Dinner Party Timeline- Menu #2

You now have all the recipes to execute the most recent menu! Here's a timeline for you that should take away a LOT of the headache of planning your dinner party, so that you can just focus on the fun stuff!

Menu #2 - Artichoke Dip & Pita Chips, Blood Orange Sodas, Country White Loaf Bread with Herb Butter, Dried Apricot, Goat Cheese & Pistachio Salad, Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Pork Loin with Apples & Pears, and Lemon Curd Parfaits with Candied Tangelos

 Three Weeks Before

• Find a co-host and kitchen helper. (Highly recommended for this menu. You'll want some help about an hour and a half before the the guests arrive and you'll need that person's assistance in the kitchen until dinner is served, about 25 minutes after the guests arrive. Make sure they feel comfortable with their responsibilities ahead of time.)
• Arrange for a sitter if desired/needed.
• Send out invitations. Be sure to mention if you desire dressy attire.

One Week-2 Days Before

• Deep clean the house.
• Follow up with any guests who have not given an RSVP.
• Choose an outfit and have it ready to go.
• Review recipes and make grocery list.
• Shop for any non-food party necessities such as unscented candles for the dinner table, matches, cloth napkins, wood for the fireplace, or fresh soap for the guest bathroom.
• If you're going with a playlist other than one you can find on Eats and Beats (which is just silly, really, because the "La Vie en Rose" one is just perfect for this menu!) make your preparations.
• Clear room in the freezer for purchased ice, or make the ice if you're planning not to buy it.
• Charge your camera battery, if needed.

Day Before (This is a BIG DAY, so get an early start.)

• Go grocery shopping for ice and all food items except for the country white bread, and the pound cakes.
• Clean the house. Since you've already done deep cleaning, this should be a bit less time-consuming.
• Stock the guest bathroom. Include fresh towels, plenty of toilet paper, tissues, a scented candle, new or refilled soap, (and it wouldn't hurt to tuck away a plunger so your guest doesn't have to request it should they find themselves in need.)
• Make sure all dishes are clean and put away so your dish washer is ready for tomorrow's prep-work!
• Set the dinner table with place-settings and any decorations.
• Designate a beverage station for your guests to enjoy with their appetizers.
• Clear room in the refrigerator for the Lemon Curd Parfaits to be stored.
• Make the blood orange syrup. Seal in a container and set aside.
• Make the herb butter. Cover and set aside.
• Prepare the artichoke dip up until before it's ready to bake. Cover and refrigerate.
• Make lemon curd and any desired extra whipped cream as instructed. Cover and refrigerate as instructed.
• Make Mighty Mint Vinaigrette and store it in the refrigerator in its serving dish.
• Make the pepper rub for the pork.

Morning Of

• Go to your local bakery for the country white bread and pound cakes.
• Review the remainder of the timeline, and go over the pork loin and fruit recipes again if you feel like you need to. 

5 Hours Before

• Candy the tangelos.
• Assemble the Lemon Curd Parfaits, cover, and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

3 Hours Before

• Get yourself ready.

2 Hours Before

• Prepare your mise en place. Get out all ingredients for the Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes as well as for the Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Pears, except for the actual pork loin, and all the ingredients for the salad, except for the dressing. Get out all measuring tools, other prep tools, cooking equipment, and serving dishes. (I like to have a working surface or two and a separate surface for holding the ingredients.) Wash, dry thoroughly, and store the spinach in the refrigerator again until later. Slice the dried apricots as instructed, cover, and set aside. Prepare the thyme and sweet potatoes. (No need to apply olive oil yet, though.) Slice the country white bread and cover tightly to keep from drying out.

1 Hour and a Half Before

• Prepare the salad, but do not add any dressing. (Allow the guests to add dressing to their individual salads at the table during dinner.) Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
• Set out pita chips, still covered until just before guests arrive.

