I know you probably think a professional chef such as myself would be extremely skilled at table setting and preparing for a holiday get together. Truth? Not so much.
I grew up in a house that always put food and cooking first. The problem? What about setting the table and being ready when friends or family showed up for dinner? My parents would always do that after the cooking was well under way. Their theory: If the food is good, who really notices the rest? And, for the most part, I agree.
My mother always jokes about the time she told everyone to come at 4 p.m. for Thanksgiving, but had somehow told some guests noon. Imagine our surprise at 11:59 a.m. as my mom was basting the turkey in her nightgown and I was peeling potatoes, when we opened the door and found some excited, hungry friends, waiting with flowers and bottles of wine.Oof.The first time I had company for dinner as an adult, I made a similar mistake and wound up serving a great meal in a messy apartment with a partially set table.
Another thing that really helps is writing a menu. Even if you don’t end up sticking to it, why not begin with an idea of what you want to accomplish in the first place? I find it also makes for streamlined shopping. When I go to the supermarket hungry and without a master plan of some sort, I end up buying all sorts of things I never intended to use.
And while I recommend at least a rough outline of a menu when you go shopping, it’s also important to allow room for something that looks great when you see it. While you may have intended to make a sweet potato gratin, if the squash are beautiful at the market, make a squash gratin instead! I find working with ingredients at their peak, as much as possible, makes the cooking easier.
After writing the menu, I also always “Coco Chanel” it. One of Coco Chanel’s fashion tips was to remove one accessory from an outfit just before leaving the house. I write the whole menu and immediately cross at least one thing off it. Making fewer dishes leads to better results, better food and more time to hang out with your company.
My father said his mother would always cook a huge meal, serve it, clean up, clean under the refrigerator and behind the cabinets and emerge from an immaculate kitchen only to find that the guests were getting ready to leave. In reaction to these experiences, my parents would often cook and leave everything on the table afterwards, glasses, plates, napkins, and just enjoy their friends. My dad always insists on leaving everything as is and enjoying the time. It was only on the following day that they would clean up.
I know it’s hard to resist that urge to get out the soap and sponges and clean up the aftermath right after it happens… but controlling that impulse and pouring yourself another glass of wine or having an additional sliver of pie instead is far more fun! While I like to give myself a hard time about what I could have made better, or that I should have done more, your friends and family don’t have to know that.
Don’t give yourself a hard time. Buy some ready-made components to take the pressure off yourself. If something doesn’t work out, don’t serve it. Set it aside and move on! Cooking and entertaining should be as fun as possible. Its hard work, but it should be fun and rewarding in exchange! These are a lot of the ways I make sure that happens.
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source: people.com
