David Rosengarten Entertains: Fabulous Parties for Food Lovers
Author: David Rosengarten
As an award-winning Food Network television host, cookbook author, cooking teacher, and food and wine writer, David Rosengarten clearly knows a thing or two about food and drinkânot to mention putting on a great show. Now he brings all three together in an imaginative collection of dinner parties that can transform even a casual get-together into a memorable occasion. Each party features a complete menu of delicious-yet-doable recipes that are centered around a specific food or ethnic themeâa Texas BBQ, Cassoulet ("Show up chez-moi for beans and wienies!"), or a Tapas Time night featuring Spanish Ham and Chorizos. Planning and presentation ideas show how to make a gathering truly special, from table-setting tips to music suggestions and more. Top photographer Quentin Bacon captures the food and the celebratory mood with style and dramatic flair. Throughout the book, Rosengarten is the perfect host, with a style that is as bold, lively, and entertaining as the parties themselves.
Publishers Weekly
As gourmands well know, food and love are inextricably intertwined; and, says Rosengarten, dinner parties enhance that connection. Such events involve a great deal of work for the host, but Rosengarten has gone to great lengths to think of, and address, every detail of 16 themed f tes representing a variety of cuisines and settings, from "It's Tapas Time" to "Zydeco Thanksgiving." Rosengarten honed his skills during his seven-year stint on Food Network's Taste show, and he has authored several cookbooks, including The Dean and Deluca Cookbook. Here he combines creative yet doable recipes with clever decorating suggestions and tips for entertainment and beverages. For each party, he focuses on "The Ingredient": the one, perfect food that will make the party authentic and, well, fabulous. Rosengarten's knowledge of food esoterica is broad and impressive; a discourse on Spanish ham, for example, is detailed and fascinating. The author's enthusiasm for entertaining is evident in both the specificity and care taken with each party plan, and the exuberant asides that make readers feel like cooking compatriots ("One taste of the old-fashioned antipasto salad... laden with crunchy hearts of iceberg lettuce, and you'll likely say-as I've been known to-`Exactly what is so great about radicchio?' "). Photos. (Oct. 18) Forecast: Wiley is hoping to score holiday sales, supporting the book with a 20-city radio tour and national ads. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
If a dinner party is an opportunity to show warmth, affection, and respect for guests, as Rosengarten states, this book indeed offers a wealth of opportunities. Sixteen distinct parties are outlined, including recipes, fitting beverages, set dressing, table dressing, entertainment, and sources (with web sites and toll-free phone numbers) from which to purchase the hard-to-find specialty ingredients and design elements. Each party section contains plentiful recipes, any of which could be used to enhance an everyday meal or serve as an element in a party scheme. Most of the themes are casual, e.g., "Totally Frank Party," but the "Devon Cream Tea" would satisfy anyone's yearning for old-fashioned elegance. Parties such as "Cassoulet" and "Show Up Chez Moi for Beans and Wienies" may be rustic in setting but require a fair amount of preparation time and a fully stocked pantry. Unlike Christopher Lowell's Christopher Lowell, the Hassle-Free Host, Rosengarten's work focuses on authentic preparation in lieu of "cheating" with prepared and packaged goods. Though this is not for last-minute party planners, experienced cooks will enjoy the challenge of obtaining the elusive ingredients-not to mention the satisfaction of serving the genuine article. Recommended.-Ann Weber, Bellarmine Coll. Prep., San Jose, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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Domestic Bliss: Simple Ways to Add Style to Your Life
Author: Rita Konig
The low-stress, high-fun way to entertain, shop, decorate and indulge your way to domestic nirvana.
What is domestic bliss? It's bringing the office party home just because you have fresh mint and a secret mojito recipe. It's making your houseguest feel like he's at the Ritz even when he's crashing on your sofa. It's retreating home after a harried day and taking solace in a perfectly placed flea market find.
Home is the new hot spot and in Domestic Bliss, London's favorite young style expert makes all your nesting fantasies come true. This blueprint for domestic bliss will work whether your posse is coming to your castle or you're planning an evening for one. With wit and savoir faire, Konig shows how to:
- Mix family hand-me-downs and new treasures
- Tackle clutter with simple solutions
- Turn your world around even when you feel fat, lonely and hate all your clothes and furniture.
Domestic Bliss is about creating moments of perfection in an otherwise chaotic world.
Table of Contents:
| Introduction | 6 | |
| Chapter 1 | Playing hostess | 8 |
| Chapter 2 | After-dinner treats | 36 |
| Chapter 3 | Parties | 52 |
| Chapter 4 | Camping and picnics | 68 |
| Chapter 5 | Me, me, me, me and how to spoil oneself | 92 |
| Chapter 6 | Presents: giving and wrapping | 116 |
| Chapter 7 | Contractors and starting out | 164 |
| Chapter 8 | The details | 180 |
| Chapter 9 | Flea markets and antique shops | 208 |
| Chapter 10 | Storage solutions | 220 |
| Chapter 11 | Domestic chores | 244 |
| Acknowledgments | 278 | |
| Index | 283 |
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