1 Hour and 10 minutes Before (Things will start moving faster now. Having someone help you from here on out is HIGHLY recommended. You may want to ask that person to be in charge of the pears and apple side dish as well as the final steps for preparing the pork loin so that you can properly greet your guests.)

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Prepare the pork loin as instructed.

55 Minutes Before

• Place pork loin in the oven.
• Prepare molasses glaze.

40 Minutes Before

• Turn down the oven temperature to 400 degrees and place the prepared artichoke dip in the oven on the other rack.

25 Minutes Before

• Slice a blood orange to garnish the glasses, punch bowl, or pitcher.
• Assemble the pitcher or bunch bowl of blood orange soda, and stock the beverage station with this, water, any other drinks you've prepared, and the ice. (But wait to add the ice to the punch bowl or pitcher until just before the guests arrive! You don't want diluted beverages!)
• Chop the garlic and assemble the sweet potatoes.

15 Minutes Before

• Brush pork with prepared glaze. And place back in the oven.
• When ready, remove the artichoke dip from the oven and set out next to the pita chips for guests to enjoy as they arrive.
• Raise the oven temp to 450 degrees and place the sweet potatoes in the oven.

5 Minutes Before

• Brush pork again with molasses glaze and place back in the oven.
• Add ice to the blood orange soda punch bowl or pitcher, if desired.
• Turn on the music! (I recommend the "La Vie en Rose" collection of tunes that you can stream right from the Eats and Beats "Music Playlists" page!)
• Light any candles

15 Minutes After the Guests Have Arrived

• Check the temperature of the pork, and, if ready, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
• In the meantime, prepare and cook the apples and pears.
• Check on the sweet potatoes

20-25 Minutes After the Guests Have Arrived

• Remove sweet potatoes from the oven if you haven't already done so and place in a serving dish.
• Place everything on the table and announce that dinner is served!

After Dinner

• Assess whether or not your guests need a bit of time to digest before dessert.
• When ready, serve dessert.

Homemade Blood Orange Soda, and the Secret Life of Blood Oranges

Be Warned: This is one of those times I let my imagination get a little too carried away.

An old friend of mine from high school once told me that he loves to find out a girl's middle name. To him it was a mysterious part of her identity that might reveal something alluring. I was reminded of this when I cut into my first blood orange. Considering the fact that I'd seen pictures of the inside of a blood orange, I was surprised at how taken in I was by seeing one first-hand. If naval oranges came from Florida, I thought, blood oranges must grow in New Orleans. I feel certain that they're female, that they have a rich and complicated history, and that I might not want to know all of it.
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Homemade Blood Orange Soda
Makes 2 cups of syrup

Ingredients

1 cup freshly squeezed blood oranges (takes about 6 oranges)
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
seltzer water or club soda
1 extra blood orange, for adjusting final flavor
1 blood orange cut into thin slices, for garnish

Directions
For the syrup
Combine blood orange juice, water, and sugar in a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, and continue to simmer until reduced by about half. Allow to cool to room temperature.

For the sodas
To make individual sodas, fill the glass about halfway with ice, add about 4 tablespoons of syrup, fill the rest of the way with seltzer water or club soda, and stir.
If making for guests, I'd suggest making a large pitcher so they can easily get refills. I'd start with about 6 tablespoons of syrup per 4 cups of seltzer water and go from there. I topped the pitcher off with some extra freshly squeezed blood orange juice to add a bit of complexity and keep some of the natural flavor. (That's just my preference; you do as you'd like!)
In either case, put a slice of the garnish orange in each glass, for looks.
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Serve these beauties along with the rest of Menu #2!

Freshly squeezed blood orange juice. What a color!

 I think God must have commissioned Eric Carle to paint blood oranges, don't you?

