Entertaining In The Kitchen

By Christy Rost, September 2005

Have you ever noticed some of the best parties take place in the kitchen? While the host or hostess puts the finishing touches on the meal, everyone is invited into the kitchen to view the final preparations and even lend a helping hand. Amidst the gentle hubbub of stirring and mixing, guests serve themselves from a tray of appetizers and bottles of wine, aperitifs, and sparkling water. The atmosphere is convivial and relaxed. It’s also great theater.

Cooking and entertaining as an art form is more popular than ever. One has only to turn on the television or leaf through newspapers to witness the ever-growing popularity of TV cooking shows, neighborhood cooking classes, and charity culinary events. Like going to the movies or the theater, a skilled chef on a culinary set or stage provides not only tasty samples, but entertainment.

Chopping, flipping, and stirring ingredients may be a newer type of theater, but its roots go back to our grandmothers’ kitchens. Many of us recall watching our grandmothers, a favorite aunt, or a parent stirring up delicious meals in the kitchen when we were young. The combination of “kitchen sounds” and delicious aromas that emanated from the kitchen was comforting and almost magical. How appropriate then, that we return to the kitchen when entertaining our friends.

This month’s featured recipes are ideal for entertaining in the kitchen. A Mongolian grill party, using my recipe for Mongolian Beef and Vegetables, provides guests the opportunity to play Iron Chef. Slice all the ingredients earlier in the day and arrange them in separate containers, provide a selection of grilling sauces in small bowls, and arrange several skillets, woks, or pancake griddles on the stove. See how fun entertaining in the kitchen can be when guests select their favorite ingredients, create a custom sauce, and then quickly sauté the mixture. Served with steamed rice and Pork Lo Mein Noodle Soup, it’s a complete meal in minutes.

The kitchen is also a cozy area to gather with a friend or two for coffee. This month’s recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones combines the sweetness of fresh oranges with the tang of cranberries. You’ll love these moist, flavorful scones anytime of day, drizzled with a bit of icing to dress them up. For committee meetings or neighborhood gathering, my Upside Down Peach Cake is divine. This tender light cake, with its brown sugar cinnamon topping and halo of sliced peaches, is the perfect autumn treat with morning coffee, afternoon tea, or after dinner. You’ll find all these recipes on the easyentertain.com homepage.

Note: Christy Rost is the host of the television cooking/lifestyle show “Just Like Home” and the author of The Family Table: Where Great Food, Friends, and Family Gather Together (2004, Capital Books, Inc.). Christy’s book is being re-released in a softcover edition September 2005. Please ask for it in your local bookstore.