Emily Post's Great Get-Togethers (18 page)

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Sweet and Hot Paprikas

Serves 6 to 8

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts of 2 medium leeks)

1 cup chopped shallots

½ cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons hot paprika

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

5 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth, preferably organic

2 pounds brown (cremini) or white cultivated mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

11/3 cups sour cream, whisked until smooth, plus additional sour cream for serving

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus additional dill for serving

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks, shallots, celery, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and paprikas over the vegetables, lower the heat, and cook, stirring and mashing often without browning or burning (the mixture will be dry), for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the stock, then add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. The soup will look impossibly thick at this point, but persevere. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook, stirring once or twice, until the mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
   
2. In a food processor, puree half the soup (or, for a smooth soup, puree all of it). Return the pureed portion of the soup to the pan. The soup can be prepared to this point up to 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
   
3. Set the pan of soup over low heat. Whisk in the sour cream; stir in the dill. Heat, stirring often, until steaming;
   do not boil or the sour cream will curdle
   . Adjust the seasoning. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each portion with a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of dill, and serve hot.
   

Almond Dream Cookies

These are Carrie Brown’s version of meltaways, eggless confectioners’ sugar–based cookies popular in the fifties. They’re fun, easy cookies to make with children. Makes about 40

¼ cup blanched slivered almonds

2¼ cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting the cookies

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. In a shallow metal pan, toast the almonds, stirring them once or twice until they are crisp, fragrant, and lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately and cool.
   
2. Onto a piece of wax paper, sift together the flour, salt, and cinnamon.
   
3. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and cream until fluffy, then add the almond and vanilla extracts and blend in well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated.
   
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart (the cookies don’t spread much). Top each cookie with an almond sliver. Bake until firm on top and lightly browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes.
   
5. Transfer the cookies to wire cooling racks. Dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar, using a fine-mesh sieve to sift it over them. The cookies can be eaten immediately, stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month. Layer them in the storage container between layers of parchment or wax paper and dust them again with confectioners’ sugar if necessary just before serving.
   

Little Espresso Brownies

Fudgy and moist, not too sweet, these brownies allow the dark chocolate flavor to shine. They’re chock-full of toasted walnuts and a hint of espresso for grown-up complexity. Full-sized, they make extravagant picnic sweets, while cut into more manageable morsels, they star on cookie platters or dress up a dessert of ice cream or sorbet. For the ultimate sundae, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. Makes 16 large (2¼" × 3¼") or 30 small (1½" × 2½") brownies

2 cups walnuts

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (measure it by scooping the cup into the flour container and then sweeping it level)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened good-quality cocoa powder, preferably Sharffen Berger or Valrhona

1 tablespoon powdered instant espresso, such as Medaglia D’Oro

¾ teaspoon salt

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (use the best available, like Sharffen Berger)

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2½ cups sugar

½ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9- by 13-inch rectangular metal baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper; lightly butter the parchment.
   
2. In a shallow metal pan, toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until crisp, lightly browned, and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan immediately, cool to room temperature, and coarsely chop. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.
   
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt.
   
4. In a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, combine the chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring once or twice with a wooden spoon, until melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the hot water and let stand on a rack while preparing the rest of the batter.
   
5. In a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high or in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium, beat the eggs until light and foamy. Using the same speed setting, gradually beat in the sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat for 18 minutes with a hand mixer or 15 minutes for a stand mixer. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat until just incorporated. Add the chocolate mixture and mix on low until just barely blended into the batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fold the nuts into the batter by hand. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and level it with a spreader.
   
6. Bake for 18 minutes. Reverse the position of the pan on the oven rack from front to back and continue to bake until the top of the brownies just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, another 10 to 12 minutes (monitor closely). The top will be set and feel firm while a tester inserted into the center will come out with a few crumbs still clinging to it. Your kitchen will smell fragrant with chocolate. Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack to room temperature. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic or foil and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. The brownies can also be frozen in the pan for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before removing from the pan and cutting.
   
7. To cut the brownies, carefully run a knife around the edges. Flip the pan over onto a cutting board; the brownies will drop out. (Give the bottom of the pan a rap if the brownies seem reluctant.) Lift away the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Flip the brownies back over (right side up). With a long, thin-bladed knife, wiped occasionally between cuts with a damp kitchen towel, trim the slightly drier edges off the brownie if desired (save these for kitchen nibbling). Cut the brownies into quarters and then evenly divide each quarter into 4 rectangles. We use a ruler to accomplish this.
   
8. Serve cold or at room temperature. Individually wrap leftover brownies in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
   

W
hen we look back at our calendars, we see celebrations not just of official holidays, but also of personal milestones like birthdays and anniversaries, and the traditions we establish ourselves—an annual trip to the lake with friends or our Aunt Sara’s annual lobster party. As we peruse these calendars, over and over we see good food as the cornerstone of any celebration. For instance, Anna hosts an early Thanksgiving every year to celebrate with friends, and Lizzie always celebrates Mardi Gras with cocktails, beads, and hors d’oeuvres. Choose a reason to celebrate that has meaning for you, and then turn it into a tradition.

