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Festive soiree
Do thoughts of planning the holiday dinner party have you hiding under the tree? Why it can be a lot easier than it looks!
By ELLECanada.com
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Tips
On seating plans: "just be sure to deploy diplomacy, caution, sensitivity and mischief in equal measure." -- Rena Kirdar Sindi, Be My Guest
•Place the flatware on the table in the order of its use, starting from the outside in. The knife blades should face the plate.
•Serve food from the left and drinks from the right.
•Cake or pie should be served with the point facing your guest.
-- Tips courtesy of retired English butler Arthur Inch from Dinner is Served.
The menu
"Sometimes the best part of winter starts, dare I say it, after the guests have stomped off into the blizzard." -- James Chatto, A Matter of Taste
Havana ginger
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1 oz. Simple Syrup
• 6-8 sprigs of mint
• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 1 oz. ginger beer
Combine lime juice, syrup and mint in a mixing glass and muddle well. Add gin, ginger beer and ice. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled glass.
Created by Bill Dye for Wunderbar, W Hotel, Montréal.
There's nothing like creating the perfect ensemble and a wonderful meal to get the heart rate up. Impress the Gucci off your guests with offerings from Nigella Lawson's Feast and Waverman & Chatto's A Matter of Taste.
Main dishes
•Crab Cocktails (Feast). Asian-inspired crab salad served in martini glasses.
•Duck Breasts with Dried Cherries (A Matter of Taste). Roasted duck in a luscious red sauce.
•Rosemary and Garlic Roast Potatoes (Feast).
•Roasted Pears with Pomegranate Sabayon (A Matter of Taste). Buttery pears served with a frothy, sweet wine-spiked custard.
Cheese
After dinner, retire to the fireplace and treat your guests to a sampling of cheese. Pristine recommends Le Délice de Bourgogne, a rich triple-cream cheese that hits the back of the throat. Epoisses Berthaut, also from Burgundy, is aromatic and earthy and the flavour goes right to the nose. Finally, an aged Dutch Gouda with a caramelized character and flaky texture.
Wine
For the crab salad, Martin suggests a Canadian late harvest Riesling, such as Cave Springs. With the duck, try a New World Pinot Noir like Beringer's Carneros 2002 from California. And with dessert, Noble One from the De Bortoli vineyard, Australia.
Check out our other holiday entertaining guides:
• Holiday brunch
• Holiday cocktails
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