Planning Isn’t A Panacea, But It Helps

Planning is my security blanket. Hosting a dinner party can be stressful. Planning is a critical tool to manage the stress. If you think through the detail, and lay out the detail, your stress level should come way down. Having your mise en place set up and then lay out a plan execution becomes a lot easier.

If planning doesn’t help your stress level…go straight to the vino! (Check out the feature image)

The dinner party we just had included a menu of:

  • Crudité with Two Dips:
    • Caramelized Leak & Gorgonzola
    • Horseradish Dill
  • Spring Greens With Homemade Croutons & Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
  • Rack of lamb Provençal
  • Salsa Verde
  • Cheese Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
  • Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower and Broccoli with Garlic
  • Sorbet With Chambord Infused Berries

Mise en place means having everything that can be done in advance set up, and consisted of:

  • Blanching vegetables for crudité
  • Preparing two dips
  • Making the crumb mixture
  • Prepping the lamb racks
  • Prep salad
    • Clean greens
    • Make croutons
    • Fry bacon
    • Make vinaigrette and grate Gorgonzola
  • Assembling the Salsa Verde
  • Making the Sage Brown Butter Sauce
  • Prepping the Romanesco Cauliflower and Broccoli
  • Marinating the fresh berries

Check out the Mise En Place video

The final plan included:

  •          5:45           Decant wine
  •          5:50           Roast broccoli
  •          6:10           Lay out Crudité
  •          6:15           Stage salad
  •          6:10           Take broccoli out of oven
  •          6:30           Heat water  for pasta          (GUESTS ARRIVE)
  •          6:35           Preheat Grill
  •          7:00           Grill lamb
  •          7:05           Cook ravioli
  •          7:08           Warm sauce
  •          7:10           Turn lamb
  •          7:12           Drain pasta (hit it with olive oil) then place in sauce
  •          7:30           Serve Salad (Make a toast and return to kitchen)
  •          7:40           Apply crumb and finish in oven
  •          7:45           Pull lamb from oven and let rest
  •          7:50           Plate, broccoli, salsa verde and ravioli
  •          7:55           Slice rack of lamb and plate
  •          8:00           Dress with fresh herbs and serve

Do I actually follow this plan… NO WAY, but having it written down really helps me. When I was in high school, the way I learned to study was to develop “cheat notes”. I would develop a consolidated list of key information on an index card that I could easily hide. The funny thing was that developing the list was all I needed. I never really needed to use it during the test (But I knew it was there, if I needed it). It is the same with my dinner party plan. Having it laid out really helps. I might reference it during the big rush or as the French would say: “Coup de feu” or rush hour on the cooking line. I will reference the plan just to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.

Have I ever forgotten something? You know I have. It is tradition in my family to forget the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. The biggest risk is to overcook something because you forget about it. Planning isn’t a panacea, but it helps.

If planning doesn’t help your stress level…go straight to the vino! (Check out the feature image)

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