Once when Teri was on an exotic adventure trip, I gave a dinner party for 8. I ushered my friends into the living room, served wine and engaged in animated conversation, but not a speck of food appeared. After awhile some of the dinner guests went into the kitchen and cooked a delicious dinner. So control and power, blended with a little group activity, are hallmarks of any good dinner.

Several years ago Teri and I gave a dinner party for our long-time publisher and friend Phil Wood to celebrate the publication of Fast Appetizers. He arrived wearing one of his signature billowy polka-dot outfits, created especially for him by a Hawaiian artist, and carrying an armful of wines and copies of his recent cookbook publications. Other friends arrived. I cooked madly as course upon course appeared only to disappear. Massive numbers of wine bottles were opened, and the din rose as one of Phil’s authors led the conversation on the custom of eating bugs in other cultures. He described how the Vietnamese coax tarantulas from their underground dens and then batter and deep-fry the hairy spiders, which led to much theorizing by all of us about suitable condiments.

Meanwhile, sunset transitioned into inky blackness with faint starlight since the installation of an outdoor lighting system had never been a priority of our “work-eat” program. A sudden frantic banging on the pantry door silenced the group. Then more banging. We rushed to the pantry door, and there stood an agitated shepherd, waving his arms and motioning into the darkness. His flock of several hundred goats, brought in by a neighbor for the purpose of “weed-eating” the spring grasses, had broken through the fencing and was moving across our hilltop, devouring not just grasses but roses, Russian sage, low limbs on our olive trees, and the vegetable-herb garden. We couldn’t see the goats, but the sound of their mastication and the image of our hilltop laid barren sent our group into an unbalanced frenzy. Teri supplied flashlights, and after much tripping, shouting and pushing (I fell down and was trampled by goats), we managed to push the intruders back through the hole, secure the opening, and return breathless and disheveled to the dining table.

Surprising dinner guests had entered, eaten and been expelled. “Weed-eating” had been completed in a matter of minutes. And the “work-eat” program, disparaged by some, already had me planning the next dinner party.

Serves 8

• 20 tiny red potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup aged Asiago cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced chives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub potatoes with olive oil and roast in the oven until tender when prodded with a fork, about 40 minutes. In a bowl, combine the garlic, mayonnaise, cheese, cayenne and chives. Mix well. When potatoes have cooled to room temperature, using a paring knife, cut a hole in the top of each potato and remove about 1/3 of the potato. Fill the hollow with the garlic-cheese mixture. Can be done to this point up to 24 hours before serving with all food refrigerated.

To serve: Bake in a 350-degree oven until browned on top, about 12 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 8

• 12 1-ounce logs of soft goat cheese, about 1 inch in diameter, chilled
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole pepper corns, “tricolor” mixture
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/3 cup slivered fresh basil or mint leaves, or cilantro springs
• 1 teaspoon grated orange skin
• 30 of your favorite crackers or Belgium endive leaves

Using dental floss, cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place slices in a single layer in a Pyrex pie plate or baking dish. In a small saucepan, combine the oil and peppercorns. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, basil and orange. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the peppercorns begin to “pop,” about 2 minutes. Immediately stir in the garlic mixture. After 5 seconds of stirring, pour the hot oil mixture over the cheese. Can be completed to this point up to 48 hours before serving with all food refrigerated.

To serve: When the cheese is chilled, transfer the cheese to a decorative plate. Pour the oil over the top. Serve at room temperature or chilled with crackers or Belgium endive leaves.

At one such event, a couple I didn’t know personally commissioned me to prepare a Chinese banquet for 16 guests. I usually preview the kitchen, but for this event everything was arranged by phone. The home was one in a series of stately Spanish-style houses near the Santa Barbara Mission. The front door was already open, so I walked into the living room, accepted a warm welcome from a group assembled around the fire, and proceeded to the kitchen to “inspect.” I hate a cluttered kitchen, but here were wonderfully empty counters and a center island the size of New Hampshire. Out I went to my old beat-up van to make countless roundtrips, unloading dozens of little containers of stir-fry sauces, marinated meats, chilled lobsters, tea-smoked duck breasts, homemade mu shu wrappers and trays of dim sum—all ready to be steamed, pan fried and boiled. What chaos! Thirty minutes of organizational frenzy later, an elegantly dressed woman appeared in the kitchen. Ah, the hostess! Her first words were, “Who are you, and what are you doing in MY kitchen?” I had transposed the numbers of the address. Wrong house! The real client lived next door!

What’s been your biggest surprise?

