Entertaining with Ted Allen

Holiday Entertaining with Ted Allen

You know him best as the food-and-wine expert from the Emmy-winning Queer Eye, as well as the fun-but-firm judge on acclaimed series like Iron Chef America and Top Chef. Now, tastemaker and culinary expert Ted Allen, host of the new Food Network series Food Detectives and Brand Ambassador for Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines, wants to let you in on his secrets for throwing a fabulous holiday fête-minus the usual fuss and stress. Read on to learn his tips for planning a low-labor, high-style party, plus get a sample taste of recipes from his most recent cookbook, The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes.

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Plan ahead

"Every dinner party is stressful, and when you're cooking for the holidays, you're usually expecting more people than usual-making stress levels go off the charts," says Allen. To offset some of the last-minute pressure, he suggests planning your menu as far in advance as possible. "Browse recipe sites, watch cooking shows and flip through magazines to get inspired," he says. Of course, as you design your menu, be mindful of selecting dishes that have complementary flavors.

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Get an early start

To make preparation as easy as possible, think about dishes you can assemble a day or two ahead of time. Lasagna, a roast or any other baked item that you can prepare in large volumes in advance and just put in the oven for a few hours is ideal. "I love to cook that way," says Allen. "It makes the timing so easy."

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Don't always run hot or cold

"Always feature some side dishes that don't have to be hot or cold-just room temperature," says Allen. That way, you won't have to worry about running out of precious oven or refrigerator space in the hours leading up to the party. "There are lots of different options to choose from: grilled vegetables, rice salads, pasta salads, the list goes on," he says. Many of these dishes even taste better if they're made a day or two ahead; "simply make enormous volumes of those dishes, pour them in ziptop bags, stick 'em in the fridge and forget them."

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Favor your oven

"I try my best to use my oven more than my stovetop," says Allen. An oven will do most of the work for you, freeing your hands for those last-minute details. To make prep super-easy, try to choose several baked dishes that require a similar cooking temperature and cooking time. "Then you can just throw them all in the oven at once and forget about them," he says.

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Take inventory of your serving pieces

"Most people collect serving pieces-you first get them when you get married, and then you pick up pieces here and there," says Allen. "I know I tend to forget what I have, so before the holidays, I think it's always smart to take inventory of what serving pieces you have." Several days before the party, pull out all your large platters and bowls and arrange them on your dining table. Make a mental (or self-stick) note of which pieces will hold what-this will speed things up on the day of, when lots of dishes will be emerging from the refrigerator and oven at once.

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Get creative with servingware

One little entertaining trick that makes a big impact is to think creatively about food presentation. Do you have a pastry marble that you can use to serve the cheese course? Or some cool cutting boards where you can put some crudité or other starting nibbles? When you start thinking outside the box, you'll discover there are an infinite number of interesting things you can do with your everyday items.

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Raise the sophistication factor

One easy way to amp up the sophistication of your dishes? Think small. "I like to serve desserts and sides to my guests in their own little individual skillets," says Allen. "It makes for a really dramatic tableside presentation." Individual-sized skillets can be bought inexpensively at local restaurant supply stores or even at flea markets. Alternatively, if you don't want to purchase additional kitchen "props" that take up precious cabinet space, you can achieve a similarly impressive effect by wrapping and cooking food in banana leaves. "You can uncover what's inside right at the table-like a big reveal," says Allen.

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When in doubt, go white

Don't have enough matching china sets to serve the holiday crowd? Fret not. "When it comes to plates, I don't care about gilded edges or anything fancy-I want white," says Allen. "I think of plates like they're picture frames-there's nothing more beautiful than food, so why distract from that?" Most restaurants share the same view, using oversized unadorned white plates to make their food truly shine on a table. To achieve a similar effect for your holiday and other special-occasion meals, visit your local restaurant supply store and pick up a set of large, inexpensive white plates.

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Keep the flowers simple

"Not everyone is a floral designer, so if you're going to do a floral arrangement on your table, your best bet is to buy one kind of flower in one color," says Allen. Allen likes red tulips, which he trims to the same height before arranging in several small vases down the middle of the table. "Of course, the other crucial thing about centerpieces is that they're not so tall that they block people's views of one another," he says. "Keep those stems short!"

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