Peter Callahan's Party Food Read online

  Makes 12

  For the Ravigote:

  1 shallot, minced

  1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar

  1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

  1 cup sour cream

  1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  1½ teaspoons finely chopped, drained capers

  1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives

  Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

  For the Garnish:

  ½ medium cucumber

  For the Scallops:

  12 fresh bay scallops

  1 tablespoon grapeseed or other mild vegetable oil

  Coarse salt

  12 whole sea scallop shells, glued two-thirds open at the hinge, for serving (this page)

  SAUCE

  In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the shallot, vinegar, and the 1 tablespoon tarragon until the shallot is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Add the sour cream, parsley, capers, and chives and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. You will have 1 cup of sauce; set aside or cover and refrigerate up to one day ahead until ready to use.

  GARNISH

  Peel the cucumber, keeping a small amount of the flesh with the skin. Finely chop the cucumber peels into precise 1/16-inch squares (see Notes). Set aside. Reserve the peeled cucumber for another use.

  SCALLOPS

  If necessary, trim the scallops to 1¼-inches wide with a cookie cutter. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Lightly salt the scallops and sear on one side until deep golden brown, about 1 minute. Place the scallops, seared side up, on a baking sheet. You can wrap the scallops in plastic and refrigerate them for up to 8 hours before continuing.

  When ready to finish the dish, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Warm the scallops for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the dish.

  ASSEMBLE

  Set the 12 scallop shells on a serving platter. Place a warm scallop in the base of the open shell, top with a small dot of sauce ravigote, and garnish with the cucumber. Serve immediately.

  NOTES

  If you can’t find bay scallops still in the shell at your local fishmonger, you can get the shells online. We use Noble Pectin scallop shells that are 2 to 2½ inches wide.

  We used molecular cucumber pearls, but for the home chef, diced cucumber is a good substitute. The easiest way to achieve a small, uniform cut is to stack a few strips of peel and trim them to uniform rectangles. Slice each piece into 1/16-inch-wide sticks; then chop the sticks into 1/16-inch squares.

  We glue our scallop shells to the serving platter for stability, but you can achieve the same effect at home with these simple ideas:

  •Instead of using glue, place a dab of whipped cream cheese on the platter for each shell and set the shell on top.

  •Arrange some steamed bitter greens, like Swiss chard or broccoli rabe, on a platter. It will look like seaweed and hold the shells in place.

  WASABI MACARONS WITH SMOKED SALMON

  Macarons have always been beloved in New York City, but when the famous Paris bakery Ladurée opened a shop on Madison Avenue, people went crazy for them. I like to take a popular food like this and serve it with a twist. I wanted to do a savory macaron, but we were having a bit of trouble making it work: very few savory flavors pair well with the sugar required in the macaron dough. When our pastry chef added wasabi powder, I knew we had a hit. The wasabi lends a nice color and flavor to the macaron, and it pairs beautifully with the salmon. And people love it because it’s a favorite food seen in a new way.

  Makes 25

  For the Macarons:

  1¼ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

  ½ cup almond flour

  Pinch of coarse salt

  1 tablespoon wasabi powder

  ¼ cup egg whites (about 2 large)

  2¼ teaspoons granulated sugar

  1 drop green liquid food coloring

  ½ cup finely chopped smoked salmon

  25 small dill sprigs

  MACARONS

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat sheet.

  Sift the confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, salt, and wasabi powder into a medium bowl.

  With a hand mixer or egg beater, whip the egg whites and granulated sugar to stiff peaks. Add the food coloring, mixing just to combine. Fold the whipped whites into the dry ingredients and transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a #804 (⅜-inch) round tip.

  Pipe 50 flat 1-inch circles onto the prepared baking sheet. With a damp fingertip, carefully flatten the tops. Holding the baking sheet about 2 inches above the counter, gently drop it onto the counter once or twice to remove any large air pockets. Let sit at room temperature until the surface is dry to the touch. This will take anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity.

  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Bake the macarons for 12 to 15 minutes, until firm and very lightly colored. Let cool completely, about 10 minutes, and then gently remove from the parchment and set aside.

  ASSEMBLE

  To assemble the macarons, set 25 of the macaron rounds on a work surface, flat side up. Divide the salmon evenly among them, making sure the surface of the macaron is covered. Sandwich with the remaining macaron halves.

  Attach a small dill sprig to one side of each sandwich by touching the back of the sprig very lightly with water before laying it on top.

  LOBSTER CONES

  One of my original hors d’oeuvre ideas was the mini lobster roll, and since it’s now become a staple at parties everywhere, I began looking for a new way to serve it. This is a toasted bread cone with a little round scoop of lobster inside. It’s delicious, and I particularly like that it’s less bready than the roll.

