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AMUSE BOUCHE                 by Chef Chip Desormeaux
/ah-mooz boosh/ def: A small complimentary appetizer offered at fine restaurants. From French, literally, "it entertains the mouth."

Food & Entertaining Tips from The Portable Chef


H appy Holidays!

We still have about another week or so of partying to do before 2006 comes to a close. This issue of Amuse Bouche is about planning a great menu for the Holidays.

You'll also find my checklist for a nicely stocked bar and a good formula to use for red-to-white ratios when serving wine at your party.

But, alas, in just about a week the merrymaking will come to an abrupt end and we'll all be thinking about the year to come and how we can make it better than the years before.

A recent Internet survey reported that the number one goal of 93.26% of Americans is to diet off their holiday pounds come January 1st. (Yeah, OK. You can tell I made that up, can't you? But I bet it's not far off!)

Traditionally January is a busy month for me as people make getting back into shape one of their top New Years Resolutions and a Personal Chef is usually the first person they call! (This part is true.)

Over the next few issues I'll be talking about the best ways to diet and giving good nutrition tips. I'm also doing research on which fish to enjoy and which ones to stay away from and the values of organic foods.

Enjoy the newsletter and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!



How to Plan a Menu

With the Holiday Season in full swing, many of us have family in town and we're kind of expected to be good hosts and plan something special for our guests.

When I'm helping a customer plan a menu for a dinner party, I consider what the occasion is, who's coming to dinner and the likes and dislikes of the guests.

Start with the main course first and plan the rest of the menu around that.

Keep it simple. Don't go overboard with so many side dishes that you'll be working all day long. Preparing two or, at the most, three side dishes works just fine.

Stay away from complex dishes. When feeding a crowd, more complex dishes won't always match everyone's tastes, especially if you don't know everyone.

Consider the needs of your guests. I always ask my clients if there will be any guests who are vegetarian, if there are any guests who have religious food restrictions or is there anyone with food allergies.

Use a different major ingredient for the appetizer than your main course. I generally put appetizers in one of two categories: seafood or vegetarian.

Next, work on the salad you'd like to have. A vinaigrette dressing is more common in a formal setting whereas cream-based dressings are considered informal.

And finally, the dessert. Will it be light or heavy? Chocolate or fruity? Custard or cake? Generally, light and fruity is ideal for the warmer months simply because that's when most fruit is in season. Heavier desserts are generally reserved for fancier occasions while light, simple desserts are better for a casual dinner. On the other hand, you can gussy up a rustic dessert like apple cobbler or banana pudding simply by making individual servings in small ramekins.

Above all, keep in mind that, unless you're known to be a great cook, your guests are really coming to see you and have a good time. As long as you maintain a light and fun environment, your guests will have a good time even if you burn everything and have to serve everyone Marie Calendar's frozen pot pies! (I sure do love those things!)

Bon Appetit!
Chef Chip Desormeaux
But, Wait! There's More!
(Recipes, Nifty Gadgets, & Stuff Like That)

Recipes. In the first issue of I gave some recipes for a Roast of Beef Tenderloin and a Broiled Salmon with Rosemary. These are probably the simplest yet most elegant dishes for a great dinner party menu. Click here  and scroll down to the recipes from November 21st.

I love to cook chicken with wine. Almost any wine can be used.

One of my favorite chicken and wine recipes is Chicken with Riesling Sauce .

I like to serve this perched on a whole grain toast point with just a little sauce ladled over the top. The Riesling (and the brandy) adds a deep caramel-like sweetness to the sauce.

A side of sautéed green beans or spinach goes great with this dish. And, when presented right, makes a great, simple dinner for guests.




Stocking a bar. I've been asked so many times by clients what they should buy to stock their bar for mixed drinks. It's a daunting task for just about anybody.

When I first started catering I decided I needed to get this nailed down for myself. So I called up several respectable liquor stores around town and asked their advice. Then I sat down at my computer and culled all the information into one usable checklist.

I've been using this checklist ever since. I never fail to get comments from my bartenders how thoroughly their bar is stocked. So it must be a good checklist! Here it is.  (Scroll down past the recipe; there are two lists to see.)

Even more frequently, people ask me how much wine they should buy for their party and how to decide on the ratio of red to white wines. Well, the answer to this is actually much easier than putting together a full bar.

First, there are a few data to know:
- Women generally drink white wine and men generally drink red wine (I know a lot of women are going to write me back about this, but I did say "generally!")
- A standard bottle of wine is good for about five pours per bottle.
- The average wine drinker will have about three glasses of wine at your party--four if you're serving a lot of food and it's a crowd amongst good friends.

For all the women in your party, plan a ratio of three to one, white to red. For all the men in your party, plan a ratio of two to one, red to white. And if you're uncertain of the gender mix, just plan a ratio of five to three, red to white.

And, the most important rule in wine purchasing: Yep! You guessed it! When in doubt, buy more.

About My Newsletter

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