Category Archives: Blog

The Perfect Lobster Mac And Cheese

Capital Grille makes a fantastic Lobster Macaroni and Cheese. Making a consistently great Mac and Cheese isn’t the easiest thing. The problem is that macaroni can be like a sponge and before you know it, your perfectly saucy Mac and Cheese can become too dry. The key is to add enough sauce, (The Capital Grille Chef recommends a 2 to 1 ratio of sauce to pasta) then bake it quickly to add a crust and serve immediately. Follow this rule and you will have a winner for your supper club dinner party.

I worked for Kraft for 35 years. If you want to talk to THE expert on Mac and Cheese, hang out at the Costco in Memphis Tennessee. Larry Woodford was the research scientist that invented Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. He is retired now and lives on a lake in Mississippi. I worked with Larry for years, but now it is scary how many times we run into each other at Costco.

When my kids were young, my son’s buddy Eric Brown basically lived on Kraft Mac & Cheese.  Eric was the pickiest of picky eaters. This kid didn’t eat pizza, he even hated McDonalds, but he loved “Blue Box” which was Kraft slang for Mac & Cheese. I will never forget telling Eric that I worked with the guy that invented Kraft Mac and Cheese. Eric said: “Wow, he must be rich”. I said: “No, he is just fat”.

Larry developed the cheese sauce that was used in Blue Box for over 30 years. He probably got a $200 bonus for the development. He certainly didn’t get rich. If you ever have any questions about cheese, he is your guy. He has forgotten more about cheese than most of us will ever know. One thing he will recommend to the chef at Capital Grille, or the supper club chef, is that if you are using 4 cheeses to make your Lobster Mac and Cheese, make one of them Velveeta.

Using Velveeta has nothing to do with being a Kraft alumnus. Using process cheese in your Mac and Cheese recipe will add to the lubricity or mouth feel of your product. The fat system in Velveeta is the reason for the great mouth feel. The flavor also benefits from the salt level in Velveeta. Kraft research told us a long time ago that Americans equate Cheesiness with saltiness. It doesn’t hurt that salt is cheep and by adding salt you lower cost and adds to the perception of cheesiness. Ironically, another big steak chain, Flemings, used to use Velveeta in their famous Jalapeno Mac & Cheese. It just so happens that the head of R&D at Flemings was also a Kraft alumnus and had learned a trick or two from Larry.

Check out the Capital Grille recipe for Lobster Mac And Cheese. Keep this recipe in mind for your next supper club menu. Remember to add plenty of sauce, bake and serve. If you have any questions, look for a really happy cheese expert at Costco in Memphis.

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.

Eight Keys To Making Your Appetizer A Hit

“Bring an appetizer” is a common request, or challenge, for a gathering of friends. Whatever the event, you want to bring something people will like. It isn’t always easy to come up with something that is a winner, but here are a 8 keys that will increase your chances of success:

The primary ingredient tastes great.

OK, that seems to be an oversimplification, but it is true. The majority of people like a perfectly cooked piece of beef or seafood. Of course there are vegans and people that don’t eat meat or seafood, but they are in the minority. Just about everybody likes a perfectly grilled piece of steak or shrimp.

Keep it low carb.

Most of us are trying to watch our weight. Watch what gets eaten off of a neighborhood buffet of appetizers. My experience is that people will gravitate to a low carb offering, even if it really isn’t all that healthy, under the pretense that they are better off with low carb versus filling up on chips and dip.

Layer in flavor.

Chef Vendome, my friend and culinary muse, used to preach about layering in flavor. Our old mantra of “Nothing influences the flavor of food more than how it is cooked” is true. Adding flavor with grilling helps versus boiling. Given a choice between a grilled shrimp and a boiled shrimp, people will pick the grilled shrimp. It also never hurts to add a sauce that you know people will like. For example, I have used an Asian sweet chili sauce on a variety of things that people love.

Don’t forget seasoning.

Chefs are trained at culinary school that if you don’t get a complaint or two every night about too much salt you are not adding enough salt and pepper. One reason restaurant food tastes better is that professional chefs are heavy handed with the salt.

Add freshness.

If you can add fresh herbs or fresh fruit your guests will pick it. Fresh herbs and fruit add wonderful flavor, but they also add to the perception of healthy.

People eat with their eyes

Presentation really helps. I like to add a small vase of fresh herbs or flowers to the platter. Adding something that catches and pleases the eye works well.