Dinner Parties aren’t a kitchen foot-race, way to impress friends, something undertaken as marital duty, a stage to display family silver or repay social debits, a freakish tilt toward culinary kung-fu menu-of-the-month ordeals, or a red badge of courage as you’re buried under mountainous dishes, battered pots, burned kitchen towels and splattered cloths.

Dinner Parties—Yes

Dinner Parties celebrate life, deepen friendships, stimulate storytelling, encourage “We” versus “I” behavior, intensify all the senses, provide a perfect stage for making new friends, become a welcomed refuge from the disheartening cascade of international events and high-pressure day-to-day living foretelling oncoming illness and the loss of old friends, and so they’re a momentary pause as we linger around the table, our little band, celebrating the brightness of being together.

A Note on Menu Planning

A few years ago, an investment banker from Boulder spent a week at my Napa Valley cooking school. He had fallen madly in love with cooking and cooked every night for his wife and three daughters. But menu planning was his Achilles heel. “Timing is a big problem.” “Sometimes everything tastes similar.” “There’s always so much food left over.” Here is my answer to him:

1. The more dishes that can be served cold or at room temperature, the fewer the timing problems. This is especially helpful when choosing appetizers.
2. The most exciting menus feature diverse flavors, textures and colors. If curry is used to season an appetizer, it shouldn’t be used elsewhere. If shrimp is featured as the entrée, then resist temptations to serve your famous Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Appetizer. I’m a ginger fanatic, but it doesn’t show much imagination using this multiple times in a menu.
3. Meat as the entrée solves many timing problems. Meat coming off the barbecue or out of the oven can be left at room temperature for up to 30 minutes. Placed on hot dinner plates and garnished with a sauce, dinner guests will perceive the meat as “piping hot.” Meat can wait for the carrots or the asparagus or the risotto, but never the other way around. So play it safe. Choose a meat entrée and err on having it done a little early.
4. Timing is what makes fish so tricky to serve as an entrée. Fish requires perfect cooking and immediate service. If serving fish as the entrée, choose side dishes that can be kept warm or served at room temperature such as rice pilaf with grilled vegetables.
5. Restaurant chefs are great at multitasking. My nephew, John McDonald, could crack 4 eggs simultaneously while flipping an omelet with the other hand. But for the rest of us having to complete two last-minute cooking tasks at the same time can lead to a massive brain seizure. Plan the entrée and its surrounding dishes with culinary brain seizures in mind.
6. In the early years of my cooking, I always second-guessed the serving size recommended by cookbooks. Inevitably, I had “way more” food and was “way more” tired from prepping unnecessarily large amounts. On some occasions when cooking a dinner party for 8, I’d have enough food to serve all of Santa Barbara. Don’t doubt the recommended serving size provided in this book. These recipes are based on 35 years of giving dinner parties. Just trust me!

Two Appetizer Recipes

Marinated Goat Cheese with Garlic and Basil

(serves 8)

It’s the infused oil that gives this goat cheese an intense and exciting flavor. The marinated goat cheese is also very good used as a filling for the center stalks of celery or inside Belgium endive cups. In terms of technique, since goat cheese tears easily, cut the goat cheese with dental floss rather than a knife.

• 12 1-ounce logs of soft goat cheese, about 1 inch in diameter, chilled
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole pepper corns, “tricolor” mixture
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/3 cup slivered fresh basil or mint leaves, or cilantro springs
• 1 teaspoon grated orange skin
• 30 of your favorite crackers or Belgium endive leaves

Using dental floss, cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place slices in a single layer in a Pyrex pie plate or baking dish. In a small saucepan, combine the oil and peppercorns. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, basil and orange. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the peppercorns begin to “pop,” about 2 minutes. Immediately stir in the garlic mixture. After 5 seconds of stirring, pour the hot oil mixture over the cheese. Can be completed to this point up to 48 hours before serving with all food refrigerated.

To serve: When the cheese is chilled, transfer the cheese to a decorative plate. Pour the oil over the top. Serve at room temperature or chilled with crackers or Belgium endive leaves.

Baby Red Potatoes Stuffed with Cheese and Garlic

(serves 8)

One of the most gifted chefs in Napa Valley is Kelley Novak, and this is her recipe. It is an utterly delicious way to begin a dinner party. Kelley uses Asiago cheese, but you can substitute any hard, flavor-packed cheese, such as cheddar, pecorino, dry jack or Reggiano parmesano.

• 20 tiny red potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup aged Asiago cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced chives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub potatoes with olive oil and roast in the oven until tender when prodded with a fork, about 40 minutes. In a bowl, combine the garlic, mayonnaise, cheese, cayenne and chives. Mix well. When potatoes have cooled to room temperature, using a paring knife, cut a hole in the top of each potato and remove about 1/3 of the potato. Fill the hollow with the garlic-cheese mixture. Can be done to this point up to 24 hours before serving with all food refrigerated.

