Graduation Party Planning

You may want to give your graduate a party that will be the highlight of his/her achievement, and a life time memory. Whether it’s a small or a large party, its success is in the planning. Here is what you will want to do to make your graduation party memorable.

Are you planning a large graduation party or a small dinner? What would your graduate want to do? It is important to have a budget in mind, but be prepared to make some changes as you do your planning something’s may cost more /less than you anticipated.

Location, Location Location- You need to decide if you are going to do it at home or if you are going to have a venue. I find that by doing it at home you may have more planning to do. You may need tent, tables, chairs, lighting-- just a few necessities. You may find it easier to book a venue, park lodge or even a hall that supplies all the tables, chairs and other items you may need to have a successful graduation party. I have seen families with graduates that have been close through school, share the expense and do graduation parties together since most of the guest would be the same.

Menu – You have all kinds of catering options. You may higher a full service cater like Bialystok & Bloom to take care of your entire event or you may want to do something as simple as picking up trays at your local grocer or deli.

Get some help for party day-If you can not hire a full service caterer like Bialystok & Bloom you may want to ask some friends or family to help you with the preparation and picking up of items you have ordered. It is important that you enjoy the day along with your graduate and not feel like you missed the graduation party because you where to busy in the kitchen and with clean up. Another way to enjoy your event would be to hire some staff to help with the event. You can even buy a few items from the caterer that the staff person could bring along with them. This way you have someone helping with bringing food items you have ordered and a professional person helping you with your event.

Cocktails and Pastries: A Good Combination

With the rise of the mixologist and speak-easy era, the more inventive "sweet" cocktails – the ones with chocolate raspberry liquors and a dreadful chocolate swirl along the inside or over the rim of the glass – are quickly disappearing. Cocktail lists designed as flip books with bright pictures showcasing colorful daiquiri or - my personal favorite - Pina Coladas with an umbrella and cherry on top are becoming outdated. Replacing these throw-back thrills is a variety of cocktails mixed with a more organic and thoughtful approach, mindful of the food that is being eaten with these drinks.

Some of my favorite sweet cocktails include:

the cosmic: stoli raspberry/cointreau/rose water/cranberry/brut rose/pop rocks
falling leaves: cinnamon rum/velvet falernum/dupont cider/fig ginger puree
the punsch: batavia arrack/allspice dram/chaucers cup/caramel syrup/lemon/orange
sarsparrilla: infused cocoa vodka/avernaangostura bitters/shatto root beer milk

While many people will opt for a traditional cocktail before or after dinner, such as a gin and tonic, few pause to consider pairing a drink with dessert.

Here are a few of my favorite liquor and dessert pairings:

Galliano – works well with creamy custards and in particular my fresh mint ice cream
Crème de Violette – a beautiful purple liquor blends with vanilla and angel food
Apple & Pear Brandy, Ciders, and All-Spice Dram - fall fruits and winter desserts
Van Gough's Espresso Vodka – chocolate
Punches with fresh fruit infused syrups – light spring or citrus desserts
Bärenjäger & Bourbon – honey and caramel, beignets
Lillet White or Red with Champagne – summer peaches and nectarines
Canton Ginger Liquor – carrot cake, cheese cake
10-Cane Rum – tropical desserts, vanilla
Pomegranate Liquor – strawberries & raspberries
Brachetto d' Acqui – chocolate
St. Germain Elder flower liquor – herb infused pastries, meringue
Zirbenz Stone Pine Liquor, Sherry, Scotch - gingerbread
Camapri & Aperol – grapefruit and other citrus

Cheers!!

IRISH COLCANNON

CREAMY POTATO, BACON AND CABBAGE SOUP

4 slices thick bacon, diced
1 cup white onion, diced
1 leek, washed and diced
1 pound white potatoes, peeled and diced
½ head green cabbage, cored and sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon chives, snipped

Directions:
Cook bacon in a heavy pot over medium heat until evenly browned.
Add the onions, leeks, potatoes and cabbage. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
Lower the heat and continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Add the heavy cream and stir until heated through and soup is creamy.
To finish, whip the butter cubes into the soup.
Serve with a garnish of fresh snipped chives.

French Onion Soup

The idea of a secret ingredient is a funny one. I think it's based on a modern American notion of shortcuts; the idea that instead of working hard to be successful, you can win the lottery or appear on a reality show or read the Cliff's Notes and still pass your A.P. English exam. This American obsession with getting everywhere as quickly as possible, to FastPass your way to accomplishment, doesn't translate well to cooking. Which is why, I think, so many Americans don't cook. They'd rather fast food it, or frozen dinner it, than stand over a stove. And when they do stand over the stove, they want "quick tips" and "30 minute meals" and the magical, secret ingredient that'll propel their dinner to greatness. But the truth is no one ingredient can propel your dinner to greatness; greatness comes with patience and practice, over time.

This is a recipe for French Onion soup with a secret ingredient: port wine. My favorite French Onion soup in the city, the one at Blue Ribbon, has a beguiling sweetness and acidity that threw me for a while. Now I've hit upon it at home and I have Anthony Bourdain's recipe to thank.

But just because there is a secret ingredient here (not just port wine but also, I should say, Balsamic vinegar) doesn't mean you can Shoots & Ladders your way to success. You've gotta understand the process. For starters, you've gotta slice your onions.

After that, it's pretty easy. Melt 6 Tbs of butter in a large pot (I used a Dutch oven) on medium heat. Add the onions but don't salt them--you want them to brown and salt will just make them wilt. Here's where you've gotta be truly patient; let them cook down for a while. Until they're golden, golden brown. (Not too fast though; control the heat so this happens gradually.) 20 minutes later.

At this point, I added salt: a good sprinkling of Kosher salt over the whole thing.

Now you add the secret ingredients. I realize now, because the recipe was in ounces, I added more than I should have but the resulting soup was still amazing. So the recipe says to add (for this halved version) 1/8 cup port wine and 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar. I added 1/4 cup of both and it still tasted great. You decide--you're the decider. Now here's another non-shortcutty thing to do: add homemade chicken stock. You add one quart of it (4 cups) to the onions, port and vinegar.

Either way, salt it and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. It will smell wonderful.

When you're ready to serve, heat your broiler or heat your oven to 425. Grate a bunch of cheese (I grated Gruyere and Pecorino. Drop the bread in. Top with all that cheese. Bake or broil until the top is as brown and crusty as you like it

Blueberry Crumb Cake

I love a good coffee cake, and this blueberry crumb cake doesn't disappoint. First there's the crunch and spice in the topping before hitting the moist crumb of the cake.

I decided to bake my "coffee cakes" in little espresso cups. After a quick spritz with cooking spray, I baked them for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe
Makes 8 servings (8x8 pan)

For the Crumbs:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

For the Cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of ½ lemon or ¼ orange
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

SuperBowl Fever.....Orders must be in by today!!!

Dinner, Dinner, Dinner.....I have no idea!

Lightning Fast Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined - tails left on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup shrimp stock, recipe follows
2 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Lemon slices, for garnish
Rice, as accompaniment

Directions
Season the shrimp thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until just starting to turn pink, but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, white wine, and stock, and reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter. Finish with the parsley and check for seasoning. Garnish with lemon slices and serve over rice.