Sunday Dinner: An Old Tradition in a New Light

O
ur parents like to regale us with stories of the Sunday family dinner “back in the day.” Our mom, wearing her Sunday best, went to her grandparents’ after church for a sit-down meal with a roast-something that her grandfather carved perfectly at the table. At our dad’s, the 2:00
P.M.
Sunday family dinner was followed by a second ritual, as the family piled into the station wagon and drove to the city for a New York Rangers hockey game. The Sunday dinner table was where you really learned about your family—their history, hopes and worries, stories, jokes, and personalities. The meal was pretty special, too—something that had been cooking all morning while the family was at church, food that was delicious, comforting, and made with love.

We’re happy to see that Sunday dinner is making a comeback. When you think about it, it’s an ideal way to entertain: long, lazy afternoons with friends and relatives gathered together around the table. Think uncomplicated comfort food like roasts, braises, and casseroles. The event doesn’t have the formality of a Saturday night dinner party—it’s more of a community effort and a chance to decompress. Since Sunday night is a “school night,” an afternoon or early evening meal covers both lunch and dinner and lets everyone get home in time to prepare for the upcoming week. And like the Sunday dinner of old, it’s an opportunity to bring multiple generations of friends and family together around the table.

tips for a successful sunday dinner

• Keep the atmosphere casual, warm, and relaxing: You want the focus to be more on spending time with your guests than on an elaborate menu.
  
• Invite as many people as you can comfortably fit around your table.
  
• Be open to guests who ask if they can bring someone.
  
• Invite guests to arrive between one and four in the afternoon.
  
• Keep the menu simple and seasonal, but have plenty of everything.
  
• Say yes to help—with the prep, the food, the cleanup, the works.
  
• Serve the food family style, buffet style, or a combination of both: You could sit everyone down to a plated first course, then serve family-style platters. Or enlist helpers to plate each course. It’s all about lingering.
  
• Have an activity available before or after the meal: Play board games, do Sunday crossword puzzles, take a walk, play croquet or bocce, watch a movie or a ball game, or just plain chat.
  
• Consider hosting Sunday dinners on a regular basis. You’ll be surprised at how easily the idea catches on.
  

The Communal Table

H
aving everyone at one table creates a sense of family, so make the table your focal point. It’s up to you how you set your table but for this occasion, simple is best. Unless it’s the dark of winter, candles aren’t really necessary. Instead, a simple arrangement of fresh flowers, fruit, or greens is inviting without being too formal. Since this is a cozy group, place cards aren’t needed either—but do have a seating plan in mind if you’ve invited more than six guests.

The Sunday Dinner Menu

T
his is one time when you can skip the hors d’oeuvres if you choose, or offer just a few olives or something simple like radishes, butter, and salt; or pickled vegetables, toasted nuts, and a few slices of salami, like sopressata, along with a welcome glass of wine, beer, dry sherry, or a nonalcoholic drink.

SPANISH-INSPIRED SUNDAY DINNER MENU

Start with some roasted Marcona almonds and a glass of sparkling Cava or Manzanilla sherry.

Green Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Shaved Manchego

Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers
(opposite)

Rustic Bread

Rice Pudding or Flan

TRADITIONAL SUNDAY DINNER MENU

Crab or Shrimp Cocktail with Scallions, Avocado, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits
(page 179)

Peppery Greens and Golden Beets with Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette

Apple Tart Tatin

Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers

Cider, sweet or hard, makes an especially good pairing. Serves 8

¼ cup fruity, good-quality olive oil

1 pound cooked spicy sausage, such as Spanish chorizo or andouille, angle-cut into ¼-inch slices

1 medium-large yellow onion (about ¾ pound), peeled and thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2½ pounds (6 to 8) large sweet peppers, preferably a mixture of red and yellow, stemmed, cored, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips

1 cup dry white wine

1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes with their juices

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons hot Spanish pimentón or Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon sugar

6 cups All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken (page 178)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove and reserve. Do not discard the oil or clean the skillet.
   
2. Set the skillet over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the peppers, raise the heat to high, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peppers begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the browned deposits from the bottom of the skillet. Lower the heat. Add the tomatoes, thoroughly breaking them up with the side of a metal spoon, and their juices. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt, the pimentón, black pepper, and sugar, then the chicken and chorizo and simmer 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.
   
3. The ragout can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate, rewarming it over low heat until steaming. Serve hot in soup plates or bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of parsley, with rustic crusty bread.
   

