Category Archives: Blog

You Can’t Make Everyone Happy

One of the challenges you can face developing a menu for a dinner party is if you should avoid an item that you know some people will like and some people will not like such as: Seafood, Lamb, Spicy, Coconut etc.

A classic story involved an impromptu dinner party that my buddy Lucien and I cooked for. One Friday afternoon we decided to have a dinner party the next day and to feature rack of lamb. With short notice we started inviting people to our “rack of lamb” dinner. Pretty quickly the number of guests got to over 20 and at least a third said on the front end: “I don’t like lamb but…”

My favorite memory of the evening was four or five of the “haters” fighting over the lasts lamb chops. There is something about a rack of lamb cooked to perfection. Lamb can be gamey. If it is overcooked it can be tough and flavorless. The lesson I learned that night is that if you sear it on the front end at high heat and cook it to medium rare, your guests are in for a treat.

It is amazing to me how many people don’t like seafood. Fish can be a strong flavor. Seafood that is a little off is really bad. Again, fresh seafood prepared correctly is phenomenal. I would guess that over 20% of consumers simply don’t like fish.

My parents own a house on Long Island New York. When we were in our twenties my wife Susan and I would throw what we called our annual “Hamptoons” party. Our friends from college and work would gather at the house in Westhampton and the highlight was a lobster and clam feast. And yes, there was alcohol involved. Invariably there would be several newcomers that had never had lobster and to whom the thought of eating raw clams was unpalatable. Susan would show the newbies how to eat her favorite crustaceans and we had many a convert. We would also give out the “Poison lobster” award to someone who got over served alcohol. Trust me, the lobster was never the problem.

You are never going to make everyone happy. When it comes to polarizing flavors like lamb, seafood and coconut, I say go for it. While you won’t please everyone, the chances are pretty good that you will have a few converts.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Tapas Are Fun

Tapas menus are great for supper club dinner parties because they promote interaction. I am in the process of writing a Tapas menu and we had a trial run party this week in preparation for three dinner parties for our neighborhood supper club. The party was a lot of fun because:

  • Everyone helped out
  • The food was great
  • Tapas require interaction
  • I got good feedback on the menu
  • The menu brought back great memories

Tapas Menu

Involvement Is Key

Most people like to help. If you are in a supper club chances are you like to cook, and even if you don’t, you want to help. The way the party worked was:

  • The mise en place had been prepared and the goal was to get the cooking out of the way and serve the Tapas all at once.
  • As people arrived we gave them a drink, showed them the menu and told them what their responsibilities would be.
  • After a “drinks-worth” of direction, the whole group went to work.
  • We set up work-stations with ingredients and cooking apparatus:
    • Annie had the oven station to warm the Tortillas and bread.
    • Jim and Kim had the two stove top stations:
      • Gambas. Peppers & Salad
      • Meatballs & Tomato cream sauce
  • Steve dazzled us with his skills at the fry station:
    • Calamari
    • Ravioli
  • Linda had the wine station
  • Susan was in charge of coordinating serving dishes and utensils
  • Mom had responsibility for dessert
  • I acted like a clueless camp counselor and bounced from station to station pretending I knew what I was doing.
  • In an amazingly short order everything got cooked to perfection and was served all at once.

We started with 10 items and I had intended to cut it down to 6, but the group only wanted to cut one item. The kale salad (the only item close to healthy) didn’t make the cut. (shocking) The crispy squid (Calamari) was a big hit, but I cut it because it is difficult to  make without a sizable fry station.

I made several other changes to make it a better fit for a supper club.  I will make the spinach ravioli and provide them frozen to all three dinner parties. Making ravioli requires having a pasta maker and ravioli mold that most people don’t have. The recipe called for fried ravioli which is easy with my fry station, but boiling water is easier and safer for the average cook.

The Tapas brought back memories of our recent trip to Barcelona. Linda and Steve just happened to have been in Barcelona at the same time as us and we had a  real Tapas dinner together there. It was one of those nights where the waiter and chef took over and we were smart enough to just shutup and let them do their magic. We had had tapas before, but never quite like the real thing we had that night.

Tapas are fun, whether you are in Barcelona  Spain or Bartlett TN

(Steve, Linda, Susan and Paul in Barcelona with a wonderful array of Tapas)

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Tis The Season

The holidays are a lot about family and food. We were lucky enough to have our children in town for Christmas this year with their kids. With grandchildren: Max (5) Emma (4) Dylan (20 months) and Declan (3 weeks) it is just easier to eat at home versus going out to eat. This led to a wonderful seven days, and a fair amount of work in the kitchen. I keep reminding myself, it is all about the mise en place.

I have developed a reputation. You write a book about food and people expect you to cook. The good news is that we never have problems getting people to come over. When our kids come back into town around the holidays, we get their friends to come by as well. The Friday night meal (below) was a classic example where we wound up with 13 adults and 8 kids. My standard steak, French fries and salad dinner is always a crowd pleaser and serves 20 people very easily. I went shopping at 3:30, welcomed guests at 5:30, served dinner at 6:30 and said good night at 8:00. Preparation was quick and easy. With young kids involved and bedtimes approaching things end earlier, which is a good thing!

After seeing the following, one question gets asked: Who wants to be invited Next Year?

The Seven Days of Kenny Christmas

(Click on the hot-links below for recipes and pictures)

Saturday

  • Flammkuchen (German pizza with Gruyere cheese and caramelized onion)
  • Char Roasted Ham
  • Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage With Apple, Bacon and Onion
  • French Fries

Sunday

Monday

Christmas Eve – Feast of the 7 Fishes (6 Shrimp Two Ways  & 1 Calamari)

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday (Christmas with Mom Mom)

  • Rack of Lamb Provençal
  • Cauliflower Risotto and Balsamic Glaze
  • Blanched Asparagus with Mignonette sauce
  • Sautéed Haricot Verts

(The Kenny Clan: Seated – Max, Susan, Jenn, Dylan, Dorothy, Declan, Lauren, Emma, Standing – Ethan, Paul, Brian)

Friday – Standard Steak & French Fries

I have had a few followers asking why there hasn’t been any blogs for a few weeks. Well I have busy working on my mise en place. After a wonderful seven days of Christmas, we are all looking forward to going on a diet.

The holiday was made extra special by the arrival of our fourth grandchild. Declan Andrews Kenny arrived on November 23rdand has been a bright light through the holidays. Declan is a lucky guy in that he has 3 great grandmothers alive. (Good genes to have). My mom Dorothy (96) arrived on the 27th and has delighted in seeing her 7th great grandchild for the first time.

The holidays can be stressful whether you cook or not. Somehow Christmas can bring out the best and worst of just about every family dynamic. The following Saturday Night Live skit  THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER cleverly captures many of the special moments that the holidays bring. TIS THE SEASON.

Next year we might do takeout.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.