Canadian Home Trends Kitchen & Bath/Holiday 2013 | Page 107

Holiday
party
Produced Massimo Capra
Photography Stephani Buchman

Chef Massimo Capra

The best way to enjoy a party is to divide chores between spouses,
one should tend to the food and one should be in charge of the
drinks.
Better yet invest in getting a helping hand from a professional
waiter. Shop around and you might find that a couple hundred
dollars can go a long way to make your life easier: from greeting
guests, serving, to the final cleanup, it can all be prearranged.
A must-have when guests arrive is a “welcoming drink” such as
red or white wine, beer, water, and a premixed cocktail ready to
be poured. Also, knowing your guests preferences is imperative as
it doesn’t make sense to go crazy with cocktails if you have beer
fanatics.
Now that we have taken care of beverages, we can move on to
munchies. Some Parmigiano nuggets, toasted garlic bread, hummus
dip, dry cured sausages and olives are always safe choices.
Next step to your dinner party planning is the meal preparation. A
squash flan can be prepared ahead of time and to garnish use some
wilted kale with dry cranberries as it only takes a few seconds to
complete. The bulk of its flavour comes from the flan itself and it
is a very popular item at Mistura in our Fall menu.
For the main course, you can never go wrong with a favourite
Holiday serving such as a roasted turkey. It is not a very
popular year round course due its size, but makes a tasty treat
for gatherings. TIP: Have your butcher debone the turkey it
completely and flatten it out while keeping the skin intact. Then, fill
it with the stuffing and roast it carefully. This technique will save a
third of the time baking and the meat won’t taste dry.
As dessert is also an important course, I prepared a panna cotta
with roasted pears. A simple touch of good balsamic or glaze
completes this dessert. Panna cotta is a relatively new invention
but has become a favorite amongst diners. The name panna cotta
means cooked cream and it implies a heavy creamy dessert but it is
a gentle light concoction sure to please all your guests.

Holiday Stuffed
Rolled Turkey

Happy Holidays!

Recipe on page 108

Planning a Holiday Party? Get Entertaining Tips
from Celebrity Event Planner, Colin Cowie.
www.CanadianHomeTrends.com/colin

Massimo

Massimo Capra. Food Editor

CANADIANHOMETRENDS.COM

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