The Party Professionals

SUMMERTIME, and the living is easy. That’swhat the song promises, anyway. If your summertime plans include laid-back parties around the pool or formal sit-down dinners with crystal and Royal Crown Derby, what could be easier than having the work done for you? There’s a host of creative cuisine artists in Dallas who can cater to any occasion. With the volume and variety of parties given in Dallas, it’s no surprise that catering services run the gamut from French haute cuisine to Tex-Mex barbecue, with an assortment of unusual specialty operations thrown in for good measure. These goods and professional services don’t come cheap, but most every caterer will tell you, “If you’re going to spend the money to entertain at all, spend a little more and enjoy your own party.” It’s good advice, though the “little more” definitely varies from one caterer to another. Since the most reliable recommendations for anything edible come via word of mouth, we’ve tested the gustatory waters and are now prepared to offer a selection of caterers who give a great party- and who all offer something a little different.

Adeline’s (6027 Berkshire Lane, 363-8680). Adelina’s owner, Maxine Oester-ling, has catered parties of eight to 800. Her favorite story is the time she was hired to prepare a birthday party for San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros. “Imagine,” she says, “they not only wanted me to cater the party from a city 300 miles away, but there was a huge catch: The food would all be donated, and I had to coerce all the donations! But I did it -food for over 750 people for nothing. All I spent was $19 for eggs.”

Usually, her average party is smaller in scope, but she freely admits that she, like most other caterers, really likes a challenge. Maxine says a client is always better off to let the caterer have a little leeway in planning the menu. “It’s the people who order 100 meatballs and 200 chicken wings who take the fun out of catering,” she says. Maxine’s basic menu for a large group might include mini flautas, guaca-mole, chili con queso, sour cream enchiladas and make-your-own chalupas, with praline cheesecake and chocolate-pecan pie for dessert.

The price per person for the above menu is about $12. She urges people to try her Mexican brunch, which runs about $6 to $7 per person and includes migas (eggs scrambled with tortilla chips, tomatoes and cheese), fresh fruit, refried beans and empanadas filled with fruit or meat.

Gil’s Private Catering (304 East North-gate Drive, Irving. 255-8729). Lovers of elegant dining, look no further. For those of you who want to entertain in a grand manner, Anselmo Gil is your man. Every detail is handled to perfection, from table settings and floral arrangements to menus that will tempt even the most jaded palate. Anselmo Gil’s fine catering service provides the opportunity for private entertaining with the same amenities that any of Dallas’ five-star restaurants offer.

We experienced the wonders of Gil at a private black-tie dinner for 15 in Far North Dallas. Gil had spent the previous week conferring with the hostess on menu and flower selections, appropriate table settings and wine choices. Gil will use his client’s china, sterling and crystal, or pro-vide complete dinner services from his own collection of Tiffany sterling, Limoges china and Baccarat crystal.

Gil specializes in arranging a party to suit the ambiance that the hosts are trying to create-in this instance, a gala 10th wedding anniversary. Our hostess could not comfortably accommodate 15 guests at her dining table, so Gil suggested two round tables and delicate gilt chairs from Abbey Rents. He dressed the tables in burgundy silk skirts and hand-embroidered linens from Portugal, then placed silver plates at each place and provided lavish floral arrangements, including a silk-flower arrangement from A Touch of Class Florist.

The menu began with hot hors d’oeu-vres (mini quiche Lorraines and dates wrapped in pistachios and bacon). When everyone was seated, Gil presented the appetizer, a glorious foie gras with pistachio mousse. It was a blissful beginning. A champagne sorbet to clear the palate followed, served in individual silver-stemmed goblets, and then Gil brought out the main course, presenting it to the host and hostess before serving. Beef tenderloin Chateaubriand in Madeira sauce with shallots and champignons was set to perfection by carrots caramel, baby asparagus and potatoes Dauphine.

