Be warned: Hosting a dinner party is loaded with expectations. A Saturday night invitation says, This dinner will be gourmet. It will not be a box of spaghetti. There will be wit and wine, and everyone will go home happy they spent the high point of their weekend at your house.
But who has time for such fuss? Instead, toss the pressure. Slough off the expectations. And reach into your freezer for your secret weapon: the pastry sheet.
This frozen baking staple just may revolutionize the way you cook for friends, whether for a Saturday night extravaganza or a last-minute weekday get-together. With just a handful of other ingredients, pastry sheets can be transformed into savory entree tarts or individual pastries that practically make themselves – a few prep moves, and they’re in the oven while your guests tuck into their first glasses of wine.
(I’ve also gone with Plan B and served spaghetti. But then I slide a dessert pastry in the oven when we sit down for the main course, anticipating a lip-smacking finale that elevates any meal.)
Toss a simple salad, do a side dish and – voila! – you have a dinner party all set to go. Just add wit.
Years ago, my father gave me one of the most marvelous little books out there, great for any host: a reprinted English translation of Edouard de Pomiane’s “French Cooking in Ten Minutes.”
OK, so it was published in 1930 and includes a recipe for deep-fried smelt. But it’s got just the right attitude. When entertaining, for example, de Pomiane calls for a “course that can cook without your being there to watch it.” Tart, anyone?
De Pomiane is also my inspiration for not being a measuring or timing fanatic. One recipe instructs the reader to “stick your finger into (the sauce) now and again. When you feel a burning sensation … stir quickly for another 15 seconds or so. Your sauce is ready.”
Now that’s my kind of cooking – and it’s the kind best suited for a dinner party.
Recently, I called a few friends to see who was up for a last-minute meal at my place on a Wednesday. Channeling de Pomiane, I took my time walking home from work, dug some pastry sheets out of the freezer, opened a bottle of wine and was ready to hang out when the first guest knocked. And that’s what’s important to remember: Your friends are there for you, not just for the fabulous food.
Master a few recipes that are versatile, easy to make and guaranteed to impress your guests, and you’ve figured out the key to hosting the No-Stress Dinner Party – one that’s even good enough for a Saturday night.
2tablespoons olive oil
4-6medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1teaspoon kosher salt
29- to 10-inch frozen puff pastry sheets (1-pound package), thawed and opened flat
6-8ounces (3/4-1 cup) Gruyere cheese, grated
3/4cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into very thin strips (may substitute sun-dried tomatoes that have been reconstituted in hot water for 10 minutes, then cut into very thin strips)
2tablespoons herbes de Provence (add another tablespoon if using fresh herbs)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large, unrimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper (split the ingredients between two baking sheets if yours isn’t large enough).
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the sliced zucchini and salt and stir to combine. Cook the zucchini for 6 to 8 minutes or until it has browned slightly. Transfer to a colander to drain, discarding any excess liquid.
Place the thawed puff pastry sheets on the baking sheet(s). Sprinkle about half of the Gruyere over the pastry and then distribute the cooked zucchini evenly, leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence and the remaining cheese, keeping inside the margin. Bake for 15 minutes.
Distribute the strips of sun-dried tomatoes on top of the tart, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the pastry has browned on the edges.
Transfer to a serving platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Makes four to six main-course servings. Per serving (based on 6): 404 calories, 12g protein, 21g carbohydrates, 31g fat, 31mg cholesterol, 10g saturated fat, 598mg sodium, 2g dietary fiber.
Inspired by a recipe belonging to my high school exchange family in Toulouse, France.
Onion and goat cheese tartlets
1tablespoon unsalted butter
1tablespoon sugar
1large white or yellow onion (about 21/2 cups), cut into thin circles
19- to 10-inch frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed and opened flat
2to 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese (with or without herbs)
2tablespoons herbes de Provence
4strips cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large, unrimmed baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter until it is almost melted. Add the sugar, stirring to combine. Add the sliced onion, stir to coat evenly and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Transfer to a colander to drain, discarding any excess liquid. Set aside.
Place the thawed puff pastry sheet on a cutting board or work surface. Cut along the sheet’s two seams, then cut each pastry piece in half to create six rectangles. Transfer to the baking sheet.
