Sounds like everything you mentioned can be done ahead of time.

I would put the wine in the Bolognaise sauce when you are reheating the sauce tomorrow. Just my own preference.

sounds like a great Holiday meal.

dcarch

Wow, you are amazing! Beijing crispy roast duck too?

DH fried his own egg this morning; that's as good as it gets in my house.

Sure do wish I worked with you!

For what its worth I would do doctored pasta sauce for the kids. Most seem to like the prepared stuff best

Do ahead scallop potatoes are OK but I much prefer them done fresh.

Lovely menu.

Enjoy

I'm using a potato gratin recipe that ann_t posted here. I'm simmering the potatoes in half and half now. I truly suck at this dish, but have need tried a CF recipe before so maybe that will do the trick. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cooking/msg111800152048.html

Alas no choice but to make the potatoes ahead, I won't have time to do it sur commande

SWMBO is going to do the doctored pasta sauce. She doesn't like my bolognaise. I've protested, injured and aghast, but I'm secretly relieved.

The boeuf bourguignon is in the oven. There's too much to fit in my pressure cooker. So it'll be a late night tending to it.

Carrots are marinating in mirin. I think I'll roast them tomorrow.

A mess of spinach to wash and trim. I made a big huff about how silly it was to buy bagged, prepared spinach, and now I'm regretful.

Going to the basement to check on my hopefully-nicely-dry duck and paint it with the glaze.

I didn't plan today well. Got up at 6 am, went for a hilly bicycle ride with a friend, then to dim sum with mother and sister, after which there was Christmas shopping and grocery shopping, so I didn't start all this until about 4 pm. I'm tired already. Brewing a pot of coffee. Have to get up at 4:30 am tomorrow to go to work, rush home as early as I can and continue cooking.

I have the feeling that this dinner is not going to be much fun - for me :-(

OK, I've wondered long enough, john. I know SWMBO is your wife, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

I hope you aren't too busy working on your wonderful menu to answer RIGHT NOW! I can't stand it any longer.

And, are there any job openings in your office? I love this kind of party.

Hi John, a lovely, gracious, undertaking.

My 2 cents is be prepared to delegate the plating of hors d, salads and any other stuff that folks are bringing. Get serving dishes ready-for the brought stuff.

Semi prepare for glassware, cutlery and plates and delegate to have it set out-unless you find an extra half hour.

Buffet, I hope. It'll all be great. Be easy on yourself-you are really not a caterer, even if you think that would be a piece of cake.

Since spinach cooks down so much, is there another veg that can supplement that and is easy to fix?

It will be a great party because they love you and love your food. Smile!

I am sure all the guests will be wowed.....even if the potatoes are "made ahead"...LOL!
So....what's to drink? Wines? What? Cocktails Boutique beer?
Dotty I will be busy tomorrow......can I have a rain check?

ann_t's potato gratin is layered, cheesed, and in the refrigerator. i'll bake it tomorrow. I followed her recipe except for adding some grated nutmeg and using white pepper.

Spinach is cleaned, trimmed, dried and bagged. I need to get the almonds toasted and then this will be ready for cooking tomorrow.

Duck is inflated and painted with mirin and hoisin, fan is still on, I'll repeat the painting a couple more times tonight. During the roasting, it will be glazed with honey.

SWMBO thinks we don't have enough food. We're doing the math and she is right. I have to come up with a third main course tomorrow. Probably a baked salmon, and SWMBO and I are arguing about, ahem, discussing, how it should be prepared.

Risotto will be the pressure-cooked 15 minute version tomorrow. Yup, I'm cutting corners already.

Sitting down for dinner now. I pan-fried some chicken, we're heating up yesterday's soup, and there is a quickie salad.

We have 13 adults - oops, I'd originally counted 12. That creates problems with the table, someone is going to have a mismatched setting. Borrowing a second piano bench from the neighbors as we're short on chairs and two people will have to squeeze at each end of the table. There will be 6 to 8 kids from 5 y/o to 15 y/o, they will sit at various "little kids tables" scattered around.

Sorry for rambling. I'm afraid this is an unedited view into the chaos.

Yes, it will be a buffet. SWMBO will set the table tomorrow morning. Good idea, I'll have serving dishes all picked out and ready.

The veg may be an issue. I have four gallon ziplocks of spinach, but you're right, it will cook down a lot. Our assistant/receptionist is the non-dairy person and I've planned four large mirin roasted carrots for her, she eats like a bird (a size zero girl, you know) so there will be a bit of that left over. Maybe I will get SWMBO to make a broccoli casserole.

