Holiday Blitz

When it comes to holiday entertaining, I like to hit it hard and hit it fast. This year, that meant getting the tree and other decorations up before Thanksgiving; planning a party for forty-something upon returning from New Orleans; and giving an open house on the first day of December before anyone had a chance to get sick of all the madness.

Those who know me, know that I am a meticulous party planner. This means that I:

• Begin to think about the menu months in advance.
• Pull recipes as I find them and keep copies in appropriately labeled files.
• Start a shopping list weeks before with complete breakdown of what needs to be purchased from where.
• Create a list of what need to prepared in what order.
• Consider serving pieces and tablescaping far in advance.
• Make intricate sketches of how the serving pieces should be arranged.
  

This year, I just threw it together in about three days. Honest. I didn't even decide on the final menu until the Wednesday night before the party. Of course, this sort of lackadaisical approach took its toll on the host, and I spent the week after recovering at an undisclosed location frequented by many celebrities. Anyways, it all turned out magnificently and I hope you enjoy the photos of the spread...



Savories:
Mixed nuts
Peanuts with rice paper (my favorite addiction)
Pub mixed
An array of fine cheese, with fig compote, quince paste, dried apricots, fruit and nuts
Raw and roasted vegetables with green goddess dip and hummus
Polenta squares with tomato olive relish
Potsticker baskets with cherry, cashew 'chicken' salad
Hot onion souffle
Wheatsville Co-op Popcorn Tofu w/apricot dipping sauce

Sweets:
Chocolate cakes with peppermint whipped cream
Ruth Johnson's Almond Roca
Crème puffs

To drink:
Beer and wine (everyone was drinking beer, which was strange)
Sodas
Spiked Angel Punch

Glad you came if you were there, wish you had if you didn't...

Happy Holidays!

Don't Say I didn't Warn You...

...but in this month's issue of Bon Appétit, they have proclaimed that the punch bowl is BACK. Literally. Dear reader, recall that you heard it here first (never doubt me!) and that I have been proclaiming the social merits of the punch bowl forever. In my opinion, the punch bowl never left the party, so there is no reason to declare it back. And what say you? Will you jump on this bandwagon, or wait until it's too late and everyone has a punch bowl while your sideboard sits empty? What? You don't even have sideboard? Get thee to the furniture store!

Likewise, both Metropolitan Home and Bon Appétit have also professed a fondness for the coupe, the short, rounded champagne glass made popular by the media and at champagne fountains for ages. In legend, this small rounded glass was said to be shaped upon the breast of a variety of French noblewomen, including Marie Antoinette, Madame du Pompadour, the Countess du Barry and Diane de Poitiers. The idea being that suitors and admirers of said women could toast the beauty of their bosoms with glasses shaped on those very breasts and filled with the very best champagne. Notorious women all (mostly French, n'est-ce pas?), this legend is of course fantastical fiction, but a delicious idea.

Strangely, for years these same magazines and lifestyles guides has derided this traditional glass as second rate. The simple reason being that a tall, elegant flute preserves the all-important bubbles of sparkling wine longer. Suddenly, this doesn't matter and you can purchase coupes from Crate and Barrel or Baccarat. Am I tossing my lovingly collected set of mismatched flutes for a new set of coupes modeling on the breasts of decadent French aristocrats? Oh reader, I thought you knew me.

Punch! POW!

There are lots of babies coming our way right now. Our friend's Anna and Chris just gave birth to little Otto in Wichita month or so ago and here in Austin, Kay and Joel are the proud parents of a new little boy. Saturday, Catherine and Shannon threw a baby shower for the upcoming birth of our mutual friends TJ and Heather's little boy. I offered to bring the punch, both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic (for the mom-to-be and other non-drinking guests).

Punch at a shower is a longstanding tradition and when I was growing up at Plainview Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK there were a couple women in the fellowship who had THE punch bowl. (My Mam-ma was one of them and now mom has the bowl, and more cups than you can imagine, to loan out.) I love the idea of THE punch bowl, because its very communal. It's one of those things that not everyone has to own, but is passed around for special events. If you are having a shower or party that necessitates punch, you just call up the person with THE punch bowl and ask to borrow it. That person bring THE punch bowl and everyone enjoys the punch. In the Southern Baptist Church tradition, you would expect some mints and mixed nuts to accompany the punch at a wedding and perhaps some simple tea sandwiches for a shower. Or maybe just cake.

Several years ago, I bought a punch bowl at the Salvation Army for a song. It's white glass, has a stand and is decorated with a grape motif. My punch cups are cut glass, but white, so they coordinate without being too much of a standard set. Although I only use THE punch bowl about once a year for my own purposes, I'm always happy to have the opportunity to lend it for special occasions. And happier still to bring the punch! Next time you're having a party, try one of these recipes instead of making a mixed drink or serving wine and beer. I think your guests will enjoy your thoughtfulness and you'll appreciate doing something different and special. And call me, I'll lend you THE punch bowl.

If you're interested in buying a punch bowl and being one of the people with THE punch bowl, I suggest searching thrift stores and antique malls. I found the following while just out an about:
I encountered this last bowl when out shopping at an antique mall in Ft. Worth with my brother Eric and his wife Becca. It's actually the same pattern as some of the crystal my parents received for their wedding, with an unusual coin motif. The shape is fantastic and it would be a dramatic piece to use for service.


Want a new punch bowl? Look no further than your friends Crate and Barrel store, which always has a couple that would work perfectly. They recently added the Virginia punch set (above and here) and I think with it's nice elevated shape, is the best of the recent offerings.


Recipe: Angel Punch
This simple non-alcoholic punch is flavored with green tea. If you wanted to add a little punch to your punch, you could substitute a dry sparkling wine for the club soda and maybe a little lemon-flavored vodka.

1 cup sugar syrup (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Chill.)
1 pint lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 quart strong green tea
2 quarts white grape juice
2 quarts chilled club soda

Combine all ingredients except soda and refrigerate until well chilled. Pour into punch bowl and add soda. To keep the punch cold, freeze slices of lemon or some of the punch mixture in ice cube trays. Using ice can dilute the flavor.

Makes about 45 4 -ounce servings.


Recipe: Planter's Punch
A classic southern recipe constructed from fresh fruit juices, rum and club soda, it's perfect for any season.

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (4 to 5 oranges)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5-6 limes)
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-5 lemons)
1 1/2 cups dark rum
46 ounces of pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp bitters
1 liter club soda

Combine juices in a large container, add rum, sugar and bitter. Stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve. Just before serving, add mixture to punch bowl along with chilled pineapple juice and soda. Use frozen slices of the fruit to keep your punch nice and cold.

Salut!