Book Synopsis

A quick outline of what Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs is about:

Almost everyone likes to socialize over a meal. Supper clubs that bring people together to enjoy a meal are natural enablers. The concept of supper clubs (hosting regular dinner parties) seems simple, but the “how to” can be daunting. This book shows the reader how to set up supper clubs, provides options for different club formats, from large and formal to small and informal, and includes sample menus with recipes.

One of the cornerstones behind this book is the French culinary concept of “Mise En Place.” Loosely translated, this means put into place. Whether you are a classically trained chef or a weekend warrior hosting a dinner party, the key to success is preparation. The book has been written with menus, recipes and preparation plans to show the reader how to do things in advance so that the host/cook can enjoy the party and have a better chance of preparing and presenting a great meal.

Each chapter outlines a different kind of supper club based on different preferences – from a classic formal club to a club where members can’t cook but they know where to get great food. Chapters go over organization, club make-up, scheduling, host responsibilities, menu development, mise en place and costs. Sample menus show how to put a meal together, and prep schedules at the end of each chapter guide the reader to executing mise en place. In addition, sections listing prep time, cook time, cookware needed and wine recommendations complete the guide for a reader to be able to host an amazing meal.

Who should be interested?

Supper clubs are a great solution for most generations but it is a particularly attractive concept for millenials, the “social” generation. Millenials grew up going to great restaurants, watching the Food Channel, and practicing being foodies. They know a lot about good food. While many might love the supper club concept, they are searching for a guide on how to get one set up. This book has been written with millenials in mind with the goal of providing a roadmap for them with simple solutions so they can enjoy the benefits of supper clubs. They are entering the stage of their lives where supper clubs will be a great fit with their socialization needs. As they settle down into longer-term relationships, get married and start families, supper clubs provide a great way to get together with friends over a meal

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

Measure Twice – Cut Once… Or Testing Menus

The old carpenters rule to measure twice and cut once is great advice when writing a menu for a supper club. I am a firm believer in testing the recipes. In an earlier blog I outlined the top ten sources Check out “Where to get menu ideas”: No matter where you get them it is a really good idea to test them before trying them out on a supper club.

If you are reading this blog the chances are that you get a lot of your ideas from the internet. We all know that if it is published on the internet it has to be correct. NOT! Even when you get recipes from the best sources it is still a good idea to do some testing. It is amazing what you can learn from experience. Even the best chefs will make something better the second time they make it. It is really helpful to your supper club to that subtle advice or warnings that comes from testing

OK, most readers are thinking who has the time and resources to do this? Do most people writing menus for supper clubs have practice runs? No, but I always try to. Whether it was making a dish for the family dinner or having a small group of friends over to test something, it always helped. It did lend credence to a plaque one of my guinea pigs gave me saying: “Many people have eaten in this kitchen. Some have lived to tell about it”. The funny thing is that we never had trouble-finding volunteers for my practice runs. And yes, some of those trial runs were Impromptu Friday Nights.

A great recipe for any occasion is my Chicken Piccata I have tested it out on all kinds of victims. It is easy to make and very versatile. One of the great things about this recipe is that it can be made in advance and reheated just before serving. The sauce is a real winner and can be used with a variety of proteins.

My favorite “Communist”

My brother in law Bobby is a special guy and he has been in a really different type of Supper Club for years.

My wife Susan used to get upset when I jokingly referred to Bobby as “my favorite communist”. When I told him the story he countered with “I am really more of a Marxist”. The beauty of Bobby is that he is one of those genuine liberals that really walks the walk.

Bobby’s socialist roots go back to being a political science major in the 1960’s. I think he was head of the SDS at the University of New Hampshire back in 1968. The guy has some liberal “Cred”.

Now while he has a socialist background he also understands capitalism better than most. When PC’s first came out back in the 70’s/80’s he was teaching high school math and he started a software company to develop school administration programs. He says that I told him to “Cash Cow” the business and started investing in condominiums. I don’t remember telling him to cash out the business, but I do regret not investing in the condos with him. He wound up owning 269 condos that he bought mostly at distress sales from banks. He also set up a company to manage over 400 condos.

In 2006 just before the housing crash he decided to sell the condos. (Perfect timing) The piece that makes Bobby special is that he GAVE the condo management company to the employees. Lots of folks will talk a liberal bent but this guy walks the walk. He sort of combines the best of capitalism with the best of socialism. This reminds me of the old Joke:

A farmer from Maine goes to Boston and hears a lecture on socialism. He goes back to his buddies in Maine and announces that: “I am a socialist”. To which his friends queried:

You mean if you had two houses you would give one away? To which our new socialist replied: “Yup”
You mean if you had two cars you would give one away? Again he replied: “Yup!”
You mean if you had two cows you would give one away? To which he replied: “Well that is not fair, you know I have two cows”

As unique as Bobby’s story is, his Supper Club is unique as well. For years he and his wife have gotten together once a month with another couple for dinner. They alternate between each other homes and enjoy socializing over a meal. The tough part is that Bobby is a good cook and goes to great lengths to serve something special. He has been known to make some amazing vegan dishes

Check out the recipe for grilled eggplant with tomato concassé

The other couple consistently serves similar pasta dishes. This dichotomy does present a bit of friction, but the Supper Club continued on for years.

I guess the moral of the story is that with both people and Supper Clubs – all types can be very successful.