  Makes 12

  For the Bread Cones:

  6 slices very thinly sliced, densely textured white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread (see Note)

  12 or 24 large (#801) cake-decorating tips

  For the Lobster Salad:

  2 ounces cooked lobster meat, diced

  1 teaspoon mayonnaise

  Coarse salt

  Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

  Fresh parsley microgreens, for garnishing the outside of the cones (optional)

  Honey (optional)

  BREAD CONES

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Trim the crusts from the bread. With a rolling pin or your hands, press each slice of bread flat so that it becomes dense and doughy. Cut each slice in half diagonally into 2 triangles.

  Roll each bread triangle around a decorating tip with the narrow end of the tip placed at the point at the triangle. Press to seal the overlapping edges and insert the bread-wrapped tip inside another tip to hold it in place. (If you are using 12 tips, work in two batches.)

  Lay the cones on a baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cones are light golden brown. Let cool and then gently slide the cones off the cake-decorating tips. (The bread cones can be made a day ahead to this point. Store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.)

  LOBSTER SALAD

  In a small bowl, toss together the lobster, mayonnaise, and salt. Do not overwork the salad; mix just to combine. (The lobster salad can be made up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated until serving.)

  SERVE

  Carefully spoon a small amount of the lobster salad into each bread cone. Garnish the salad with chopped chives and, if you like, sprinkle the cones with parsley. (First brush the cones with dots of honey to hold the parsley in place.)

  NOTE

  We make all of our breads in-house, but Pepperidge Farm Very Thin White Bread will work well here. It has a fine, dense, even texture and is very thin yet sturdy enough to be rolled flat and manipulated. If you can’t find it at your local grocery, you can order it online.

  MINI “LOBSTER” BAKE

  Having spent all my summers on the
water, I find the clambake one of the most all-American staples of summer. This mini version is a substantial hors d’oeuvre that could also serve as a first course. A small metal sand pail holds one whole cooked crayfish and two cooked, shelled crayfish tails, a salt-baked baby potato, and fresh baby corn. For easier eating, throw in a wooden fork. Check with your local fishmonger for cooked whole crayfish and tails; you can also order both online (see Sources, this page). Fresh baby corn is appearing more frequently at farmer’s markets, but if you can’t get it locally, just use the canned variety.

  Serves 8

  2 cups coarse salt

  8 peewee or marble potatoes

  8 ears baby corn

  2 cups clam broth

  8 cooked whole large crayfish

  16 cooked crayfish tails, shells removed

  1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

  16 lemon wedges, for serving

  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  Spread out the salt to fill a half-sheet pan. Set the potatoes about 1 inch apart on the salt bed, pushing them down a bit into the salt. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes.

  If using fresh baby corn, place the ears in a steamer over boiling water and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Lay the baby corn across a heated grill pan just long enough to color with grill marks, 3 to 5 minutes.

  In a large pot over medium-low heat, heat the clam broth (do not bring to a boil). Add the whole crayfish and the tails and heat just until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking broth and drain the crayfish.

  To serve, line the bottoms of the pails with parsley sprigs and arrange 1 whole crayfish, 2 tails, 1 potato, 1 baby corn, and 2 lemon wedges in each pail. Drizzle with the reserved hot broth.

  MINI CHARCUTERIE BOARD

  Charcuterie has become very popular—it seems that everyone loves a good selection of preserved meats. We often do a large charcuterie station at events, but this is another example of taking one of our favorite foods and making it mini.

  A lot of the fun in this hors d’oeuvre is how the execution plays on the name—it’s whimsical and a bit tongue in cheek. If the server says, “I have prosciutto and Fontina cheese,” the response is “Okay, great.” But if the server says, “I have a charcuterie board,” people look a little closer and then they get the joke.

  The toast base is cut into the shape of a classic handled cutting board. We used our 3D printer (see this page for more on this) to create the custom cutter, but you can easily cut the bread into a square or rectangle to similar effect. The shaped bread is toasted and topped—it’s a whole charcuterie board in one bite.

  Makes 1 dozen

  6 slices very thinly sliced, densely textured wheat bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Very Thin Wheat Bread (see this page)

  12 ½-inch-square pieces of roasted red pepper

  12 1 × ½-inch pieces of Fontina cheese

  12 small strips of a preserved meat of your choice (see Note)

  1 teaspoon grainy mustard

  3 cornichons, quartered lengthwise

  12 small chervil sprigs, for garnish

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  Cut 2 cutting board shapes from each slice of bread and place on the prepared baking sheet. Toast until crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

  Place a square of red pepper in the center of each toast. Place the Fontina cheese on top of the pepper and then add a slice of meat. Top with a dot of mustard, the cornichon quarter, and a sprig of chervil for garnish.

