TIME-OUT FOR ENTERTAINING

The way you entertain speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. Although the nicest thing you can say to friends is ‘stay for dinner’, totally spontaneous entertaining is not always possible. In reality there is only one essential for fret free hostesses and that is planning.

Whether it is a dinner party for eight or for 30 it is all less laborious when you efficiently schedule every detail from start to finish and much less tiring when the effort is spread over a longer period. One of the important points to remember is to suit your entertaining to your guests. For the younger group, buffets, brunches, braais, poolside suppers and coffee parties are casual and relaxed while for more conservative friends and sophisticated occasions guests need to be seated formally.

BALANCING A MENU - THE ESSENTIALS!

Check colour - it is disastrous to use white plates and then serve white chicken, white potatoes and a pale sauce! 

Do not repeat ingredients - if you begin with fruit don’t repeat it unless it is a flavour in a dessert.

Always contrast flavours and textures particularly in a salad. E.g. smooth hardboiled eggs with crisp lettuce, cucumber, lightly cooked green beans (never raw), white raw mushrooms (dipped in lemon juice) and roasted sunflower seeds.

Balance dishes made with rich sauces. Only have one, or two at the most, rich items on a menu. E.g. a creamy soup followed by a simpler main course followed by a fruit based dessert with a rich touch, ice cream, cream etc.

Use foods in season - often the nicest way to do it. E.g. young asparagus, fresh strawberries, summer berries, new season’s peaches - what a pleasure. There are of course the pleasures of bottling, to preserve the essence of summer.

Keep the seasons in mind - nothing worse than on a rainy night to be served cold soup (and it does happen!). Happily, most vegetable soups made with a light chicken stock base are versatile and can be served either hot or cold. E.g. broccoli, spinach, courgette, mushroom - so you have a choice!

Be adventurous, topical and sometimes fashionable. Seek out a new interesting ingredient, for instance add Nori (dried seaweed) to a fish soup, use a white truffle paste to add an extra dimension to a mushroom soup, add crisped, chipped beef, crushed to a salad or a home-made olive paste to a vinaigrette.

Plan the right menu as well as the appropriate setting for the correct time. More formal dinner parties require a more formal approach. Informal Sunday supper's should have a completely different menu and setting to a snazzy Saturday evening's dinner. P.S. Arrange the seating for a formal dinner in advance, to avoid musical chairs!

Serve your food simply but with care. Forget about so-called decoration, the food itself is decorative enough. What you can do is use fresh herbs to good effect. When possible serve on large plates, never overcrowd. Never, but never, serve a salad on a small side plate or in tiny bowls when half the salad lands on the table.

End your dinners with good coffee, offer warm and cold milk (when possible). As alternatives, have fresh herbal or fruit tea, you would be surprised at how many people would enjoy the option.

COUNT-DOWN

When you have decided on your menu, make a shopping list complete to the smallest detail in food and accessories, such as candles and napkins. Decide on the wines. If you have any doubts contact a wine fundi.

For dinner parties of up to 30 people, you will need about three days for preparation. For a smaller guest list, less time will be necessary, but the drill will be the same. Decide now on the look you want to create. This will be decided partly by the menu, partly by the setting and occasion. Are you going to use silver and good china, or pottery and country-type accessories?

DAY 1 Buy the wine. If you are having a large crowd, see that you have enough ice, especially during summer. Check the linen - you would be amazed at the difference a little spray starch makes - now is the time to do any pressing of cloths or table mats. Check and sort cutlery give it a thorough polishing. Shop from A to Z (excluding flowers).

DAY 2 Bake and prepare anything that can be made ahead. Some soups and desserts can be made. Buy flowers and arrange. Lay the table the evening before as this takes time (e-mail annette@showcook.co.za for advice on how to set out cutlery both formally and informally). Be sure all wooden surfaces are well protected with a heatproof cover.

DAY 3 Start preparations in the morning, working through your menu methodically. Leave salad preparation until last, refrigerate completed undressed salad, lightly covered. Add the last minute touches. Make sure all containers and plates are ready for action (Hot food must be served on heated plates - this is not negotiable!) Arrange the coffee tray on a starched traycloth. When possible, leave the drinks arrangements to someone else! They will need: glasses, jugs, dishcloths, dishes for lemon, openers, insulated containers for ice.

BON APPETIT!