Holds up at room temperature.

Not everything works well after sitting out at room temperature on a buffet of appetizers. There are some appetizers that have to be served hot and just don’t work at room temperature. If you can serve something that will be good for at least an hour, you will be more successful.

Remember that there will be other appetizers

My mother asked me to make an appetizer for her college event. She insisted I make enough for everyone not remembering this rule.  Mom got stuck with leftovers. I watch appetizer buffets to see what gets eaten quickly. If something is gone quick, it is a winner. You don’t have to make too much.

Steak And Peach Bites.

Check out the recipe for the Steak And Peach bites. This appetizer was a winner at a neighborhood event. Having a perfectly ripe peach, helped to make this app a hit. Peaches are tough to get right. There is nothing better than the perfect peach. There is also nothing worse than a mealy peach. The sweet chili sauce was also a perfect compliment.

Making an appetizer that is a hit isn’t exactly rocket science. Even lousy cooks (like me) can win the most popular app award by following these 8 keys. If you are really stuck try making the steak and  peach bites app. It is a winner.

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.

A Little Planning And Little Luck

There is nothing better than having unexpected fun. The reality is that it takes a little planning to pull together a dinner party with old and new friends from around the country. Sometimes you plan and plan, but things don’t come together.  With a little planning  and a little luck you can get a magical evening like we had September 30th 2018.

To have a dinner al fresco in the middle of  Manhattan is special by itself. To be eating dinner amongst the rooftops, with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in the background, is better than special.

(A special setting with Susan, Tom, Mary, Amanda, Paul, Mike, Sophie, Adam, and Amy)

New York City is different today. I went to Business School in the city back in the 1970’s. Everyone and everything was old. Today it seems that everyone is young and there is a whole lot that is new. If it isn’t new, it is under construction. My buddy Ron and his wife Amy live in Chelsea near the meatpacking district. Where there used to be empty warehouses, today Google has offices everywhere and the bustle of the new economy surrounds.

What made the evening particularly fun was the combination of old and new friends. Ron was my college roommate and Tom was my roommate from Business School. To say we are old friends is an understatement. Providing balance were Ron and Amy’s children. As young professionals, they are at the cornerstone of what is fun in the new world today and it was particularly fun to get their perspectives on food and socializing with friends over a meal.

(College and Business School buddies; Tom, Paul and Ron with our significant others)

The unexpected piece was getting Tom and Mary to join us at the last minute. The book Impromptu Friday Nights is named after the unplanned dinner parties we used to have in Memphis where we called friends at 3 pm on a Friday afternoon and 9 times out of 10, everyone showed up at 7 pm. This dinner party had been planned, but getting Tom and Mary came about from a call at 10 am that same day. The unexpected addition made things particularly fun.

The theme for the menu was “Hamptons Harvest” that came about from the fact that we spent the two days prior in Westhampton NY. When you say New York to non-New Yorkers, people think Manhattan and skyscrapers. What most don’t know is that there are all kinds of farms in New York. The summertime harvest in New York is spectacular. If I ever wanted to become a vegetarian, I would start in August in New York, because the fresh vegetables and fruit are spectacular.

Check out the video

A vegetarian twist to this menu is the use of pickled vegetables. We had eaten at my friends restaurant, Raven & Lily in Collierville TN, the week prior and chef Justin Young loves pickled vegetables. Using freshly pickled vegetables as Accoutrements, instead of dairy was a fun way to keep the offering vegan and Kosher.

The pickling part was simple and fun. I bought canning jars and filled one with sliced red onion and a second with small cucumbers, radishes, cauliflower and mini red orange and yellow peppers. Then I filled the jars with pickling liquid. (See Pickling Recipe)

The menu for the evening included:

Hamptons Harvest Menu

(Click on hot links for recipes)

 Antipasti

First Course

Main Course

Desserts

Ron and Amy were gracious hosts. Amy was very brave to let me take over her kitchen. Ron served up some fantastic wines from a wonderful white Burgundy to one of our favorites, a 2006 BV Tapestry. It is amazing how far we have come. Back in the 1970’s we were connoisseurs of Budweiser, Genee Cream Ale and sparkling rose. Today we were enjoying wines from Ron’s extensive collection. To quote one of my favorite Iles-isms; “Go big or stay home”. It was an amazing evening that with a little planning and a little luck  became truly memorable.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar 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.