Impress without stress

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 17, 2004 | by Valerie Phillips Deseret Morning News

Holiday parties aren't just fun, they're big business for caterers and restaurateurs.

They're also a challenge if you're the person in charge of the company party, because you've got to come up with a menu that appeals to a majority of employees while staying within the budget. You must find a happy medium between a menu that's boringly predictable or one that's too unusual.

A caterer's menu sounds great on paper, but deciphering "menu- ese" can be tricky. The "jumbo shrimp" may seem wimpy when they arrive at your buffet table. The "fresh spring salad" could be mainly iceberg lettuce. The chicken or halibut may have an overpowering seasoning or strange-tasting sauce.

This is why some caterers host tasting events where prospective clients can come and sample potential dishes. The Deseret Morning News attended two of these events to see what goes on, and to check out ideas for all party-givers, whether they're hosting a catered corporate affair or a do-it-yourself potluck with friends.

It was mid-October, but the Joseph Smith Memorial Building's catering services had the Empire Room decked out like a winter wonderland for its Christmas Tasting event. The lavish buffet had warming trays full of food to sample, with a display plate showing how each food item would be served individually.

The guests were clients who had already booked parties, and they were looking, sampling and deciding on a menu. The clients could also check out various table decorations.

This is where the secretary of a construction company examines the phyllo pouch hors d'oeurve and wonders if the delicate pastry will crumble in her employees' hands. And the dentist's wife tries to decide which dessert will appeal to her husband's staff.

It's not just the food but the total atmosphere that matters, said Adrian Escalante of Daily Dose Language Systems. He and his wife, Susan Escalante, took photos of both food and decor to help them decide on the appropriate look and cuisine for their company Christmas party. They said they wanted to give some of their out-of- state guests a warm "Utah Christmas" feeling and chose the Joseph Smith Memorial Building partly because of its location next to Temple Square.

For the past two years, Cuisine Unlimited has turned its kitchen and warehouse into an open house for the Salt Lake Chamber Business After Hours and other potential customers. Guests wander through rooms with different holiday party themes such as an "Over the River and Through the Woods" Thanksgiving with a babbling brook running beneath a wooden bridge, to a sophisticated New Year's bash with a live band. Party planners can taste the food and check out the displays and decor.

Here are some of the "in" items you might find at posh parties this season. We've also included suggestions for a do-it-yourself version at home. We'll admit, the home versions won't make as big an impression, but they also won't make as a big a dent in your wallet.

PARTIES ON ICE: The Cuisine Unlimited party used lots of striking ice carvings, including a 10-foot-tall martini glass with the drink flowing down the center to a pouring spout. It takes six to 10 hours to create and costs $2,000, said designer Chad Swan of Swanavation Ice Sculptures.

Something smaller and less detailed costs around $500 -- still pricey, some might say, for an investment that melts by night's end.

As further evidence that ice is now cool, big blocks of it, with exotic flowers frozen inside, decorated a buffet for a gathering of the nation's food editors at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Puerto Rico last month.

"Ice sculptures are back in style," said Maxine Turner, owner of Cuisine Unlimited. "They were big in the '50s and '60s and then went out. In the '70s the industry came out with pre-fab ice sculptures, but they were so passe that we didn't use them."

Today's ice carvings aren't just swans dripping over the salad bar; they're serving vessels, such as a sushi bar hollowed out and filled with crab and shrimp. This was an impressive sight at the Cuisine Unlimited party. But keep in mind that each of the large shrimp alone costs $2. "This is not an inexpensive bar to do," said Turner.

Do-it-yourself: Make an ice bowl by filling the space between two unbreakable, stackable bowls with water (weigh down the smaller bowl) and place in the freezer. Unmold your ice bowl and fill with seafood, cut veggies or other items that won't get soggy as the ice melts.

EDIBLE SPOON APPETIZERS: These items were filled with a crab and lobster mixture at the Cuisine Unlimited bash. A few years ago it became stylish to serve appetizers of caviar or other fancy filling on a silver spoon. These cornmeal spoon-shaped crusts take the idea a step further -- and you don't need to find somewhere to leave the empty spoon afterward. Each go for $1.50.

Do-it-yourself: Shape pie crust dough on the bottom of mini- muffin pans or Chinese soup spoons, bake until golden and fill as desired.

CHOCOLATE FOUNTAINS: A few local caterers now have giant fountains that spew molten chocolate as guests dip strawberries, apple slices, marshmallows and so on. Utah Food Services began using one at Governor's Mansion Christmas parties when Mike Leavitt was in office. Cuisine Unlimited had one at its Christmas open house. And it's not just a "Utah" thing --Wolfgang Puck Catering did a chocolate fountain for the Pillsbury Bake-Off's Hollywood bash last summer.