Chemistry and the Dinner Party (Pt. I)

When I was working in restaurants, I often had people ask me how I came up with specials and new dishes. I had a difficult time expressing exactly how I did it at the time. Recently someone asked me to put on paper exactly how I do it. I guess it's my chemistry background, but I view everything as a formula. My outlook on life and work is an interesting mix of my "right brain" and my "left brain". The first half of my life was spent studying chemistry in laboratories and the second half has been spent in Culinary school and professional kitchens (including my own). I guess I have a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on (Puck and Pauling might be more appropriate). Designing an entree plate and planning a dinner party are no exceptions to my belief that formulas are interwoven in everything we do in life and work. Here is Part I of my article on Chemistry and the Dinner Party:

It's Monday and I've been asked to do a dinner party on Friday. I've never done this before. What do I do?
The first step is gathering information -- what, when, where, why, and how questions.

What is the occasion?
What is the theme of the party?
What type of foods does the client have in mind?
What time of day will the party be held?
Where will the party be?
Will there be kitchen facilities be available?
What is the makeup of the guest list? Men? Women? Children? Ages?
Will it be buffet or plated? If buffet will it be a mixture of hot & cold items?
What is the budget?

Once you have the particulars on the party, you can start to form an outline of how you see the party going and flesh it out from there. Think of it in terms of building a frame for a house. These questions form the foundation for everything else to build on.

If you're client wants heavy hors d'ouevres for an evening party, you can bet people are going to be counting it as dinner. Plan on the usual courses of a dinner in bite size form. You need items that would make up an appetizer, salad, and/or soup. You need items that make up an entree: Protein (the number of choices will depend on the budget), Starch (a great way to give quantity and taste without the expense), Vegetable (just about everyone wants it there, but few people eat it -- unless there are a large number of vegetarians). Finally, you need a Dessert. This will also depend on makeup of the group. Women tend to eat more sweets and a group of only women will eat more sweets than a group of men and women. Alcohol consumption also tends to decrease the amount of sweets consumed.

For light hors d'ouevres consider what someone would have for a light snack. If the host is pressing for light hors d'oeuvres at dinner time, try to talk him into going a bit heavier. If there is no leeway go with more of the starch and filler items which fill up the table, look nice, and cost less. If you run out, it looks bad for you -- not the host.

For all of these options, consider the facilities available. If oven space is limited or non-existent, opt for all cold items or mostly cold items.

Color is very important, so think in terms of foods that have eye appeal. If the food tastes great, but is all a different shade of brown it won't be impressive and probably won't "move". People eat with their eyes first.

In almost all instances, you will want to give a variety of flavors so all parts of the palate are satisfied. Seasonal availability should be considered as much for what you can get as for what you can't. Don't offer heirloom tomatoes in December unless you live south of the equator!

For a mainstream party, think of your food questionnaire. What are the foods that people most often mark yes and which do most people mark no. Especially when you are starting out, it is a good idea to stick with more mainstream ingredients. Most people want to seem hip and may say they are open to anything, and this may be true, but the majority just aren't that adventurous. If you do opt to use more exotic ingredients, limit them to a dish or two and give plenty of alternatives.

When you have all of the facts and expectations, actually putting the menu together isn't that difficult. At that point, it's just plugging dishes into the equation.