  NOTE

  We use bresaola (dried beef), but soppressata, salami, and prosciutto will all work well.

  FOR A BIGGER BOARD Ideally, we like our hors d’oeuvres to be single bites so that if a guest has a drink in one hand, there’s no worry about dropping something on the carpet or on their clothes. But this dish is a great example of a starter that could be made a little bigger for a party at home. You’ll simply need to serve it on a small plate.

  MEAT CARVING STATION

  When 8 Spruce Street, the spectacular seventy-six-story skyscraper designed by architect Frank Gehry, was completed, it was the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. The building’s developers, Forest City Ratner, asked us to cater a birthday party for their star architect, to be held in the building’s penthouse.

  The affair was to be a cocktail party, but people might be staying later, so we had to plan for more substantial food. I immediately thought of doing a carving station.

  A carving station is a very traditional idea and not something that we did often. But the building’s interior features organic forms and uses lots of Douglas fir, one of the architect’s favorite woods. I had a vision of laying a matching beam of wood the length of the serving table and setting meat above the beam on spikes. This wasn’t the meat to be carved, but rather, it would serve as a magnificent version of a butcher case. This was right around the time that the food media was discovering artisanal butchers like they were the new rock stars.

  As the picture shows, we adapt this design to the setting using the same beam display, but in different palettes. This one is for a formal engagement dinner. The meat is the star—and it’s one of my favorite designs because it really highlights the food. In fact, the food is the display. The carving takes place behind it, out of sight. The cuts are small, and guests can choose to make a sandwich or simply have the meat on a small plate.

  We make all the meats in-house, except the pastrami, which is purchased from a great New York deli. We make brisket and corned beef—the serving area is like a classic Jewish deli, but done in an updated way.

  MINI REUBEN PRETZEL SANDWICH

  We’re always trying to come up with ways to elevate our sandwiches—especially our Reubens, because our Reuben sandwiches are delicious. We had been serving them on a mini braided loaf of challah, but I always want to up the ante—especially for guests who have been to our parties before. So now we make our Reubens with our mini pretzels as the rolls. They’re super delicious and one of our most popular new items.

  Makes 20

  For the Pretzels:

  1 tablespoon active dry yeast

  2 tablespoons light brown sugar

  1 cup warm (110°F) water

  6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted

  3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

  2 teaspoons coarse salt

  Olive oil, for greasing the bowl

  ¼ cup baking soda

  1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

  Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

  For the Filling:

  4-ounce block of Gruyère cheese

  4 ounces corned beef

  ¼ cup Russian Dressing (recipe follows)

  ½ cup chopped sauerkraut, very well drained

  PRETZELS

  In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, the flour, and the 2 teaspoons salt and mix to incorporate the ingredients. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it forms a ball, 2 to 3 minutes. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, place the dough ball in the bowl, and turn it to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

  Punch down the dough and portion into 1-ounce balls (you should have 20). Roll into ropes, then twist into pretzel shapes. (Alternatively, shape into rolls; see Note.) 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.

  In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 cups water and the baking soda to a simmer. Working in batches, carefully drop the pretzels (or rolls) in the water and simmer for 15 to 30 seconds, or until they float. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on the prepared sheet. Brush lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle generou
sly with salt.

  Bake for 1 to 2 minutes, or until just beginning to color. Brush quickly with some of the remaining melted butter and return to the oven to bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and brush once more with butter after baking. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Remove the pretzels and set aside to cool, about 20 minutes. Reline the baking sheet with fresh parchment.

  FILLING

  Meanwhile, slice the Gruyère and the corned beef into 40 squares each to fit the pretzels and set aside.

  When the pretzels have cooled, split them in half. Spread each half with Russian dressing and assemble into sandwiches with 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of corned beef, and a pinch of sauerkraut.

  Place them on the prepared baking sheet and warm in the oven just long enough to heat through and melt the cheese, 2 to 3 minutes.

  NOTE

  For a round roll, after the first rise, portion the dough into 1-ounce balls. Slightly flatten each ball and use kitchen shears to snip an X in the top.

  Russian Dressing

  Makes about 1½ cups

  1 cup good-quality mayonnaise or eggless mayonnaise substitute

  ½ cup ketchup

  3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish and stir to blend. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  Kosher Catering

  With a name like Callahan, I clearly am not Jewish, but I have become one of the most popular kosher caterers in New York. I started a glatt kosher (meaning that we follow the strictest kosher dietary laws under the supervision of rabbis) division in 2006 for two reasons.