Laurie’s Cobalt World Blog

Easter is coming soon and many families will be having a large meal together. But will everything make it to the table at the appointed time? It’s a huge job to coordinate a large meal. Here are some ideas to help you bring it all together.

Visualize

The first step is to visualize the end you have in mind. In your mind’s eye, look at the table, the people, the place settings, candles, and flowers. Do you have everything you need?

If you do not have enough of one type of china, think about mixing and matching. Solid china mixed with your pattern may work well. I keep a large supply of clear glass plates for stretching my china when needed. One place setting may be a clear dinner plate with a china salad plate. The next may be a china dinner plate with a clear glass salad plate.

Make sure you inventory tablecloths, napkins, and chairs. Tablecloths have a way of developing stains while stored. Not having enough chairs is a problem you do not want to have at the last second.

Next, visualize your menu on the table. Are you going to serve restaurant style and make up plates in the kitchen? If you are serving restaurant style, make sure you have enough help lined up so that the serving goes smoothly.

Now that you know that everything is set for your table and your serving method, back up to the last 20 minutes or so of preparation time.

Have you chosen a menu that requires six different things to be in the oven during the last few minutes before dinner? That’s fine if you have room for six items in your ovens, but a disaster if you don’t.

Make sure you have a good mixture of cold dishes and hot dishes. Having a balance between dishes that can be prepared ahead and those that need finishing touches at the last minute will help out a lot.

And don’t forget to use different types of appliances so that everything that is supposed to be hot at the last minute actually is. Put soup in your crock pot. Brown appetizers in your toaster oven. Use the microwave only for items that really microwave well. Think of the other options you might have: electric grills, stand-alone rotisseries, convection ovens, and more.

Keep Non-Cooks Out Of The Kitchen

Plan ahead to keep non-cooks out of the kitchen. So what kinds of things do people end up in the kitchen for? Ice, beverages, and snacks. Set up a drink station or two somewhere besides the kitchen and dining area along with some infallible, low-maintenance snacks or appetizers. Remember to cater to all of the ages of guests that will be at your meal. Stuffed mushrooms might not go over well with the pre-school crowd.

Removing most of your beverages to ice chests on the patio or deck or to family rooms or other living areas will keep the path to the refrigerator clear and give you more room for you congealed salad and other refrigerated items. Plus, the door might actually stay closed long enough to keep things cold.

Making Lists

Now that you have ensured that things will go smoothly in the end, it’s time to back up and make yourself a schedule. For each dish, plan when you need to start it. Hopefully several dishes can be made, or mostly made, the day before or even earlier.

You will also need to make two shopping lists. One list is for items that may be purchased well ahead of the dinner. Purchase those the week before so that you don’t have nearly so much to take care of the week of your dinner.

The second list will be of items that must be purchased at the last minute – produce, baked goods, flowers, and special orders.

Make another list of the help you will need and make sure it is lined up ahead of time. Perhaps you want Aunt Sue to bring her special salad. Or you need someone to serve wine. Maybe you need to engage the services of the young people in the family to set the table or bring in chairs. Set all of that up ahead of time, if you can.

Putting It All Together

Laurie

A good number of years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to host my family for Christmas dinner. Before that time and ever since, our tradition is to go to my parents’ home for Christmas. Somehow I managed to get the family to travel to Atlanta, where we lived at the time. I can’t really remember how we did that.

We were very excited about this meal. I researched recipes for weeks in advance. We ordered a standing rib roast. I tried out recipes to be sure they weren’t flops before the “big day.”

When the time came, my family was a bit dismayed that we weren’t having turkey and dressing as always. It was a bit difficult to win them over, but course by course, they changed their minds and began to enjoy the qualities of each dish.

I have to say that of the approximately 17,000 meals I’ve had in my lifetime, that one is a definite standout (don’t get out your calculator - I’m 46).

One of my favorites from that meal was Potato Gruyere Gratin. It was not difficult to make, but it made a big hit with my family members, who were expecting mashed potatoes instead.

We made a recipe that served 12, but I’m going to post a version that serves two so that you don’t have to wait for a large crowd to enjoy it.

• 1 medium baking potato, about 8 oz., peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 red potato, about 4 oz. , unpeeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or a scant 1/4 tsp. of dried
• 1/8 tsp. of salt, slightly rounded
• pinch of coarse ground black pepper (slightly more if you are a fan)
• 1 1/2 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp. of butter, softened

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease or spray a 12 oz. au gratin baker or au gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

Spread half of the potato slices in the dish. Mix the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and cheese and spread half over the potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices, overlapping, for an attractive top. Pour broth over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture. Dot with butter.

Bake 30 minutes. Tilt pan to spoon up broth to baste potatoes. Bake 30 minutes longer or until top is browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Whether or not you purchase your au gratin dish (rarebit) from me - although I hope you will - I would love for you to try this recipe and hope enjoy it as much as we do.

Laurie