could use a mobile to hang the cookies from.

  CHOUX TABLE The choux table was a great idea that came from our clients Peter and Alex, who spend a lot of time in Europe. They told us about a place in Paris that has all the choux puffs ready and guns filled with different flavors of pastry cream, and they fill the choux to order.

  So we set tiny metal rods the size of lollipop sticks into a board and skewered the choux puffs onto the rods. Then we had holes drilled to hold the guns. When a guest comes up to the table, the server asks, “What kind of filling would you like—hazelnut or pistachio?” And the server fills the puff to order. People are drawn to the interactivity.

  EGG MAN

  My inspiration for this concept was the well-known restaurateur and hotelier André Balazs, who has what he calls “egg girls” offering fresh eggs from a basket at tableside at the Standard Hotel. The diners can choose their eggs and then have them cooked to order. Our server carries hard-boiled eggs in a beautiful rustic basket (fitted with salt and pepper, too) to guests at breakfast. Sometimes we do this with warm, soft-boiled eggs.

  GRILLED NECTARINES WITH LEMON-BASIL SORBET

  This dessert bursts with summer flavor. Choose just-ripe nectarines and grill the wedges just long enough to mark them. The lemon-basil sorbet adds a not-too-sweet note and the pink grapefruit sauce ties all the flavors together. Many of our clients like a fruit dessert, which we always pair with small chocolates served family style. Every dessert course must have some chocolate!

  Serves 4 to 6

  For the Lemon-Basil Sorbet:

  2 bunches of basil

  2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1½ cups sugar

  For the Pink Grapefruit Sauce:

  1 tablespoon cornstarch

  2 cups pink grapefruit juice

  ½ cup sugar

  ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped

  4 or 5 ripe but firm nectarines, cut into uniform wedges

  SORBET

  Strip the basil leaves from the stems. Discard the stems and reserve a few very small leaves or any flowering tops for garnish. Crush the leaves with your hands.

  In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil with the lemon juice until the basil is broken up into little flecks.

  In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and a syrup is formed. Let the sugar syrup cool completely, then add to the lemon and basil mixture in the blender. Pulse just long enough to combine.

  Taste and add more sugar if desired. Pour the sorbet into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a metal pan, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer until ready to serve.

  GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE

  In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to form a paste. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the pink grapefruit juice, sugar, and vanilla bean to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch paste. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook until the mixture thickens. Discard the vanilla bean and transfer the sauce to a bowl to cool.

  NECTARINES

  Heat a grill or a grill pan to high. Place the nectarines on the grates and grill quickly—for only a few seconds—on both sides, just to achieve grill marks on the fruit. (The wedges can easily overcook and become too soft to eat.)

  ASSEMBLE

  Drizzle a spoonful of the grapefruit sauce on the plate, followed by 5 nectarine wedges. Add a scoop or quenelle of the lemon-basil sorbet and garnish with small basil leaves and/or basil flowers.

  STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

  This is my take on a classic dessert that takes advantage of the very short season when local strawberries are in the market. My version gets a lift from the use of lemon cake, which adds a nice, citrusy tang to offset the sweetness of the strawberries. We like the simplicity of this dish and, while it’s easy to make, it yields big accolades when served.

  Serves 6

  For the Strawberries:

  1 pint strawberries

  3 tablespoons sugar

  Grated zest of ½ lemon

  ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped

  2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

  For the Lemon Cake:

  8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pans

  1 cup sugar

  2 large eggs

  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

  ½ teaspoon baking powder

  ½ teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon coarse salt

  ½ cup sour cream

  2 tablespoons milk

  Grated zest of 1 lemon

  For the Whipped Cream:

  2 cups heavy cream

  1 t
easpoon pure vanilla extract

  3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

  Wild strawberries, left whole for garnish

  STRAWBERRIES

  Clean and quarter the strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, lemon zest, vanilla bean, and Grand Marnier and gently stir to combine. Set aside to macerate at room temperature for 1 hour.

  CAKE

  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease three small (5¾ × 3-inch) loaf pans.

  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light in color. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and add all at once to the creamed mixture. Add the sour cream, milk, and lemon zest and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared loaf pans, filling each about halfway, and bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  WHIPPED CREAM

  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk to medium peaks.

  SERVE

  Slice the cakes into twelve ½-inch slices (you will have extra slices; save them for another use). Place 2 slices on each plate, slightly staggered. Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream onto one side of the cake slices and top with the macerated strawberries and a garnish of small wild strawberries.

  FRUIT TREES I like hanging fruit from trees for guests to pick. We’ve created many variations on the theme—we’ve used live trees, wooden trees, and acrylic trees. Sometimes the trees are in the active area of an event and sometimes we position them close to the door, so that when people leave they can take home a piece of caramel fruit. In that case, we have little bags handy. We have also set the full-size trees on buffets and used them for hanging cookies. It’s a very dramatic display.

  The apples and pears are given a more substantial stem and leaf, and then dipped in caramel. The coatings are shaved coconut, pistachio, bacon, and candied ginger.

  FRUIT TOWERS

  Our clients often request fruit on a buffet. Croque-N-bouche towers as well as the Moroccan markets with their pyramids of spices are the inspiration for this fruit look. You can pick the melon balls right off the tower. A mix of unusual vessels hold honey and other sauces—the effect is exotic and glamorous.

