A Fantastic Open House

Southern Living, Nov 2004 by Harrington, Shirley

This couple makes a smashing debut as party hosts.

ADD A LITTLE FLAVOR TONIGHT

Serves 24

Grilled Parsleyed Shrimp and Vegetables

Lemon-Vinaigrette Marinated Antipasto

hummus with pita bread rounds

Pork Tenderloin on Cornmeal Biscuits

Wine: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, France; Goats do Roam White or Red, South Africa

beer and water

Gingerbread Bites With Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

sparkling white wines and liqueur sampling

Note: At most open house parties, you offer your guest heavy nibbles. So don't worry if you run out of a dish; just simply remove the platter.

A first big party is a big deal. Sharon and Jeff Humphrey from Irving, Texas, understood that and planned theirs carefully. Sharon, a great friend of mine from our days with the Southern Living Cooking School, had a vision of a grown-up get-together-open-house style and classy yet comfortable. So I became the party coach for this couple whose creativity, attention to detail, and splurge-and-save shopping skills (which we share with you on page 134) can help you pull off your first holiday gathering. On that evening, as the guests talked, relaxed, admired, and truly enjoyed the food, we knew we had succeeded in making the event a hands-down success. Don't wait till next year to invite people over-do it this year, using this great menu and our tips. For more party-planning ideas, including Jeff and Sharon's suggestions as well as advice for serving sparking wines, visit southernliving.com/features. SHIRLEY HARRINOTON

GRILLED PARSLEYED SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES

MAKES 6 TO 8 APPETIZER SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., GRILL: 20 MIN., CHILL: 8 HRS.

We estimated 7 to 8 shrimp per person and tripled this recipe for 24 guests. The lemon halves placed in the bottom of the serving bowl add color and act as a strainer. The shrimp and veggies sit on top, while the marinade settles to the bottom of the bowl.

3 pounds unpeeled jumbo fresh shrimp (16 to 20 count per pound)

2 lemons, halved

2 large yellow bell peppers

2 large green bell peppers

2 large red onions

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 (16-ounce) bottle olive oil-and-vinegar dressing

Garnish: fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs

PEEL shrimp, leaving tails on; devein, if desired.

SQUEEZE juice from lemon halves to measure ¼ cup; set juice aside. Reserve and chill lemon halves for later use.

GRILL shrimp, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink. Place in a large bowl.

CUT each pepper into 4 large pieces; cut each onion horizontally into 3 large slices.

GRILL vegetables, covered with a grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until bell peppers look blistered and onions are crisp-tender; cut into 2-inch pieces. Add grilled vegetables, chopped parsley, and garlic to shrimp in bowl. Pour vinaigrette and lemon juice over mixture, and stir to coat and combine. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

ARRANGE reserved lemon halves in bottom of a deep serving bowl. Spoon marinated shrimp and vegetable mixiure over top of lemon halves. Garnish, if desired.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing.

LEMON-VINAIGRETTE MARINATED ANTIPASTO

MAKES 12 TO 14 APPETIZER SERVINGS

PREP: 25 MIN., COOK: 5 MIN., CHILL: 2 HRS.

The Humphreys made two recipes of this dish for their party.

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

1 (8-ounce) package feta cheese, cubed

1 (8-ounce) jar pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and drained

1 (6-ounce) jar pitted large Spanish olives, rinsed and drained

1 (16-ounce) jar pickled okra, drained

1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into thin strips

1 (10.5-ounce) log goat cheese

1½ cups olive oil-and-vinegar dressing

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 (5-ounce) package sliced hard salami (optional)

Toasted French bread slices or large crackers

Garnish: lemon wedges

COOK green beans in boiling salted water to cover 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop cooking process; drain.

ARRANGE green beans, feta cheese, and next 5 ingredients in a 13- × 9-inch baking dish, keeping each ingredient separate from others.

WHISK together dressing and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle evenly over ingredients. Cover and chill 2 hours.

TRANSFER marinated ingredients to a large serving platter. Add salami, if desired. Serve with toasted French bread slices or large crackers. Garnish, if desired.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing.

PORK TENDERLOIN ON CORNMEAL BISCUITS

MAKES 24 SERVINGS

PREP: 5 MIN., BROIL: 5 MIN., BAKE: 20 MIN., STAND: 15 MIN.

One recipe was just right for the number of guests. Running out of time to assemble sandwiches yourself? Let guests make their own-serve sliced pork on a platter with chutney and biscuits on the side.

4 (¾- to 1-pound) pork tenderloins

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cornmeal Biscuits, halved

Texas Cranberry Chutney