Catering a Party

Here is the good news about the party I catered on Friday. I remembered all the food. I got there on time. I remembered all the plates and serving pieces. I got all the food done on time. I got home on time to relieve the babysitter. Everything looked great. I remembered my camera.

Here is the bad news about the party I catered on Friday. The camera didn't have the memory card in it. Doh!

So, I have not one photo from the party. I can tell you what I made (and I will!), I can give you an awesome recipe (and I will!), but I cannot show you what anything looked like. Bummer.

All in all, I have to say I was really proud of the work I did. I put this whole thing together in about two weeks and managed to get everything done while still cooking for my regular clients. It gave me a lot of confidence for next time. When I won't forget the memory card.

(Note: The party hosts ordered a ham and I made everything else.)

Appetizers

Smoky Cashews
Buttermilk Peppercorn Dip with Crudite and Vegetable Chips
Parmesan and Thyme Crackers
Goat Cheese and Pistachio Stuffed Dates

Sides

"Grown Up" Mac and Cheese
Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Green Salad with Pears, Candied Nuts and Pomegranate
Pea Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese
Blue Cheese Popovers

Desserts

Pecan Pie Bars (I dipped half in chocolate)
Gingersnaps (I rolled 1/3 in red sanding sugar, 1/3 in green sanding sugar, and 1/3 in vanilla sugar)
Chocolate Peanut Toffee

Some of these recipes were new to me, some were old favorites. I figured I would share the recipe for the sweet potatoes since they are something I have now made three times and have had raves all three times. They are simple and fill the house with an amazing aroma. Healthy too! I served these on a large white platter (I tripled the recipe) with a silver bowl of lime wedges and a silver bowl of the dipping sauce at the bottom. It looked great.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime
Adapted from Martha Stewart's The New Classics
Serves 6

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), scrubbed well
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. hot paprika (DN: I used pimenton, or smoked paprika)
1 tsp. ground ginger
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Lime wedges for serving
Yogurt Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a baking sheet in the oven until hot, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise; slice each half into three wedges. Place in a medium bowl and toss with the oil, cumin, paprika, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.

2. When the baking sheet is hot, remove from the oven. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet. Return to the oven; cook until the potatoes are crisp and golden on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until golden all over, about 15 minutes more.

3. Remove from the oven; season with salt and pepper. Serve with limes and the sauce.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1 cup plain yogurt (DN: Lowfat is fine.)
3 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Coarse salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made 2 days ahead.