The head of our team is a fanatical oneophile, he'll bring a couple hundred dollars of wine I think. I told him otherwise we'll be drinking box wine. No other cocktails, it is a work night after all.

We don't get together as a team often enough. We're in a stressful business, and we do need to do this sort of thing more often. It is too easy to forget that we're trying to have some fun, along with building a business. The world being as it has been lately, the fun part has been a bit hard to come by. 2011 has been one of the most trying years in my experience.

13 adults = three ducks.

Have them in a row. You will need them.

dcarch

John, for some reason I was thinking you meant cooked ahead! They will be fine made up the night before.

BTW I am gratin challenged too. Now I use Ann T's recipe and they are always great!

Sounds great! Sorry that I missed your post until too late. Let us know how it all went when you're done. I love group parties with my team. We have fun working hard, but the parties make it so much better for longer working. We always say "We need to do this more often!" but never do.

:)

I also read this too late. First thing that jumped at me is risotto doesn't do well unless it is right from the pot. Good that you are pressure cooking it right before the meal. If you run out of time, it will be OK to just put some plain rice in a rice cooker.

Hope all goes well, John. Given your time frame, I would have SIMPLIFIED. Duck for 21? Better for a small crowd. Salmon was a good idea - baked with pesto topping, your own or jarred (I actually prefer a pistachio and Italian parsley pistou but you are out of time).

If you are really up against the wall, Stouffer's frozen creamed spinach.

Steam the broccoli, if there is no time for a casserole.

Pick up a couple of baguettes. Starch is always a good filler if you are running out of food.

With 21 mouths to feed (kids can eat a lot - guard them from the duck, LOL)....you might have to supplement with take-out, like a pan of lasagna and pasta for the bolognese from a local Italian place.

Good luck!

Nothing to add but a big "good luck!" Hope things fall into place so you can have a chance to enjoy. Your menu sounds great.

Gee, I am totally stressed out from just reading this!! Hope all goes well, but it sounds like you have it under control.

4:50 pm. People arriving 5:30 pm.

Duck at 122 F in a 300 F oven. I'll pull it at 130 F, then heat the oven to 425 F for final skin crisping and cooking through.

Boeuf reunited w/ sauve and fresh wine, in covered pot, slowly simmering.

Risotto in the pressure cooker. coming to pressure.

Bolognaise sauce simmering. Need to put on pasta water. 3 more kids coming, than we expected.

Everything ready for creamed spinach but the spinach. Brie cheese melted, cream and amaretto sauce ready, almonds toasted, shallots melted.

Potatoes mostly cooked, ready for final cooking in oven at 400 F.

Forgot the effing carrots, well they will go in the toaster oven.

Be sure to report, later.... good luck!

...and you had time to post... Sounds pretty in control to me! Can't wait to hear more.

Risotto done and waiting. Oven heating to 425 F. Spinach going to start wilting it. Drinkingthe cooking amaretto

LOL!! And if those kids are hungry, a frozen pizza can take the stress off the good stuff!
And remember the success of a good dinner party it to make it look easy....a snap...duck soup....even though you are sweating bullets making it all come off as planned!

Risotto done and waiting. Oven heating to 425 F. Spinach going to start wilting it. Drinkingthe cooking amaretto

OMG. An evening that ended with drinking scotch straight from the bottle. The food was okay - duck yummy, beef pretty good, ann_t's recipe have me the first successful potatoes au gratin recipe I've ever made, creamed spinach was tasty but too thin, and I forget the rest. Must be in the brain cells that have died. Dragged myself out of bed at 4:30 am and was on the bicycle headed to work at 5:15 am as usual. Kind of a weavy ride in. Fortunately there is a place across the street from our office that served me a big omelette at 6 am, which settled my stomach a bit. Thanks for all the advice!

Yay! You made it through alive!

I just love all your stories John. You are a very
special guy and SHMBO is a very lucky lady....... and I suspect you are every bit as lucky.

Sounds like a great party that will be remembered by all........except those who can't remember !

We're doing another dinner tonight. I'll explain later. It is an important one to me, for two particular people who are here.

We had an awful day an work. Swearing and kicking walls time. SWMBO put huge chips in one of my Chinese cleavers, whacking crabs. And I'm not even upset. Maybe the holiday spirit is forcing its way in.

We're having - this is her dinner project- meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I'm contributing roasted brussel sprouts dusted with sugar and chanters mushrooms . We're drinking dirty, oh so dirty, martinis.