With the holidays here, you don't need an excuse to
throw a dinner party — you just need a menu. Here,
Viviane Bauquet Farre, one of Piermont's top cooking instructors,
helps us prepare quick and easy dishes sure to impress
your guests.
By Mary Lynn Mitcham
Photographs by Robin G. London
When my friends start
planning their annual tree-trimming parties, I immediately
begin rummaging though a dwindling list of "can't make
it" excuses. One year, I invented a long-lost aunt in
need of a visit; the world's most unrelenting deadlines
were the next year's problemo; and last year, I got really
lucky — I came down with the flu. My decision to
opt out of these "don't forget your ornament" affairs
is not so much because I mind being upstaged by an evergreen
(though admittedly that doesn't help). It's because these
parties are usually so — how shall I say it? —
lame. The food is always secondary, the drink of choice
inevitably eggnog, and the music is about as exciting
as a tribute to a snowman or a reindeer should be.
Now a holiday dinner party, well, that's an invitation
I never decline. It's here where friends come together
in groups large enough to be festive and small enough
to really talk, where the setting is kick-off-your-shoes
comfortable, and when the night ends with a sated "goodbye,"
instead of a mandatory "check, please." Indeed, the only
thing better than attending a dinner party is throwing
one. Sure, you have to cook, but you don't have to travel;
and you get to handpick the guests. Plus, if you prepare
a meal that lets you spend time at your party — not
slaving away in the kitchen — it's a lot of fun.
To put together a menu that lets you do just that, five
of Rockland Magazine's culinary greenhorns visited Piermont
cooking instructor Viviane Bauquet Farre. Our mission
was simple: to prepare meals that would wow our friends
and let us spend time with them. Viviane created these
four easy-to-make dishes — and a drink recipe, too!
— all of which contain elements that can be tackled
ahead of time. Aside from great recipes, we came away
with handy knife techniques and tips on stylish food presentation.
In fact, if your dinner party is half as successful as
our cooking class, you may never get rid of your guests.
Shiitake Mushroom Crostini with Parsley and
White Truffle Oil serves 6
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. shiitake mushrooms
1/2 tsp. sea salt or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 baguette slices, cut diagonally in 1/4-inch thick slices
6 tsp. white truffle oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Step 1: Slice the shiitake mushrooms into 1/8-inch
thick slices. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over high
heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and the butter. When
the butter is melted, add the mushrooms, toss well until they
are coated with oil, and spread evenly in the pan. Sauté undisturbed
for one minute until they begin to brown. Toss again, then spread
evenly over the pan and continue sautéing for one minute. Repeat
this process until the mushrooms are golden and crispy. Add
the salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and stir
for one additional minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Preheat the boiler. Toast the bread under the
broiler on each side until golden. Set two bread slices on an
individual plate. Top with the mushrooms, drizzle with truffle
oil and sprinkle with Italian parsley. Repeat until all of the
bread slices are gone and serve.
Why it's Great for a Dinner Party: It's an easy-to-prepare
gourmet treat. The mushroom crostinis are light and delicious
— a great way to whet your guests' appetites without overfilling
them. (Remember, a delicious main course is yet to come!) Plus,
if you chop the mushrooms ahead of time, you can prepare this
dish in about five minutes flat.
Before the Guests Arrive: Wash (wipe with a damp paper
towel) and slice the mushrooms up to eight hours ahead of time.
Cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until you're ready
to cook.
Tricky Part: Bread burns quickly in the broiler. Put
yours in for a minute and check constantly to insure that it's
browning, not burning. Once you flip the bread over, you'll
find the second side needs less time to brown than the first.
Taste Test: The white truffle oil is the critical ingredient
here. It brings out the hearty flavor of the shiitake mushrooms,
and the crispy bread turns this sophisticated dish into comfort
food.
Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Confit and
Crispy Sage serves 4
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Vidalia or Spanish onion, peeled, quartered, and cut
crosswise
1 leek, green tops trimmed, halved, and cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 garlic cloves, skinned and finely chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable broth in cartons (Viviane recommends Pacific
Organic)
32 oz. canned butternut squash purée
1 to 1 1/2 cups spring water
Apple Confit: 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and cut in 1/4-inch
slices
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. turbinado sugar
1/2 cup Calvados
Step 1: Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed
soup pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for five
to six minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened
and begun to caramelize. Add the leeks and sauté for an additional
three to four minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, and salt
and pepper to taste. Mix well and continue to sauté for one
minute. Add the vegetable broth and butternut squash purée.
Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered
for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Purée the soup with a stick blender or food processor,
until smooth. Bring the soup back to a boil and thin it with
water to the desired consistency (you don't have to use the
whole cup and a half). Taste and season with salt and pepper
if needed. Remove from heat and set aside.