Gil is a man of the old school, who prides himself on European service and elegant appointments. Years of experience with embassies, as well as service in the homes of the wealthy, have given him the ability to create this sort of a gala dinner party for 40 in an extremely formal manner (and up to 200 for less formal occasions). Naturally, such elegance is not cheap, but the cost for food and service (depending, of course, on the menu) generally runs between $30 and $40 per person, which still seems a bargain.

Uncle Jim’s Barbecue Restaurant and Catering (308 W. Pioneer, Irving. 253-7533). Betty and Barry Cosgrove, owners of Uncle Jim’s, put on one of the finest Tex-Mex barbecues around. Whether you’re expecting a crowd of Easterners who’ve never sampled authentic Tex-Mex or are having real barbecue devotees in for a feast, this catering service will do you proud. We sampled the wares recently at a private party for 40 out-of-towners, and Betty had prepared her favorite menu, which consists of barbecued ribs, beef and sausage, smoked barbecued beans and Texas-fried okra. She also served homemade garlic rolls baked with fresh shallots and parsley.

The barbecued meats were all delicious and tender; the beans were tasty; and the okra was sheer heaven. The piéce de résistance, however, was dessert -an absolutely smashing margarita pie with a pretzel crust.

The Cosgroves pride themselves on the variety and quality of smoked meats they offer and on being able to handle gatherings that range in size from 20 to 1,500. The menu described here runs about $12 per person.

The French Picnic (361-6465). If you’re tired of serving the same old platters of assorted cold cuts and rye bread at your business or social luncheons, hire The French Picnic to provide a delectable cold buffet with a French flair. Owner Gene Whittington formerly ran his classy picnic service out of Jean Claude’s restaurant, but has since branched off on his own. His menus are definitely enticing: a sample cold buffet lunch (which is often individually boxed and tied with a bow) might include vichyssoise, crab coquille in a jumbo pasta shell, vegetable bouquet (marinated fresh vegetables) and creme torte Fran-caise, with a variety of French breads from La Madeleine bakery. The price per person for this luncheon is $5.95.

Whittington also offers a hot buffet: tomato bisque, chicken facon Bayeux, spinach vol au vent and gateau fromage. One of The French Picnic’s signatures is a huge loaf of French bread decorated on the top with rose leaves or the name of an honored guest (the loaf is often hollowed out and filled with delicate finger sandwiches). The French Picnic can handle groups of five to 200, and is the ideal choice for a small wedding reception, elegant luncheon or supper beneath a Texas sky.

Petticoats and Petits Fours (1206 Louisiana Street, McKinney, 522-7589). Various organizations such as the Junior League, newcomers clubs and antique and historical societies are always interested in different and charming outings or new possibilities for benefits. Such groups would do well to consider Petticoats and Petits Fours, one of the most delightful and unique catering arrangements in the Dallas area. For a mere $20 per person (a minimum of 40 people), guests can step back in time and enjoy a turn-of-the-cen-tury English high tea or hunt breakfast served in the elegantly appointed Victorian mansion of Sue Thoreson in McKinney. Petticoats and Petits Fours also provides a fashion show, including the glorious antique clothing that is part of an extensive collection belonging to Thoreson.

The food is superb: Cuisine artist Judy Terrell will design everything from a chocolate basket filled with fresh strawberries dipped in white chocolate to individually prepared crepes. The tea is freshly brewed, and everything is served by waitresses dressed in ruffled pinafores. The whole operation is a tour de force. And, while the house itself is a glorious backdrop, Petticoats and Petits Fours will bring the food and fashion show to its clients as well.

Mirabelle (73-74 Highland Park Shopping Village, 528-7589). Mirabelle, which means “golden plum” in French, is a gourmet take-out shop and catering service that provides everything from candied violets to small, individually wrapped mini goat cheeses. Mirabelle is a beautiful shop done in wood, with subtle touches of lavender of martinis. They have got to pay attention to what they are doing. Just approach everything with an affirmative attitude.”