  STRAWBERRY BUFFET

  The strawberry buffet was originally designed for a wedding that would take place in a rustic setting on a horse farm. The idea was that everything on the table would include strawberries, and down the middle of the table would be strawberry plants with strawberries on the stems. My mom always had strawberry pots and strawberry plants in the garden.

  Anyone who gets through winter dreaming of those first ripe berries knows the season for local strawberries—the sweetest and best kind—is excruciatingly short. I found out after I had promised this display that we had missed the local season by about a month. We called all over the country and despite the promise that price was no object, I was told, “You can’t bribe Mother Nature.” So we grew them ourselves, forcing them so they would bear fruit in time for the event. We had strawberry plants all over the office, and people came in on the weekends to water them. We had to transport them carefully so that the fruit wouldn’t fall from the stems. Now, when we do this display outside of the local strawberry season, we wire individual berries onto the plants to make a lush and fruit-filled display.

  The strawberry shortcake is a miniature version of the dessert on this page, and the recipe for the mini strawberry-rhubarb pies can be found in my first book, Bite by Bite. Mini strawberry milkshakes and fresh strawberries complete the service.

  FAMILY STYLE

  Entertaining Family

  and Friends

  I love to serve food family style, with large platters of food placed on the table to be passed and shared by all. This type of service is very popular even at large seated dinners because guests become more engaged with the food—and one another. You pass the platter to the person seated at your left, perhaps holding the dish while they serve themselves. Maybe you serve the food to them. Suddenly you’re connected and having conversation over food.

  At home, a family-style dinner is an antidote to our grab-and-go lifestyle—a more intimate way to engage family and friends over a meal. It’s a casual way to entertain, but it’s also beautiful because the food is the focus of the table. Family-style meals aren’t the time to pull out the good china, unless you want to. Choose vintage serving bowls, casual dinnerware—maybe even colanders. Don’t worry about elaborate centerpieces; they only hinder the conversation. If there’s room on the table, you may choose to add a simple, inexpensive flower arrangement, but you don’t really need it because the food alone is so lovely.

  I’ve designed these menus to serve six people, but they may easily be adapted for a larger crowd. These are complete menus, but you don’t have to make every dish—and you may want to mix and match from one menu to another, or add in your own family’s favorites. That’s the beauty of family-style dining—there are no rules.

  BREAKFAST AT HOME

  Breakfast is one of my favorite meals for entertaining. On Nantucket, where we spend many weekends, we often have people over for breakfast. In the summer, everyone’s schedules are super busy: evenings are often booked with parties and events, and weekends get consumed by the myriad demands on people’s time. Having people over for breakfast starts the day off with something social but quick, about an hour spent around the table with friends or just family and houseguests.

  Broil the grapefruits first and spoon up the berries, then make the waffles and toasts. Mash your avocado close to serving, as it will turn brown if it sits. Make the eggs last, so they won’t be overcooked.

  Serves 6

  On the menu:

  Avocado Toast (this page)

  Soft-Boiled Eggs with Toast Soldiers (this page)

  Cinnamon Raisin Waffles (this page)

  Broiled grapefruit halves

  Fresh mixed berries in season

  Hot and iced coffee

  Grapefruit juice

  AVOCADO TOAST

  You want avocados that are tender but not quite as soft as those you might use for guacamole. The ripeness of the avocados is important to this dish!

  6 slices hearty whole-grain bread

  ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  3 just-ripe avocados

  Juice of 1 lemon

  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Toast the bread in a toaster or a 350°F oven until light brown and crunchy, about 5 minutes. Brush each slice with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.

  With a sharp paring knife, cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice. With a large wooden spoon, lightly mash the avocados, keeping the mixture chunky.

  Mound some of the chunky avocado mixture onto each slice of toast, using a spoon or small spatula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with more olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice.

  Serve the avocado toast immediately, family style, with various garnishes (see following sidebar) in bowls on the table.

  Some of Our Favorite Garnishes for Avocado Toast

  A good avocado is delicious on its own, but it also pairs well with many flavors. Consider color, texture, and flavor when choosing accompaniments.

  Maldon sea salt

  Crumbled bacon

  Quartered heirloom cherry tomatoes, preferably in different colors

  Crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco

  Grilled corn kernels tossed with minced Serrano peppers and lime juice

  Thinly sliced or julienned radishes

  Julienne of kale or escarole

  Chopped scallions and capers

  Toasted pine nuts and
chopped sun-dried tomatoes

  Toasted pistachios and pistachio oil for drizzling

  Toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil for drizzling

  Chopped fresh herbs like mint, parsley, cilantro, dill, and marjoram

  Freshly ground coriander and cumin seeds

  SOFT-BOILED EGGS WITH TOAST SOLDIERS

  Egg cups are essential here so that you can easily dip your toast soldiers into the yolk.

  6 large eggs

  4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

  ½ loaf brioche bread, thickly sliced and cut into ½-inch sticks

  ½ loaf pumpernickel bread, thickly sliced and cut into ½-inch sticks

  Place the eggs in a medium saucepan with 1 quart water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and cook the eggs for 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer them immediately to egg cups and crack open the tops.

  While the eggs are cooking, melt half the butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the bread to the skillet and toast on each side until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Melt the remaining butter and repeat with the remaining bread.

  CINNAMON RAISIN WAFFLES

  We’ve reproduced the flavor of everyone’s favorite breakfast bread in the form of a waffle. Dusted with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, there’s no need for syrup.

  Makes 6 to 8

  2 large eggs

  1¾ cups buttermilk

  8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  2 cups pastry flour