The most important key to a supper club dinner party success is preparation. Catalonia is close to France and we saw a perfect example of Mise En Place during our day trip to Montserrat from Barcelona. Loosely translated, Mis En Place means: “put into place”. It is a key to meal preparation taught at culinary schools around the world and it was key to how a restaurant can feed 3 bus-loads of tourists all at once and keep everyone happy. See an earlier blog that explains Mise En Place in more detail.
Another key feeding a large group in a short period of time is having a menu designed for the occasion. The lunch menu at the restaurant in Montserrat was perfect for the occasion with:
- Local breads
- Cold tomato soup (Provided in a large pitcher so guest could serve themselves)
- Salad platters (Lettuce, Carrot, Tomato, Cucumber & Vinaigrette)
- Catalonian Cannelloni (Served hot)
- Fruit salad for dessert
As the hungry group arrived from our tour of Montserrat, waiters set the table with bread, wine, salad platters and soup pitchers. Consequently, everyone could eat immediately with no lines and no delay. As our guide Borja said: “Perfecto!”. After a short time waiters came around and served the hot cannelloni that had been warmed in ovens and topped with a creamy béchamel. Again, “Perfecto!”.
The Catalonian Cannelloni is different from the more familiar Italian version. The big difference is that it uses a béchamel, or white sauce, instead of tomato sauce. Borja explained that it is a tradition to have this the day after Christmas. This makes a lot of sense as it is a dish that can be made well in advance and heated and served at the last minute. It also helps to have extra béchamel to add as you serve to avoid your dish being too dry. A problem with pasta dishes is that the pasta can act like a sponge soaking up the moisture. A last minute addition of sauce is easy and really helps the dish.
See the recipe
It never hurts to have a perfect setting. Having lunch at the vineyard with the hills of Montserrat in the background was beautiful. The picture of Susan pointing out why they are called the “Serrated Mountains”.
As we exited the restaurant the maître d’ thanked multinational group for coming and instinctively knew what nationality each guests was. How do they know? I sometimes think I wear a sign. I am an American. I remember traveling internationally in the 1980’s. It seemed that all American men wore a uniform of tan slacks and a blue blazer. Today, every nationality seems to wear jeans. I try not to be the Ugly American as we have a guy in Washington that has become the poster boy for it. He might not have invented the term, but the rest of the world thinks it of him. Now it is all a matter of guilt by association. All I can say is: this too shall pass.
After lunch we went to Oller Del Mas winery. Borja did a wonderful job explaining how the vineyard has been resurrected. The area had been been a major producer of wine before the Spanish Civil war, but the area and vineyard had fallen into disrepair. The current owners have rebuilt it resurrecting old strains of grape trying to bring the region back to historic levels. It was a wonderful afternoon and a perfect example of how Mise En Place and preparation makes things work.
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