APPLE CONFIT
While the soup is simmering, heat a medium saucepan to medium-high.
Add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the apple pieces
and lemon juice. Toss well, reduce heat to medium, cover, and
simmer the apples for five minutes, until tender. Uncover the
pot and coarsely mash the apples using a wooden spoon. Add the
sugar and Calvados and simmer for one to two minutes until the
liquid has evaporated.
CRISPY SAGE
Step 1: Heat a small frying pan to medium-high heat. Add
the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sage leaves
and sauté for two to three minutes until the leaves are crispy
and dark green. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel
and set aside.
Step 2: Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Spoon some apple
confit in the center of the bowl. Garnish with a few crispy
sage leaves.
Why it's Great for a Dinner Party: Winter calls for a
hot, flavorful soup, and this hearty starter looks elegant,
emits flavor, and is good for you to boot. Best of all, if you
prepare the soup and the apple confit ahead (as you should),
all that's left to do is fry the sage — which takes a minute
— just before you serve.
Bourbon Fizz
2 oz. bourbon
3/4 oz. Cointreau
12 oz. Prosecco or champagne
twist of orange for garnish
Shake bourbon and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker with small
ice cubes. Divide into four chilled champagne flutes. Top with
champagne. Serve with mushroom crostinis.
Why it’s Great for a Dinner Party: As Viviane says, “There’s
nothing like bubbles to put you in a holiday mood.” Champagne
is a subtle way to remind your guests that this is a celebration.
No matter how long they have traveled or what’s going on at
work, this potent kick-off — preferably served in a beautiful
champagne flute — signals that it’s time to relax, laugh, and
enjoy.
Before the Guests Arrive: Cut an orange into thin slices
and set aside for garnish. Also, chill the champagne.
Tricky Part: The drink is a no-brainer to make, but it’s
ideal when paired with the mushroom crostinis. If you’re working
on the mushrooms in the kitchen, assign someone else (your husband,
maybe?) to prepare this cocktail, then serve with the mushrooms
hot from the oven. And don’t forget to toast your guests.
Taste Test: You might want to collect keys before you
refill these drinks, which are as refreshing as they are delicious.
For some, champagne can be a bit too dry, but mixed with the
bourbon and the Cointreau, a glass of bubbly becomes a whole
lot sweeter.
Wine Pairing
Now that you have recipes to impress your guests, all you need
is the wine that goes with them. Here Eli Hardof, owner of Wine
For All (111 Rte. 303; Tappan; 680-9463), pairs wine with every
course of your dinner party.
For Bourbon Fizz: To make this drink, you'll need a crisp
sparkling wine. Try Domaine Saint Vincent ($10), which Hardof
calls "a great palette cleanser, a perfect sparkler for cocktails."
For Butternut Squash: Try Phoenix Vineyards Chardonnay,
Reserve 2002 ($19). Recalling peaches, apricots, and green apples,
this Napa Valley Chardonnay tastes fruiter than a traditional
California Chardonnay, and it has a smooth, white pepper finish.
Says Hardof, "The French oak and white pepper will compliment
the creaminess of the butternut squash."
For Flatbread Pizza: Try Malvira Birbet ($21), a frizzante
wine from Italy. The ruby-red sparkler denotes strawberry, raspberry,
black cherry, currant, and a hint of cocoa in the finish. Hardof
recommends you serve it chilled with the flatbread pizza claiming,
"The lively bubbles and rich fruit flavors will complement the
sweet caramelized onions."
For Poached Pears: You won't need wine for this dish,
but if you want to cleanse your palette before you dive in,
finish off the sparkling Domaine St. Vincent.
Caramelized Onion Pizza with Ricotta, Roma
Tomatoes, and Wilted Spinach serves 4
Caramelized Onions: 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 large Vidalia or Spanish sweet onions, peeled quartered and
cut in 1 / 8-inch slices
4 large garlic cloves, skinned and finely chopped
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed from stems and finely
chopped
1/4 tsp. sea salt or to taste freshly ground black pepper
Toppings: 4 ripe Roma tomatoes, each cut in 8 slices lengthwise
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup freshly grated Reggiano Parmesan
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 large handfuls of baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry
1/4 tsp. sea salt freshly
ground black pepper to taste
Step 1: Heat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over high
heat. Add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and onions. Toss
well and sauté for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring from time to time
until onions are caramelized. Add garlic, rosemary, salt and
pepper and continue sautéing for one minute. Transfer to a large
bowl and set aside to cool.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 475. Lay two tortillas on each
pan, and brush each one with olive oil. Spread the ricotta with
the back of a soup spoon over the surface of the tortillas,
a 1/2-inch from the edge. Top with caramelized onions. Arrange
the tomato slices on the flatbread, like spokes on a wheel,
and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt.