Herb Butter

Whenever I roast a chicken or turkey, I always make herb butter. It makes all the different in the world to massage the bird over and under the skin with that flavorful concoction. Herb butter can also add something special to a meal when spread onto a nice loaf of bread, as I'm doing with Menu #2! It's unexpected, and I think those extra touches help your guests know that you've really been looking forward to their visit. Another thing I like about herb butter is that it's very, very, very easy to make and to adapt to your personal preferences. Throw your favorite herbs in there, and, chances are, it'll turn out just great.  Here's a good formula for how to make your own variety, and then I'll share with you the one I made. For every stick of butter (or half a cup) you can add about 4 teaspoons of fresh herbs.

1/2 cup butter + 4 teaspoons favorite herbs = your herb butter

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Herb Butter
Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix away until combined. Spread on some quality bread and eat!
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Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes

Everyone think happy thoughts for baby Kate who has a little fever. Poor thing. Shawn's a bit under the weather, too. Just been one of those weeks at the Patterson's. Let's dig into some taters, shall we? 

Today we're talking about sweet potatoes, a veg I thought I'd never like. Growing up, I'd tried them both mashed and baked, and, no offense to my mom who is a wonderful cook- Blech! Still, I knew they were healthier than the traditional potato, and since I can be a bit of a health nut at times, I did not give up on them. One day I decided to try roasting them, one batch with garlic and salt, and the other with rosemary and salt. A hit! I now cook with sweet potatoes at least as often as with any other kind, and I always roast them. For Thanksgiving last year I decided to dress them up with thyme and garlic, and they were received with much success.

I have to be honest and say that I have not figured out how to get them to be as crisp on the outside and tender on the inside as a russet or yukon gold. It seems to be a mystery for many a roasted-sweet-potato lover. But I can recommend some things that will help them to be not quite so moist.

• Roast at a high temp. A higher temperature will always cook the outside much faster than the inside, drying the outer portion while the insides retain a much cooler temp and some of their moisture.
• Don't let the potatoes touch, and definitely don't pile them onto each other. It'll cause them to steam each other.
• Choose a baking dish with low rims. The higher the rim, the more likely they are to steam instead of roast. (That's one of the main reasons you want your meats to sit on a rack within a roasting pan; the pan can catch the juices while allowing plenty of ventilation to the meat so the skin will crisp rather than get soggy.)
• I did read from one blogger that she adds a bit of sugar to the bowl before tossing all the ingredients together. I tried this, and it did help a bit and it didn't affect the flavor very much, but, like I said, I like to make the healthier choice when I can.

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Roasted Thyme Sweet Potatoes
Serves 6-8

Ingredients4 large, or 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into domino-sized pieces
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup thyme, chopped
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a large mixing bowl toss all ingredients. Spread the sweet potatoes onto a large heavy cookie sheet or large baking dish, making sure they don't touch. (Think Adrian Monk.) Roast for about 30-40 minutes, depending on how thin you cut the pieces.
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Serve as a side dish to Menu #2!

Ready to be tossed.

All done!

Lemon Curd Parfaits, and Candied Tangelos

Is it okay with everyone if we jump ahead to dessert, and then later we'll go back to the rest of the menu? Yes? Yes. Who turns down dessert when it's offered? Especially when it involves lemon curd, pound cake, and homemade whipped cream topped with candied tangelo rinds, right? Here we go.

Lemons. They're so bright and sunny, they make you think of Summer. But really, like the other citrus fruits, they're a Winter treat! I have to admit I used to feel pretty indifferent toward the tart little things, but since marrying into a family of lemon-lovers, I've converted in a pretty big way. So now when these Winter months come around, I hit them up for some vibrant flavor.

With that said, let's make some lemony dreams.

