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T hose of you who get a little overwhelmed by planning
Thanksgiving or Christmas for a very large group, let
Rouses chefs do the cooking ... or make reservations.Those
of you who love a challenge, stick with me.
A Week Before: Prep
Clean out the refrigerator and freezer. If there’s an old backup
refrigerator in the garage, more space the better for storage. Collect
ice chests from friends and family and clean them thoroughly —
the better to chill soft drinks, beer and wine. Stay insanely protective
about refrigerator space.
Begin preparing as many dishes that can be frozen or held safely in
the refrigerator. We know that family gumbo is on the post-dinner
menu, so we try to cook a whole turkey weeks in advance, strip the
meat, freeze it, and then make stock with the carcass and freeze that.
Take stock of your supplies. If you don’t already have it, rent it. It is
surprisingly inexpensive.Believe me.Call now.Order an extra table to
use as a bar/buffet, plus extra dinnerware for last minute guests.The
rental companies will deliver a day or two early, so be prepared to stow
the items out of the way. Count the items in when they are delivered,
then count them out when they are collected. I’m still looking for that
white chair and the chafing dish I was compelled to purchase.
For sure rent or buy a hot box for keeping
the food warm as the oven does its job. We
would crumble without it — and we have
two ovens and a microwave. They are not
enough. One year we attempted a suckling
pig, but it was too large for one cut
the poor thing in half and used both ovens,
assembling it for service wearing a tutu of
fluted mashed potatoes.
After that, we made a Cajun microwave,
which worked just fine to cook the birds and
pig, but we missed the smoky flavor it didn’t
seem to impart. And it required someone
to get up every two hours to keep it going.
Clearly, we were doing something wrong.
The solution was a smoker, about the size
of a refrigerator. We could smoke several
turkeys, fresh ham (no more suckling pig),
and ducks.Tending was an all day guy thing,
beginning early, luring them with a Rouses
ice chest of beer placed next to the smoker.
Any barbecue/smoker setup will ease the
inevitable oven crisis.
A Few Days Before: Delegate
Recruit family and friends for specific tasks.
Table setters: we like to get this done the
night before and set up the chairs the day
of so there’s room in which to maneuver.
Bartenders: have a jug of Bloody Marys
ready with the trimmings and vodka next
to the glasses, wine and beer. Greeters: to
answer the door and stow coats and purses.
Food runners: to ferry the food and desserts
to the table. Someone to bring ice. Someone else to bring propane
if you’re using a smoker or grill.
Only recruit those in your family or close friends who know what
they’re doing to cook the day of. Otherwise, the kitchen will be a
zoo. Post the menu on the refrigerator and make certain that anyone
cooking has an assignment. One nephew trained as the family
potato peeler, which led him to Delgado’s Culinary Arts program.
Guests will ask to bring something. Suggest dessert. The array of
different pies, cakes and cookies at Rouses are stunning. Discourage
anything that requires refrigeration or heating.
The Day Of: Everyone Has A Job
If it is at all possible, look at your kitchen as if it were a restaurant
— a line where cooking occurs, divide the room with a table and use
the other side of the kitchen for those who want to visit.
Set up a “job jar.” Anyone not scheduled to cook who enters the
kitchen, does so at his or her own risk. Draw a slip from the job
jar: Load dishwasher, empty dishwasher, scrub pots, takeout the
garbage. Mop. Sweep. Chop. Fetch.
Finally, if you’re cooking,make sure to take an occasional break, leave
the kitchen and visit with your guests. It’s your job to entertain.
The Hunger games
by Kit Wohl
HOLIDAYS
photo by Romney Caruso