From the new book: Reinvent Yourself
Chapter Sixteen
Becoming a great cook and host
Ideas from Craig Clairborne and Julia Child
Parties have been a part of the world’s culture since the days our great, great ancestors gathered around bonfires to celebrate a successful hunt or harvest.
Entertaining at home or at a restaurant can be an excellent way to build relationships and cement friendships. In recent months sociologists have begun to praise the evening meal as a way to bring a family together and to make children feel more secure and connected, feelings that could be missing in this era of fast foods and scatter-shot dining.
Visits with Craig Clairborne and Julia Child in their homes gave me an opportunity to meet two entertaining people and learn some new things about the art of and cooking. Unfortunately both have now passed away, but their legacy is a continuing and blooming interest in good food, well served.
Craig Clairborne lived in one-story “great room” house on Long Island, New York, in a picture book setting – by a pond graced with two swans (occasionally chased by his new dog, Jason). There was a huge test kitchen where cooking CD’s and shows were filmed, and a spice and flavors pantry that ran along the entire back of the house.
He had served as food critic and editor for The New York Times from 1959 to 1987, writing twenty cookbooks including The New York Times Cookbook found in thousands of kitchens. He created the now widely imitated ratings of restaurants he reviewed – one star * to five stars *****.
“Food is a universal topic,” he said as he served a freshly-made duck salad on his deck.
“After my days in the Navy, I studied French classic cuisine and entertaining in Switzerland. As part of my studies, I served as a waiter for six months. I learned to quickly deliver a fresh napkin to a guest who had dropped his. And to always have the point of the dessert facing the guest. Little things but important.”
When he returned to New York, he said that he realized he really wanted to become a food reporter for The New York Times.
“But I had so little ego,” he said. “I didn’t know how to go about it. I went to a dingy little employment agency. They lined me up for a job with Gourmet magazine.” It was not the job he expected. He became a receptionist. It turned out to be a good career move because he later became an editor at the magazine and later had the credentials to join The New York Times.
He had a number of ideas of how to entertain someone at a restaurant.
“If you want to make that person feel really special, ask what his or her favorite dish is. Then call the restaurant ahead to ask if they can prepare it. Many of the restaurant managers say they appreciate this kind of interest and often go out of their way to do something special.
“Menus used to sound alike, announcing the same basic dishes. But selecting a restaurant has gotten much easier in the past few years. I have traveled to thirty-eight states, and I have always been able to get a good meal. I use guidebooks, and I talk with travelers, bartenders, anyone who might know something about local restaurants.
“Restaurants have also gotten much more expensive. You have a right to good food and good service. I have a salt-restricted diet, and I never hesitate to send food back that has been cooked with salt.”
I asked him how people with dietary restrictions can avoid problems when dining out.
“Some foods don’t need salt. Chinese cuisine is the richest and most varied in the world. It doesn’t need salt or soy sauce to taste wonderful. India cuisine is the same.
“To reduce cholesterol I usually order veal, chicken or fish, broiled without butter or salt. I always slice off the chicken skin and any fat from the meat. In place of salt, I add a little dab of mustard. At home I make my own mustard, with no salt at all.”
If you are a home cook, I strongly recommend his The New York Times Cookbook. In simple, easy to follow text you can learn how to make everything from Mushroom Turnovers (chill well, for at least 30 minutes) to Fillets of Sole Marguery (Bring the wine mixture to a boil and poach the fillets gently until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork).
Imagine if you could have had the late Julia Child sitting on a stool in your kitchen, giving you advice on how to plan a special dinner party for your friends. A few months after meeting Craig Clairborne, I talked with Julia Child in the living room of her large old house in Cambridge across the Charles River from Boston. Her name instantly springs to most people’s minds when you mention French cooking, TV cooking shows, or cook books.
In the first few minutes with this culinary icon, I learned a great many surprising things. One of her first jobs after graduating from Smith College was in advertising in New York. When World War II broke out, she joined the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in Washington, DC. Later she served in China and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where she met her husband, Paul Child. He was a relatively small man with a pleasant smile who proudly showed me some of his paintings that lined the staircase.
