With the holidays just around the corner, the season of soirees is officially upon us. Before you make the mistake of drinking from the wrong water glass or eating your Chicken Marseilles with your hands, study this guide to etiquette for formal dinners.
ners.
If you're going to host a dinner event, start your party sometime after 8 p.m. This will give you enough time to prepare, and your guests enough time to primp. A common etiquette misconception is to put our napkins in our laps immediately upon sitting down at the table, Charlotte Ford, author of $20^{th}$ Century Etiquette says that you should put your napkin on your lap only after the host does so. If you make a
mistake and put it in your lap right away, don't sweat it. It's probable that no one will notice.
notice.
One of the more intimidating aspects of a formal dinner is the plethora of silverware placed in front of you. The secret is to work from the outside in. It's almost fool-proof, and you'll impress your host and all of the other guests with your flatware know-how. Kate Spade, in her etiquette guide, Manners, says if you forget where to begin, just follow your host. Although most of us are used to eating in between classes and in the car, when you're at a dinner party it is important to eat slowly and enjoy the food. After all, a good meal comes few and far between for most of us,
so why not savor the moment?
so why not savor the moment. At many dinner parties wine is served as a complement to the meal. When you're filling up your guests' glasses, fill them only a third of the way. This is so your guests don't end up passing out before dessert. When drinking her merlot or chardonnay, always hold the glass by the stem. If you hold it by the bulb you'll warm the chardonnay, which is much better when served cold. If you hold your red wine by the bulb, you won't be able to see the color of the wine. Also, holding it by the stem allows the glass to make that lovely tinkling sound when you touch glasses with other guests.
lasses with other guests.
When the meal is over, it is important
not to overstay your welcome. Make sure to say goodnight at a decent hour so your host will have a sufficient amount of time to clean up and get to bed. Last, follow this rule of thumb: Don't always be a guest and never a host. Trade off hosting responsibilities with a group of people so that one person isn't constantly doing all the work. Just remember the most important thing is to have fun and keep your guests entertained. Don't worry if you don't do everything perfectly, just be aware of your manners and things will start coming naturally!
Super short supper Smashed Veggie-Cheese Sandwich and Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
wheat bread
wheat bread
olive oil or cooking oil
honey mustard or bottled ranch salad dressing
farmer cheese or cheddar cheese
cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, sweet pepper
spinach leaves
spinach leaves tomato soup balsamic vinegar sour cream chives
Brush one side of bread slices with oil. Brush other side of bread with honey mustard. Lay the bread slices down with the mustard side facing up. Top bread with the cheese. Top cheese with cucumber, spinach, red onion. Top with other bread slices, mustard side down.
down. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.Place the sandwiches on grill rack. Grill sandwiches until bread is golden
for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir together soup, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Ladle soup into serving bowls top each with 1 tablespoon yogurt; swirl slightly. Serve soup with sandwiches.Makes 4 servings.
and cheese is melted. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens Recipes Stephen Shupe
— Stephen Shupe
Passage to India
Indian Home Cooking, Clarkson Potter, 226 pages
New York caterer Suvir Saran shares his celebrated
recipes in Indian Home Cooking. Co-authored by Stephanie Lyness, the book includes 150 recipes with easy-to-find ingredients. Saran is known for using American supermarkets to reproduce the sumptuous meals he enjoyed
meals he enjoyed growing up in India. The result may differentiate from classic Indian food, but is no less rewarding.
cucumber raita (an Indian yogurt salad), dals (dried cheese) and bread dishes) and
less rewarding. Placed in order of difficulty as far as preparation goes, Saran's recipes include
bean dishes) and curried blackeyed peas. Saran was raised a vegetarian but now eats meats, so the books features ample recipes for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. For non-vegetarians, I highly recommend Chicken Biriyani with Cream and Garam Masala
and Ground Beef with Spinach and Fresh Mint. The book also includes a chapter on Indian drinks.
Stephen Shupe
11. 11.04 Jayplay
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