Tag parties that cook

Parties That Cook’s Corporate Event Secrets: How to Throw a Successful Cooking Party

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, General, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , April 26th, 2011 @ 3:14 pm

Need help planning your next corporate team building? Follow these helpful tips from Parties That Cook, and your event is sure to be a success!

–Get Competitive: Adding a competition component to a cooking party definitely changes the event’s dynamic. If you think your guests can handle the heat of competition in the kitchen, fire it up! In the end, everyone wins by building teamwork and camaraderie; though rewarding the winning team with a prize is an extra incentive for guests to try their best! Competitions make particularly good corporate team building activities because they also challenge guests to make the winning presentation. Ever seen your company logo recreated as plate garnish?

–Stay Current: Keep current trends in mind as you plan your bash. Are cupcakes the “It” dessert on the menu this year? Throw a cupcake-themed event, like Cupcake Wars, in which guests are armed with a base recipe of their choosing, and teams select their toppings and flavorings from a pantry of secret ingredients. Whether guests play it safe or head into uncharted territory – did anyone say bacon cupcakes? – presentation is critical as the judges decide which team takes the cake!

–Be Accommodating: If guests have dietary restrictions (vegetarians, food allergies, etc.), don’t just banish them to scraps. Offer to have a special menu item available for them, or reserve a portion of a recipe that can be adapted to fit their needs. If there are 5 vegetarians, remember to have at least one of them on the team making the vegetarian option. They need to be represented, too!

–Get Outdoors: Take advantage of the warmer spring weather, and move your party outside. A corporate scavenger hunt is a creative way to incorporate the outdoors into your cooking party, and Parties That Cook’s Amazing Kitchen Race does just that. Part scavenger hunt and part cooking competition, this event will challenge your guests to think on their feet (literally) as they hunt for clues and work together to earn advantages in the kitchen!

–Get Everyone Involved: Do you have an unenthusiastic guest? Put them in charge of a recipe, and they will be more invested in the outcome. If someone doesn’t want to cook, make them a team runner (have them grab ingredients, cooking utensils or drinks for their teammates) or let them design the final plate presentation.

Check back for more fun corporate event ideas soon. In the meantime, let us know if you have any fun tips!

Parties That Cook’s Easter Recipe: Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in General, Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , April 21st, 2011 @ 1:13 pm

This Sunday brings Easter! Get ready for chocolate bunnies, colored eggs and yellow (let’s keep it traditional) marshmallow Peeps! Can you say sugar rush? Before we’ll let you spoil your appetite, Parties That Cook wants to give you a great recipe for deliciously savory Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb. The citrus stuffing is an easy way to “spice up” your average lamb chop. Feeling apprehensive? Your butcher can prep (french) your rack of lamb for you, though it’s not too difficult to do yourself. We even linked a How-To video below!

Citrus-Stuffed Rack of Lamb
This recipe is also available in our Main Dishes and Holiday Recipes Sections!

Ingredients
1 cup water
1½ ounces currants (1/3 cup)
1 rack of lamb (1 pound), trimmed, frenched, reserve trimmings
1 teaspoon lemon zest, chopped
1 tablespoon each, fresh parsley, mint, thyme, chives, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/3 ounce (¼ cup) bread crumbs
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs of thyme
3 cups veal stock
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make Stuffing: In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the currants, let plump for 5 minutes and strain. In a mixing bowl, combine the currants, lemon zest, herbs, garlic, bread crumbs, balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff Meat: With a boning knife, make a ¾-inch slit, through the center of the meat on the rack. With the back of a wooden spoon or using your fingers, push the stuffing through the meat. Season with salt and pepper.

Make sauce: In a small sauté pan, brown the scraps from between the rib bones in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any oil or fat in the pan and add 1 cup of stock and a few branches of fresh thyme. Reduce to a syrup then add another cup of stock and reduce to a syrup again. Add the last ladle of stock, strain and season. Reheat the just when ready to serve.

Brown and Roast Rack of Lamb: In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and brown the rack of lamb, fat side down until golden. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast rack 12 minutes, until internal temperature reads 130°. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Serve: Cut into chops, ladle essence over and serve.

Tip Alert: Make It Ahead! You can make the sauce up to 4 hours ahead and reheat before serving, and you can brown the meat up to one hour ahead.

Serves/Makes
Serves 8

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