Paddy Party – Wine Pairing Party 2
Saint Patrick’s Day it is!
After a successful first event, we decided to continue on with an annual version of the Wine Pairing Party fundraiser. I wanted to really elevate the dishes and create a more profound pairing experience.
We didn’t purposefully plan on having the next party on St. Patrick’s Day. But after reviewing all the of personal schedules, trips and other events the hosts were involved in, March 17th was the only day that seemed to fit. Once that date was set, the I was told I simply had to do a corned beef dish. Oh, and something with Guinness. But we weren’t actually server beer. Alas, no black and tans.
Corned Beef Conundrum
With dash of Irish heritage (just a wee bit), my family diligently celebrates St. Patrick’s Day each year with an old-school boiled Corn Beef & Cabbage dinner. It’s a soggy, mushy, drab mess on a plate.
I was not going to serve mushy meat and vegetables for a wine pairing course. I had to break from my past and pursue making a tastier corn beef that could pair with wine. Plus, since it was the “main” dish, I wanted it to look amazing plated.
The solution ended up being a two-punch approach – braise & glaze. I now have a terrific recipe for corned beef . I also swapped out all the soggy vegetables for a more elevated versions. Boiled potatoes were replaced with garlic mashed (yes, I know, it’s still technically boiled). Boiled carrots became the beautifully caramelized roasted baby carrots. Finally, instead of a mess of wet cabbage, I did roasted brussels sprouts.
It was, and still is, the best tasting and looking corned beef dish I have had. I will never go back. I make this Guinness braised and mustard-whiskey glazed version for St Patrick’s day each year.
Prettier Plating Please
I promised myself I would upgrade my plating game for this round. That is, to at least have one. I became rather obsessed looking at Pinterest boards and YouTube videos. From how-to tutorials to just examples of beautiful plating from Michelin-starred restaurant experiences.
However my plating ambitions ran smack into a hurdle. My mother had already purchased clear, plastic plates for the party. Plastic and liquid are not terribly compatible. Liquid sauces tend to bead up and roll all around. Also, clear is not a great plating backdrop.
To manage, I focused on building layers for the dishes and using nice garnishes. Honestly, it was for the better because doing fancy plating by yourself for over 20 dishes at once across 6 courses just isn’t feasible. Even though I didn’t do a lot of fancy sauce plate work, I splurged on getting some really cool precision sauce spoons that were fun to try out.
Double Food, Double Pressure
For some insane reason, I wanted to do a 2-taste approach to the courses. Everyone has different tastes and flavors experiences. What I think goes best with a wine, may not be someone else’s ideal flavor. Therefore, wouldn’t it be more interesting to have two dishes per course, allowing guests to explore which flavors pair best for them?
It was a noble idea, but so much more work. Looking back, I should have trimmed some courses down. But for my folly, you get double the recipes to peruse.
Taste Testing Time
Happily, this time, I tasted the wines as I was creating and experimenting with the dishes. I even used a family birthday party to trial run some dishes. It really helped hone the pairings and it was nice to have other opinions. For example, my starting dish was a lemon granita and I was trying out various herbs to infuse. Ginger was a favorite flavor without considering the wine. But it was basil that had an amazing transformational experience with the prosecco we were serving.
Testing also saved me from a failed pairing of certain chardonnay and a mango salsa I was envisioning for a fish taco. I had to go back to the drawing board on the whole dish. I highly recommend using your family and friends as test subjects – if it doesn’t work out they should think no less of you.
Free the Glutens
Yet another consideration this round, gluten-free mindfulness. During the last party, I learned that one of the hosts had a gluten intolerance. And really, so many people avoid glutens these days.
Most of the courses I made this time were gluten-free. Not forgetting vegetarians, most of courses had a veggy component, or I just didn’t use meat for the person who requested meatless. Mashed potatoes with whiskey glaze sauce is still pretty awesome.
A year older, a little wiser
Having one party under my belt, I was far more prepared for all planning and prepping this round. But not that I did myself any favors, as I set myself up for a lot more work. I do that a lot, it’s hard to back off when you start getting inspired.
When managing a multi-course menu with a lot of people, look at your menu and plating plan and give it one solid edit to streamline. What can you do to make it quicker, easier, or simpler? Good food does not have to be super complex to be impressive. (I say this now, but I got way more complex on the next gig…will I ever learn?)
Even if I thought myself “wiser”, there were a couple missteps that night (see my notes below about sushi rice disaster *sigh*). But overall, I was very pleased with how this menu came together, the improved plating techniques and the stronger pairings.