All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken

This is an easy way to prepare chicken for casseroles such as the Basque Chicken Ragout with Sausages and Sweet Peppers (page 177) and the Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits (opposite). It’s a completely unattended method (no basting required), which is great when you’re cooking in volume, and the moist, tasty meat it produces is always a pleasure. While so simple a process can hardly be considered a chore, and extra meat freezes well for future meals, for a small home quantity you might prefer instead to roast a couple of on-the-bone chicken quarters—a combination of light and dark meat makes for the best flavor. Makes 4 cups

1 roasting-frying chicken, about 4 pounds, preferably organic or at least free range (see Note)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried crumbled thyme

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F.
   
2. Remove the giblets and reserve them for another use (except for the livers, giblets can go into the chicken stock). Set the chicken up on its tail end and with a long, sharp knife, cut downward along both sides of the backbone, through the ribs. (Save the backbone for stock, too.) Make a shallow cut in the breastbone from inside the chicken, then press hard with both hands to crack the breastbone and flatten or butterfly the bird (this enables the meat to cook more evenly).
   
3. Lay the chicken, skin side up, on a half-sheet baking pan (lined with parchment paper if you like, for easier cleanup). Sprinkle with the thyme, plus salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Set the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken thighs, when pricked at their thickest, yield clear yellow juices, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature. Remove and discard the skin. Pull all the meat from the bones and shred it with your fingers. Save the bones, if desired for stock. The shredded chicken can be used immediately, wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
   

Note:
Chickens have gotten huge these days, and if all you find is a 6- or 7-pounder (or you just like the idea of having plenty of cooked chicken on hand), merely extend the roasting time, about 10 minutes for each pound over 4 pounds.

Chicken Cobbler with Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

When we were growing up, creamy chicken served over biscuits or cornbread was our idea of perfect comfort food. Here’s Carrie Brown’s grown-up version, sure to be a hit for Sunday supper. When making this with Thanksgiving leftovers, Carrie calls it Gobbler Cobbler.

Serves 8

1 (10 ounce) basket white pearl onions

Kosher salt

¾ pound (2 or 3 medium) red-skinned potatoes

1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

5 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth, preferably organic

3 carrots, peeled and angle-cut into 1-inch pieces

3 celery ribs, trimmed and angle-cut into 1-inch pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

1½ cups heavy cream

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

5 cups All-Purpose Shredded Roast Chicken (opposite)

1 cup fresh or thawed tiny peas

1 cup fresh or thawed corn kernels

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

½ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme

½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 recipe (about 24) unbaked Cheddar-Dill Biscuits (recipe follows)

¼ cup buttermilk, for brushing biscuits

1. With a sharp paring knife, mark a small X in the bottom of each onion. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the onions, salt the water, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and cool. Peel the onions.
   
2. In a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with lightly salted cold water. Set over medium heat and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch pieces.
   
3. In a large pot over medium heat, melt ½ stick of the butter. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, carrots, celery, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook, partially covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cream, raise the heat slightly, and cook, uncovered, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, another 10 to 15 minutes.
   
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the remaining 1 stick of butter and the flour to form a smooth paste. Lower the heat slightly and whisk the flour paste into the vegetable mixture bit by bit. Stir in the chicken, potatoes, onions, peas, corn, dill, thyme, pepper sauce, and nutmeg. Partially cover and simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. The filling can be prepared to this point up to 1 day ahead. Remove from the heat, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat just until hot before proceeding.
   
5. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F. (If your oven is very fast or hot, set the temperature to 425°F.) Butter a rectangular 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish or any attractive ovenproof serving dish with a 3-quart capacity.
   
6. Spoon the hot chicken mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange the biscuits over the chicken mixture, spacing them evenly. Brush the chilled biscuits with the buttermilk. Set the pan on the baking rack (with a parchment- or foil-lined sheet pan on the rack below to catch drips).
   
7. Bake until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
   
8. Let the cobbler rest on a rack for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
   

Cheddar-Dill Biscuits

Though they make the perfect topping for Chicken Cobbler, these biscuits are also good on their own. Serve them piping hot with eggs and bacon at breakfast or enjoy them at supper. Mini biscuits can be split while still hot, filled with a sliver of good ham and a dollop of honey mustard and passed as a terrific country hors d’oeuvre.

Makes about twenty-four 1½-inch biscuits

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus flour for the work surface

4¾ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

4½ tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons chilled shortening, cut into small pieces

11/3 cups buttermilk, plus extra for brushing the tops (see Note)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
   
2. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry cutter blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and dill and stir until the dough just begins to come together. Stir in the cheese. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it 10 or 15 strokes, until the surface is smooth. Pat the dough out ¾ inch thick. With a 1½-inch round cutter, form as many biscuits as possible, spacing them 2 inches apart on 2 half-sheet baking pans. Gather and reroll the scraps and cut them out as well. Refrigerate the biscuits on their pans for 30 minutes.
   
3. Bake the biscuits, exchanging the position of the pans on the racks from top to bottom and front to back at the halfway point, until they are puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.