It’s not hard to cook when the crowd loves to eat. On the job yesterday for 25. On the menu: Comfort. Braised shrimp w/a silky beurre blanc, roast pork on the bone, stuffed w/fresh sage, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and parsley (the trick is saute the herb mix before stuffing the pork) with a garnish of wild mushrooms, seared chicken marinated with olive oil, fresh herbs, lemon zest and garlic cloves, on roasted potatoes, fennel, carrots and shallots, a big bowl of broken broccoli (boil it grandma style until it’s about to breathe it’s last breath, then mix with slivered sauteed garlic, a few red pepper flakes and flat leaf parsley and the best olive oil you can get your hands on), and a salad of sauteed asparagus, fresh mint, arugula leaves, nicoise olives and parmesan shavings.
Before they ate: an old fashioned relish tray with all the fixings, mixed salted nuts, crostini w/a flaky on the outside, creamy on the inside bucheron, and another with caponata, and my favorite: piglets au duvet! Tiny all beef doggies wrapped in all butter puff pastry w/a sweet and spicy mustard to dip in. With a crowd of 25 coming in the door, you want to have something on offer the minute you can hear their shoes in the hall.
On the way I home, I walked through the magic that is New York City at night.