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Lemon Curd Parfaits adapted from a recipe by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford 
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

6 eggs

6 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (takes about 5-6 lemons)

2 pinches kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups cold heavy cream

6 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 delicious pound cake

To Make the Lemon Curd 
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, and granulated sugar in the top pan of a double boiler or in a medium metal bowl until well mixed. Set over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water over medium heat. Add the lemon juice and kosher salt. Cooker, whisking constantly, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Strain the mixture into the bowl, pressing the back of the spatula. (Do not skip that step! Trust me!) Cool slightly at room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Combine the cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. The cream should slowly fall forward when lifted with a whisk. Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd, then fold in half of the remaining cream (reserving what's left for topping the parfaits.)  Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Assembling the Parfaits

Gather together the pound cake, lemon curd, whipped cream and your favorite wine glasses or dessert dishes. Take the pounds cakes and crumble the heck out of them into a medium-sized bowl. Alternately layer the crumbled pound cake and lemon curd into the glasses and then top with whipped cream. Add a garnish of your choice, such as candied tangelos! (Recipe follows.)

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Tangelos have a gorgeous dark orange color that brings a lot of life to an otherwise bland parfait palate.

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Candied Tangelos

Makes about 24 slices

Ingredients

3 tangelos

3 cups sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

3 cups water

Directions

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a mandoline or very sharp serrated knife, cut tangelos into thin slices. Combine sugar and water into a heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a solid boil, stirring the mixture to dissolve sugar.

Drop tangelo slices into the water and bring to a second boil. Remove from heat onto the lined cookie sheet, sprinkle lightly with extra sugar, and let cool to room temperature.

To Make Curled Tangelo Rinds

Make a diagonal cut through one part of a candied tangelo slice. Open up the slice and remove the insides leaving only the rind. Shape into a curl and pierce with a toothpick to hold its form. After several minutes, remove the toothpick and place curl over the rim of your parfait glass!

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Piercing the rind with a toothpick will help it to eventually hold its own curl. 

Taste, taste, taste! :)

Dried Apricot, Goat Cheese, and Pistachio Salad

"Ode to Goat Cheese"  by Janna Patterson, dedicated to Brynley Lazar who loves chevre
You're savory, yet somehow sweet
Without you a salad is incomplete
I'll take you on bread, I'll take you in stew
I'll take chevre just stacked on more chevre, times two!
Fluffy and white and completely spreadable
As great as Hugh Jackman, but totally edible
Monsieur Chevre, you're more than just cheese
You're my crumbly friend. Nay, you're my squeeze!
Goat cheese, oh, Goat cheese, apple of my eye,
Let my tongue be your home, but, please not my thigh.     (...not that you're not worth it.)
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Dried Apricot, Goat Cheese, and Pistachio Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 cups raw spinach, rinsed and completely dried
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/8-1/4 cup shelled, salted pistachios

Directions
Combine all ingredients and serve with "Mighty Mint Vinaigrette." (Recipe follows.)
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Serve me with the main course of Menu #2!

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Mighty Mint Vinaigrette from "The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon plus ones teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Directions
Combine the olive oil and mint in a blender and blend until pureed, about 15 seconds.

Add vinegar, mustard, honey, kosher salt and pepper to taste and blend until just incorporated, about 5 seconds.

The recipe calls for white wine vinegar, but sometimes I like to change it up a bit and go with this raspberry wine kind.

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All dressed up and ready for my taste buds.

Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Holy Moly it's been a busy day! Anyone out there still awake? I'm looking forward to a nice, peaceful Sunday. Tomorrow night our good friends, the Hintons, who recently had a baby are coming to dinner and I'll be sharing with them a few of the dishes I'm sharing with you on this menu. I can't wait to see their little boy again!

This next recipe is one that I made for the first time about three years ago. It was one of three appetizers we served that night, and I can vividly remember the crowd of friends standing over this dish gobbling it up with enthusiasm. I love that it can be prepared the night before and popped in the oven a half hour before guests arrive. Who doesn't love a stress-saver like that on the day of a party? My husband likes it served with tortilla chips. I prefer baguette slices, warmed or prepared bruschetta-style. As an alternate, I go with pita chips. I opted for pita chips for this menu because I'm serving bread at the table, but it's really okay to serve one kind of bread with the appetizer and another kind of bread with dinner. But if you do go the pita route, try for a soft pita chip so your guests can hear each other over the crunching. :)

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Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip adapted from "The Comfort Table" by Katie Lee Joel 
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 6


Ingredients
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temp.
1 9-oz package frozen artichoke hearts (drained jarred or canned, cooked fresh, or frozen, but not marinated)
9 ounces raw spinach, steamed, and then squeezed to get out the excess water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 garlic cloves
6 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Spoon into the baking dish. Top with the mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.
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Serve this as a prelude to the rest of Menu #2!

