Abigail Kirsch - The Bride & Grooms Menu Cookbook

ALSO BY ABIGAIL KIRSCH

The Bride & Grooms First Cookbook
(with Susan M. Greenberg)

Invitation to Dinner
(with David Nussbaum)

THE BRIDE & GROOMS MENU COOKBOOK . Copyright 2002 by Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill, Inc. and Susan M. Greenberg. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information, address Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

BROADWAY BOOKS and its logo, a letter B bisected on the diagonal, are trademarks of Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Visit our website at www.broadwaybooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kirsch, Abigail.
The bride & grooms menu cookbook / Abigail Kirsch, with Susan M. Greenberg.1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Dinners and dining. 2. Entertaining. 3. Menus. I. Greenberg, Susan M. II. Title.
TX737 .K58 2002
642.4dc21 2001035425

Illustrated by Jill Weber / Frajil Farms Productions

eISBN: 978-0-7679-1116-0

v3.1_r1

To all who enjoyed
The Bride & Grooms First Cookbook
and to the brides and grooms of the new millennium.

CHAPTER 1
MIX-AND-MATCH HORS DOEUVRE

CHAPTER 2
SPRING MENUS

CHAPTER 3
SUMMER MENUS

CHAPTER 4
FALL MENUS

CHAPTER 5
WINTER MENUS

CHAPTER 6
DESSERTS FOR ALL SEASONS

CHAPTER 7
ALL-OCCASION DRINKS

Our special thanks to Pam Bernstein, Jennifer Josephy, and Judith Kern for their continued confidence in this project. We also want to acknowledge the kitchen team at Abigail Kirsch Culinary Productions, with special thanks to Alison Awerbuch, corporate executive chef; Kevin Garufi, for sharing his expertise in wine; and Fran Kelly, whose input in this manuscript was invaluable. Thanks also to Laura Geller.

E NTERTAINING SHOULD BE a wonderful experience for you and for your guests. It is fun and, yes, it is challenging. But dont be intimidated. Relax and enjoy cooking together, and your guests will also relax and enjoy themselves.

In The Bride & Grooms First Cookbook, we helped you get started with recipes from hors doeuvre to desserts. We also provided menus for special occasions. Now that you are adept at moving around the kitchen and working together, you are ready to entertain and share your delight and newly acquired skills in the culinary arts.

The menus in The Bride & Grooms Menu Cookbook are designed and arranged seasonally. Our palates change as we move from season to season, with an emphasis on hearty, stick-to-your-ribs food in the winter and a yen for charcoal-grilled entres in the summer. The menus for each season are divided into five categories, featuring fish, poultry, meat, pasta, and vegetarian dishes. The variety is endless. Mix and match according to your taste. It always helps to be aware of any dietary concerns your guests might havevegetarian, low-fat, food allergiesbut its not always possible to know about these restrictions in advance. Sometimes just maintaining a sense of humor is the key to success. On one memorable occasion we cooked a spectacular shellfish feast of shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, mussels, and clam chowder. One of our guests was highly allergic to shellfish. A quick omelet saved the day. The lesson to be learned? Be flexible!

The book is organized in the same easy-to-follow format as The Bride & Grooms First Cookbook. The recipes are not complicated. Theyre fun, and they reflect todays global cuisine. Weve again used readily obtainable ingredients and provided Cooks Tips and preparation and cooking times, as well as a list of basic kitchenware you will need to gather before starting to cook. Most recipes also include Do-Ahead suggestions for the best ways to use your time (and energy). Its nice to know when you arrive home from work at 6:00 P.M . and your guests are expected at 7:00, that youve planned in advance and all the ingredients and cookware are waiting for you.

In todays fast-paced world, with modern transportation and refrigeration, most ingredients are on the shelves year-round. The difference is in the pricing and, in some instances, the quality. For example, you can serve blueberries and raspberries in January. But in the winter months, these special treats will cost twice as much as they do in the summer. Squash is another example. In the fall, it is in season. For a price, it is available in the spring. Quality can be a factor, too. Although hothouse tomatoes look beautiful, they are never as sweet and juicy as summer tomatoes.

Our menus have been created to take advantage of the freshest ingredients at the time of year when they are in their prime. On , we provide a chart listing the seasonal availability of most produce to serve as a quick reference for the frugal cook.

There are wine recommendations to accompany each menu. Here, too, prices vary. Most neighborhood liquor stores have resident wine experts who are usually delighted to share their knowledge and suggest which Chardonnay, Cabernet, or Merlot is the current best buy. Talking with these enthusiasts is a wonderful way to acquire a basic education in pairing wines with foods.

Have fun, create a warm and welcoming ambiance for your guests, and your meal will be a smashing success.

A little creativity goes a long way toward producing a lovely, unique dinner. This is the time to bring out all those shower, engagement, and wedding gifts and to allow those orphansdishes and bowls that match nothing else in your china cabinetto shine. That black enamel tray on the top shelf is the perfect background for the Asian-Spiced Scallop Sat. The colorful Rhubarb and Strawberry Chutney will be a standout in the white embossed bowl your boss gave you. And those multicolored dishtowels that are still in their original wrapping will make wonderful oversize napkins for the Pulled-Pork Barbecue dinner.

Showing a flair for the unusual when you set your table will make your guests feel that you care enough to have created a special atmosphere. Try using candles of different sizes, shapes, and colorsorange and black candles at Halloween or yellow, lilac, and pink to accompany a spring menu. Find unusual napkin rings to add a festive air. Design simple centerpieces in flowerpots or a variety of baskets to reflect the season.

In the spring, when tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are in bloom, collect vases of different heights, put a few blooms in each, and distribute them randomly along the table. For summer menus, beautiful fresh fruits placed in special bowls not only add a lovely seasonal touch to your table but also serve as dessert. Fall is squash time. Create a warm autumn feeling with baskets of yellow and green squash, gourds, and pumpkinsand then cook the squash for another meal.