To serve: Bake in a 350-degree oven until browned on top, about 12 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon wasabi paste
• 4 6-ounce pieces fresh salmon fillets or steaks
• 1 orange cut into 1/4-inch thin slices
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons grated orange skin

In a bowl, combine teriyaki sauce, orange juice, basil, and ginger. Combine mayonnaise and wasabi paste, stirring well. Can be done 8 hours before cooking with all food refrigerated. Marinate the fish with the teriyaki sauce for 5 to 15 minutes, refrigerated. On a heavy baking pan lined with foil, add the orange slices. Place fish flat side down on top of the slices. Add the butter in little pieces across the top of the fish. Turn the oven to Broil. Place the fish 4 inches under the broiler heat. Broil until it turns golden, about 4 minutes. If the fish is not done (the fish should flake easily when prodded with a fork), turn the oven to Bake at 300 degrees and continue cooking. Transfer the fish and orange slices to dinner plates. Scatter with sesame seeds, grated orange skin, and a stripe or dots of the mayonnaise-wasabi sauce. Serve.

• 4 cups gently packed spinach leaves, about 4 ounces
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 dried red chili pods
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 4 5-ounce pieces fresh filet of sole
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil

In a large bowl, combine spinach, garlic, chili, soy, sesame oil, and sugar. Toss until evenly mixed. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish. Dust both sides of fish with flour, shaking off all excess. Place two 12-inch sauté pans over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the oil to the pans. When the oil become hot, add the sole flat side up in a single layer. Pan-fry about 60 seconds on each side, turning the sole over once. The sole is cooked when it just begins to flake when prodded with a spatula. Transfer to dinner plates. Return one of the pans to the stove over high heat. Add the remaining oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the spinach. Using tongs or a spatula, rapidly turn over the spinach leaves. The moment the spinach wilts (but has not begun to expel its moisture), spoon the spinach over the fish. Serve.

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 5-ounce pieces fresh fillet of sole
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 4 lemon wedges

Toast nuts in a preheated 325-degree oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Combine wine with half the salt and pepper. Sprinkle sole on both sides with remaining salt and pepper. Dust sole on both sides with flour, shaking off all excess. Place two 12-inch sauté pans over medium-high heat. Add the oil to both pans. When the oil becomes hot, add the sole flat side up in a single layer. Cook the sole about 60 seconds on each side, turning the sole over once. The sole is done when it flakes easily when prodded with a spatula. Transfer the fish to dinner plates. Return one of the pans to medium-high heat. Add the butter. When the butter melts, add the shallots and garlic. When the shallots become transparent, about 30 seconds, add the wine sauce. When the wine sauce begins to thicken, about 20 seconds, add the almonds. Sauté for 5 seconds, and then spoon the nuts and sauce over the sole. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve accompanied with lemon wedges.

• 1/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, about 8
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 6-ounce pieces fresh black cod or seabass fillet, skinned
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 3 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Discard mushroom stems. Cut mushroom caps into 1/8-inch wide strips. Combine the cream, wine, ginger, sesame oil, orange, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper. Then dust on both sides with flour, shaking off all excess. Place two 12-inch sauté pans over medium-high heat. When hot, add half the oil and butter. When butter begins to brown, add fish flat side up. When fish is lightly browned, about 1 minute, turn fish over. Cover pans, turn heat to low, and cook fish until it just begins to flake when prodded with a fork, about 4 minutes. Transfer fish to dinner plates. Return one pan to the stove over high heat. Add remaining oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the mushrooms. Sauté for 30 seconds, then add cream sauce. Boil sauce until it thickens and turns a light brown. Spoon mushroom sauce over fish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

Serves 10

• 1 pound raw tuna filet, sashimi grade
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
• 1 tablespoon very finely minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Louisiana or Asian chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely grated or minced orange skin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Cut tuna into 1-inch wide strips. Rub with olive oil and black pepper. Heat a cast-iron frying pan over high heat for 10 minutes. The pan must be blazing hot! Then add tuna to frying pan. Sear tuna 15 seconds on each side, then remove immediately from pan. Using a very sharp thin-bladed knife, cut into 1/4-inch thin slices. Arrange fish on a serving platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a small bowl combine lime zest, lime juice, Grand Marnier, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, orange skin, salt, and mayonnaise.
Last-Minute Assembly Chop the parsley; zest the lime; and set aside capers. Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture in the center of each piece of tuna. Sprinkle on the parsley, lime zest, and capers. Serve at once.

Please leave a comment to let us know how you like this recipe.