Dinner Party Recipes and Games

The sun is finally starting to make its appearance in Pacific Northwest! Sunshine has a way of inspiring us to be more productive and also entices us to go outside! What would be the perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday? Why a dinner party of course! I was inspired to write about dinner parties because Ruth Reichl, author of Garlic and Sapphires, has to go to many many dinners. She describes dinner parties gone horribly wrong and dinner parties where the food was delicious and the wine was flowing.

We would like to help your create your own perfect dinner party!

To start the party out right the perfect appetizer is needed. We thought Gougeres would be ideal since it is one of the recipes Ruth raves about in Garlic and Sapphires


Gougeres

1 cup water
1/4 pound (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs
1 cup diced Gruyere cheese
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Combine the water, butter and a teaspoon of the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, let cool slightly, stir in the floor, and mix well. Return the pan to the heat and stir with a wooden spoon over high heat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the egg, one at a time until well combined. Add the diced cheese, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, stirring well.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto a well-buttered baking pan. Smooth the top and side of each gougere with a knife, and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake in batches for 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Serve immediately.
Makes 8 cocktail servings

Another ingredient to make the perfect dinner party is games! Check out this website for inventive, quirky, and fun games that will make your dinner party the talk of the town. http://www.partygameideas.com/ Do you have any dinner party tips about decorations, recipes, or games? We would love your input.

Remember Food For Thought's first meeting is Wednesday February 24th at 6:30pm. There will be a cooking demonstration, prizes, and great discussion. We hope to see you there!