Step 3: Bake until edges are golden brown and crisp (about
12 to 14 minutes). Transfer to a plate, and cut in four slices.
Step 4: Just before serving, heat a wide skillet over
high heat. Add the oil and the spinach leaves and toss continuously
for one to two minutes until the spinach is barely wilted. Remove
from heat, add the salt, toss well, and place a small heap of
spinach in the center of each pizza. Serve immediately.
Why it's Great for a Dinner Party: Pizza doesn't get
more contemporary than this — it fits into busy lives,
cooks quickly, and it's delicious. A far cry from your typical
pie, it's sweet-tasting and packs all the food groups into one
delicious bite. If you're inviting guests who don't know each
other well, the dish makes for great dinner conversation. The
only downside is that you'll have to prepare some of it (spinach,
layering) last minute.
Before the Guests Arrive: A few hours before your party,
prepare the caramelized onions, grate your cheese, and clean
and spin your spinach.
Tricky Part: Getting it all together and keeping your
dinner party one smooth, seamless event. While someone else
clears the butternut squash bowls, you can start layering the
ricotta and onions. Sauté the spinach as the tortillas finish
baking in the oven.
Taste Test: As a meat-and-potatoes girl, I wasn't that
excited about this dish from the get-go — then I tasted
it. Who knew something so healthy could be so unapologetically
indulgent? Yum!
Poached Pears Served with pistachio ice cream
and hot chocolate sauce serves 6
Pears:
1 lemon
6 Bosc pears, peeled, cut in half and cored
7 cups spring water
3/4 cup maple syrup (grade A or B)
2-inch piece fresh vanilla bean
Chocolate Sauce:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (Viviane recommends Callebaut or
Valrhona), broken into 1- inch chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pint Ben & Jerry's pistachio or vanilla ice cream
Step 1: Peel the lemon with a potato peeler. Put the
water, maple syrup, vanilla, and six lemon strips in a wide
heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat
to medium, and add pears. Fast-simmer for 45 to 50 minutes,
turning the pears over once.
Step 2: When the liquid has evaporated and foams up,
remove the pan from heat and transfer the pears, lemon peels,
vanilla, and syrup to a bowl to cool to room temperature.
Step 3: Cover and refrigerate until well chilled (about
two hours).
Step 4: In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate. Add the
cream and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the
heat and keep warm.
Step 5: Take two lemon peels from the poached pears and
cut in fine julienne strips. Place two pear halves, cut-side
down, on a large dessert plate. Place one scoop of ice cream
near the stem of the pears. Drizzle with the pear juices and
the chocolate sauce. Arrange two lemon strips on top and serve
immediately.
Why it's Great for a Dinner Party: When it comes to dessert,
there are fruit people and there are chocolate people —
this dish pleases both.
Tricky Part: Cooking the pears just right — they
should be firm, easy to cut through with a fork, but not overly
soft. This dish went over fine in class, but when I tried it
at home, I noticed that my pears cooked much faster than my
syrup. Eventually, I took the fruit out of the pot, and let
the syrup continue to evaporate on the burner, before reuniting
both parts in a bowl. The flavor still came through, but my
pears were a little mushier than I would have liked. I've also
tried this dish with Seckel pears, instead of Bosc, and, though
smaller, they worked better for me.
Taste Test: There's only one word to describe the taste
of fruit and chocolate together: scrumptious.
Viviane's Top Picks
Special herbs, aromatic spices, and fresh fruits and vegetables
are essential for anyone who wants to succeed in the kitchen.
Where do you find them in Rockland? Chef Viviane leads the way.
Back To Earth Natural Foods Market (1 S. Broadway; Nyack;
353-3311)."It's a tiny store, but very comprehensive, with lots
of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs."
Natural Market (37-C Rte. 59; Nyack; 727-1100). "It's
a gourmet ethnic food store. They have vegetables, gourmet crackers,
potato chips, and a sushi counter."
Nyack Gourmet (92 Main St.; Nyack; 348-8855). "I go for
local cheeses. They have a small selection, but the cheeses
are very, very good."
Nyack and Piermont Farmers' Market (Piermont: Piermont
Ave. and Ash St.; www.communitymarkets.biz
; Nyack: corner of Main and Cedar sts.; www.nyfarmersmarket.com
). "They save me a trip to The Fairway."
COOKING WITH VIVIANE
Want to cook with Viviane Bauquet Farre? Classes typically range
from $85 to $95 per person, and include a sit-down meal with
wine. Call 845-365-1599.
