Want to put a new spin on your holiday party this year? Try a throwback from the 1970s: progressive dinner parties. Progressive dinner parties are a great way to get together with neighbors, friends and family, and the best part is, you’re only responsible for one course.
To plan a progressive dinner party, talk to friends and neighbors to gauge their interest and willingness to participate. These parties work best in neighborhoods where people can walk from one house to the next.
Experts recommend scheduling no more than three or four courses, otherwise the evening becomes too complicated for all involved. Plan on at least a three-hour evening with 45 minutes at each home.
If you’re part of the organizing team, you’ll not only want to consider the menu, but the décor and arrangements as well. Jamie Hurd, academic department director of interior design for The Art Institute of Portland, recommends creating a design theme that can help tie the whole evening together. For example:
Autumn Harvest – With this theme, you can use gourds, pumpkins and other foods of the harvest. Buy stalks of corn to tie to columns outside of each house, or stack them on the corner of each porch. For table arrangements, scatter brightly-colored leaves around the table (make sure they are fresh) as well as a few acorns or pine cones. Autumn harvest is about abundance, so anything you can do to make things look abundant will tie in well, such as covering a small plate entirely with food or slightly tilting the bread in a container so it looks like it’s falling out.
Ice Cold – Pick up sparkly white netting or tulle from a floral or craft store, and place throughout each participating house. Use cool blues, transparent glasses and candlesticks as décor in each home to emulate the chilly winter months.
Single Color – If you don’t want to be season-specific, you could choose one color and repeat it in different tones from house to house. The same color could be replicated in items such as table linens, plate ware, drinks, glasses, candles and more. For something different, try replacing a few key light bulbs in each house to match the color theme of the party.
Color Block Party – Each house can take on a different color as its theme. This way, hosts will have freedom in choosing the décor, but there’s still some continuity as guests go from house to house.
For progressive party food, there are plenty of options. According to Chef Joseph Zoellin, academic chairman of the culinary department, The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, the key to a great progressive dinner party menu is “make ahead-ability” of the dishes.
“Select appetizers, soups, salads, main courses or desserts that can be made ahead and still look fresh and wonderful when your guests arrive,” he says.
As a chef instructor at a culinary school, Zoellin says many of his young students were not even born when progressive dinner parties first became popularized, “so this is a new concept to them.” However, when he introduced the idea to his students, they were so eager that they almost immediately started planning parties amongst themselves.
Zoellin recommends the following recipe for “Carpaccio of Beef” because it can be prepared ahead of time and requires a minimum of preparation to serve. “To complement the ‘wow’ of a perfect Carpaccio, serve a fresh, fruity and lively Beaujolais,” he recommends.
A simple Web search for “progressive dinner party” will yield even more information and recipes for an entertaining idea that’s ready for a comeback.
FMI, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz.
12 oz beef tenderloin (trim all fat and silver skin)
6 oz mustard, Dijon
1 Tbsp Kosher salt, to taste
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
3 oz capers, drained
3 tsps fresh cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Mayonnaise, homemade preferred
Red onions, very thinly sliced
1. Set the beef tenderloin in freezer until almost frozen.
2. Mix mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.
3. Slice the nearly frozen beef tenderloin very thin – the slices should
barely hold their shape. (Use a very sharp slicing knife or an electric
meat slicer). Arrange the tenderloin slices in circles on very cold
plates. Have slices slightly overlap each other. You may assemble the
plate up to an hour before service.
4. To serve, sprinkle the capers, fresh cracked black pepper and sliced red onions over each plate. Drizzle over with extra-virgin olive oil and place teaspoon of Dijon mayonnaise in the center of each plate. Serve well chilled. Makes 6 servings
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