Here are Julia Child’s answers to planning a dinner party, from appetizer to soufflé.
Q. How do you begin?
You should begin planning well in advance. What is the occasion? A family affair where you can serve family style with everything on the table in large platters. Or if it’s a more formal event, you could plate everything in the kitchen and serve in the dining room. Sometimes for a large group a buffet is the answer. You can serve almost everything you would have served in the more formal dinner.
But please don’t make your guests eat with plates balanced on their laps. Let them sit at a table. Otherwise it can be messy and they could spill things on their clothes.
Then you have to plan your menu. You want to know if any of your guests have any special dietary restrictions. Depending on where you live, you want to order some foods in advance. The right fish may be hard to find if you wait until the last minute.
Let’s say you’ve decided on poached salmon steamed in white wine with vegetables and oil. Fresh salmon is delicious. How are you going to present it on the plate? How the dinner is presented adds to the pleasure of the evening. What is going to be your first and last course? You want to balance the richness of the meal. You don’t want a heavy dinner. If you have a rich sauce for the fish, don’t have an appetizer with a buttery Hollandaise sauce. And then serve some kind of dessert with butter cream in it.
You don’t have to worry about serving expensive foods, caviar and all that stuff. The main thing is serving good fresh food, well cooked.
Q. How do you shop for your dinner party?
You have to be flexible. Say you wanted to get some fresh peas. But it just isn’t the right season for them. Change your mind.
Or you really wanted salmon, but you can’t find exactly what you are looking for. Change your menu to a bass or some other kind of fish, or change it to chicken.
Buy things that aren’t going to wear you out when you prepare them. Prepare what you can in advance of the party. Crab in mayonnaise. Eggs in aspic. Desserts can be simple – ice cream, Bavarian cream, fresh fruit.
Some green vegetables, however, you should blanch rapidly and then just heat them at the last moment. It can be fatal to try to keep green vegetables warm. Everything leeches out.
If something doesn’t come out exactly as you want, never apologize to your guests. You only call attention to food they might otherwise enjoy.
It really helps to be organized when you’re giving a dinner party. Most people hate to have cocktails for an hour or more while waiting for a dinner that isn’t ready. For example, if you’re cooking a roast, allow at least a half hour for it to cool. When you’re cooking fish that’s been frozen, don’t try to defrost it too quickly. The ice crystals break the flesh and turn it mushy. You should defrost it very slowly in a bed of ice in the refrigerator.
Don’t try to be too ambitious and try to cook too many things. And allow enough time to serve dinner in a reasonable time.
Q. Any other advice?
Yes. It’s much more fun to cook with friends. Why not say to someone giving a party, I’d love to come help you. Then they’re likely to do the same when you’re giving the dinner.
Some of the best conversations I’ve had have been while I’m peeling asparagus, washing the dishes. Cooking together is a wonderful communal, creative activity.
Reinventing yourself
Think about:
Families having dinner together can create a more stable environment, particularly for children. It’s not a time to discuss children’s shortcomings, family finances, or problems. It’s also a good way to be sure in this fast-food era that your family is getting proper nutrition.
Dinner parties can provide a relaxed atmosphere for conversation and getting to know people. When was the last time you planned a dinner party for friends?
Take action:
Everyone’s busy in this age of multi-tasking. But talk with family members or roommates about setting up some scheduled meals together. If possible, make it a habit.
If you unsure about how to throw a dinner party, follow Julia Child’s advice and offer to help a friend who is giving one. It’s a good way to learn the basics by doing – and next time, you could have that friend help you with your party.
If a friend is having a birthday or celebrating a special event, why not follow Craig Claiborne’s advice. Find out that person’s favorite food. Then call the restaurant in advance to be sure it’s on their menu or they can prepare it. That can make your friend feel really special.
Words to consider:
“And having food and raiment let me be therewith content.”
Timothy Chapter 6/V8
“Nobody thinks it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.”
Julia Child
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