Distribute the cooked onions evenly among the rectangles, leaving a 1/4-inch margin on all sides. Distribute the crumbled goat cheese on top of the onions, and sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry has browned on the edges. If using bacon, bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle on the cooked bacon and bake for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Makes six 41/2-inch tartlets. Per tart: 218 calories, 4g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 14g fat, 13mg cholesterol, 6g saturated fat, 156mg sodium, 1g dietary fiber.
Based on a recipe from “The Way We Cook,” by Sheryl Julian and Julie Riven
29- to 10-inch frozen puff pastry sheets (1-pound package), thawed and opened flat
4Granny Smith or other baking apples, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into thin slices (may substitute two apples and two pears)
1/4cup light brown sugar, plus extra for topping
2tablespoons cinnamon, plus extra for topping
1/4cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large, unrimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper (split the ingredients between two baking sheets if yours isn’t large enough). Place the pastry sheets on the baking sheet(s).
Sprinkle the pastry with 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Place the apples in overlapping layers on the pastry sheets, leaving a 1-inch margin on all sides. Sprinkle with the light brown sugar and bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed.
Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, if using, and with the remaining cinnamon and brown sugar (try to get some on the puffed pastry), and bake for 5 minutes or until the pastry has browned on the edges.
Transfer to a platter and serve immediately. Serve with vanilla or coffee ice cream, dusted with cinnamon.
Makes six servings. Per serving: 286 calories, 3g protein, 36g carbohydrates, 15g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4g saturated fat, 101mg sodium, 3g dietary fiber.
Based on a recipe in the March 2004 Bon Appetit
3tablespoons sugar
3tablespoons cinnamon
19- to 10-inch frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed and opened flat
6ounces (3/4 cup) semisweet chocolate baking morsels or chunks
1/3cup chopped walnuts
Water
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large, unrimmed baking sheet (or ovenproof glass baking dish), or line with parchment paper. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cut the thawed pastry sheet into four equal pieces and place on the baking sheet. Divide the chocolate and walnuts evenly among the pastry pieces and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Use a little water to wet each edge, and fold the 4 corners of each pastry to the center to enclose the filling; twist or squeeze tightly to seal.
Bake for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the puffs, and bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and serve warm.
Makes four servings. Per serving: 474 calories, 6g protein, 51g carbohydrates.
Based on the Chocolate Bundles recipe at www.puffpastry.com
One of the keys to putting together a stress-free dinner on the fly is having a well-stocked kitchen – including that maaahvelous puff pastry.
You’ll be more flexible in creating a menu if you have some choices at the ready, to be supplemented if necessary by a whirlwind grocery store trip by you or one of your guests. Cheeses: blocks of Parmesan, crumbled feta and goat cheese, and hunks of cheddar are great
Dried fruit: cranberries, raisins, apricots
Eggs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic
Ice cream: Vanilla or coffee are usually crowd pleasers.
Kosher salt
Lemons
Mustard: Dijon or some other tangy kind
Nuts: Except in baking, where being exact can be critical, you can usually sub one type of nut for another.
Onions
Sun-dried tomatoes: If you buy the dry variety, they’ll keep pretty much forever.
Vinegars: Keep a variety on hand
Wine: You’ll need one cheap but tasty bottle of red and another of white.
I’m no Emily Post, but growing up in a never-happier-than-when-hosting household plus years of throwing together last-minute dinners have taught me a few things about etiquette.
Whether your friends showed up without warning or you invited a group on the spur of the moment, keep this in mind:
Skip the guilt. Unless you’re in the business, no one’s expecting you to be a restaurateur. You don’t have to have food on the table the second guests walk in.
Issue orders (nicely, of course!) with the invitations. Ask someone to bring the wine (which they probably would do, anyway). Or have another friend stop at the store for that one fresh ingredient you’re missing so you can get cracking in the kitchen.
Don’t hesitate to delegate. Guests don’t expect to be waited on. They can grate the cheese, chop the onions or put together the salad you’ve chosen. Those who’d rather keep out of the kitchen can set the table or handle the music.
Work the room. Simple can be spectacular, so don’t spend the entire night in the kitchen. (You like these people, right?)
Anne McDonough, The Washington Post
> Give us your news tips. > Send us a letter to the editor. > More Herald contact information.Talk to us