Artichoke dip can be spread on crackers, baguette bread, grilled baguette or toasted bread, tortilla chips, or pita chips like you see in the photo.

Menu- Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Pears

It's time for another full menu, wouldn't you say?? Since I've been writing lately on how Winter is a great season for a formal dinner party, and since you already have a an elegant music playlist, I decided to give you a fancy-pants menu to go along with it. I'm so exited! Don't worry- This menu does not take major culinary skills. In fact, it's pretty straight-forward. But the flavors have a lot of personality and everything presents beautifully, so you'll look like a gourmet. Drum roll, please....

Appetizer: Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips
Drinks: Blood Orange Soda with Blood Oranges; Water (or whatever drinks you prefer)
Salad: Dried Apricot, Goat Cheese, and Pistachio Salad
Bread: Country White with Herb Butter
Main Course: Roasted Pork Loin
Side Dish #1: Pan Roasted Apples and Pears
Side Dish #2: Thyme Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Dessert: Lemon Curd Parfaits

Why I love this menu:

• Easy, easy, easy. That's not to say this is a meal that cooks itself or that there isn't a fair amount of prep work, but you don't have to be a chef or even highly-experienced to make this turn out great. The trickiest part is making the lemon curd for the dessert, and that you can do the day before.
• So much of this can be done ahead of time. The only things that need to be prepped the same day are the pan-roasted fruits, potatoes, and salad. (Some people even prep their potatoes ahead of time and just soak them in a cold bath of water in the fridge overnight.)
• Three of the items call for oven time at close temperatures. This is good for a few of reasons. 1. By tweaking the temp a bit, you can have them all in there at the same time. (One of the dishes is very small, so don't worry about it getting too crowded in there. If you have a double oven, you're even better off.) 2. You want to do little to no cooking while guests are at your home, and, for that reason the oven is your best friend when it comes to hosting. 3. You can wash the prep dishes well in advance of your guests arriving so can worry less about a presentable kitchen.
• It's delicious!

I found this first recipe in my mother-in-law's collection of recipes-to-try. 

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Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Pears adapted from a recipe by Better Homes and Gardens

Serves 8

Cooking Time- 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Olive oil

1 3lb boneless pork top loin roast (single loin)

1/3 cup molasses

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

3 apples, cut in halves, wedges, or slices

2 Tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a shallow roasting pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place meat rack in the pan and set aside.

In a small bowl combine pepper, salt and garlic powder.

Brush pork with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and massage the meat with only some of the pepper mixture. (Use your judgement with the amount keeping in mind that the more pepper there is on the pork the hotter it'll be.) Place pork on the rack in the roasting pan and place it in the oven for 35minutes.

To make the glaze combine molasses, vinegar and soy sauce in a skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat. 

Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 minute.

Remove to a bowl and set aside both the glaze and the skillet. (No need to clean the skillet.) 

When the 35 minutes is up, brush the pork with some of the glaze. (Reserve 2 or 3 Tablespoons of glaze for fruit.) Continue roasting for 20 minutes, brushing with more glaze halfway through.

Roast pork for 10 more minutes or until the thermometer inserted in the center registers 150 degrees. 

Remove from the over, cover with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile in the skillet used for glaze, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Toss fruit with sugar. Add fruit to skillet; cover and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook for 3 more minutes or until crisp-tender. Add reserved glaze; heat through.Serve pork with fruit and drizzle with pan juices.

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