Looking back, Gaylord says, “It was a tremendous group. We all loved her and we all were scared to death of her. But we admired her tremendously.”

The Dallas Times Herald called Corbitt “a bouillabaisse of a person; part administrator, part hostess, part duchess and part Mother Superior.”

None of the boys disagrees with that description. “She could berate you pretty well,” says Gaylord. “Sometimes she called us a bunch of little boys. That was when one of us would try to sneak a cocktail or a glass of wine before we were done cooking in class. She would say from the kitchen, ’I know what you’re doing.’ You see, there were no cocktails in Helen’s class until we were through. Yes, she was very strict.”

Although Corbitt did employ a sharp tongue in her class on occasion, all agree that the relationship between teacher and students was one of mutual affection.

Says Jim Augur of those years, “It was a genuine love affair between all the men and one woman. There was not a man in that class who would not have died for her. She was a wonderful, warm person.”

Her death in 1978 came as a sharp blow to the group. After a decade of her inspiration and leadership, the men’s gourmet cooking class had come to an apparent end. But the passion for cooking that had developed in the class was just too strong to lie dormant. Spearheaded by a handful of the original members (Gaylord, Guer-in, Augur, Courtin, Jericho and Turner), a new group formed to keep the tradition going. They voted to meet once every two months; the occasion marked by a gourmet dinner prepared by at least two of the members. During the past five years, four new members have been inducted into the fraternity: Clint Josey Jr., president of Sulpher River Exploration; Denys Slater, Chairman of the Board of Fishburn’s Cleaning and Laundry Company; Robert Enholm, a local artist and sculptor; and John P. Hall, a partner with Stroud and Smith law firm.

The new group, says Gaylord, adamantly follows the philosophies and teachings of the lady who made it all possible. Ninety percent of each dinner now observed is from Helen’s recipes, except for periodic special demonstrations. Another tradition honored is a black-tie Christmas dinner party. This is the only time of the year when wives are invited to partake in the activities.

This past Christmas, the dinner, prepared by John Turner and Dean Guerin, featured escargot in pasta; shrimp, scallops and sole in a Pernod sauce; pheasant breasts with raisins; veal tournedos; and plum pudding (a specialty provided by Englishman Raymond Courtin).

More recently, Turner threw a dinner party at his home for 43 guests. The occasion was his 60th birthday, and not only did he do all the cooking, he was the guest of honor.

His menu included rice pearl bails, Won Ton soup and egg rolls; rack of lamb with a garlic bread dressing; and a salad of warm goat cheese with fresh thyme.

The biggest problem with the party, he says, was the logistics. Although he employed help to serve, he found it hard to be in the kitchen and among his guests at the same time.

Nevertheless, the dinner party was a success; and even if something had gone awry with the menu, Turner wouldn’t have been upset. “The secret of cooking,” he says, “is not taking it too seriously. If something doesn’t turn out, throw it out and start all over again. I have fun clowning around in the kitchen. In fact, I read cookbooks the way other people read novels.”

“In the cooking class,” Bob Gaylord adds, “we learned from our mistakes. Some people follow the recipes precisely, but if you think you can improve a recipe, try it. You might fall flat on your face, but at least you’ll have the pleasure of trying.”

One recipe that Gaylord kept trying was one for crepes Suzette. It’s his specialty now; he makes them as thin as doilies. “Helen wanted them delicate,” he explains.

Fellow chef (and, incidentally, Gay-lord’s brother-in-law) Dean Guerin believes that cooking is an art best expressed as “Catch As Catch Can”- that is, making do with whatever’s available. This philosophy, he says, comes from the considerable time he spends on his 60-foot sailboat, which was docked in the West Indies for a lengthy stay before being sailed up to Maine.

“When I’m on the boat (about two to three weeks every few months), marketing is always a problem. I would go to the native markets in Martinique and St. Vincent’s to shop. Then I’d prepare breakfast on the boat -usually omelettes -with whatever was available.” One of his breakfast specialties is homemade corned beef hash with poached eggs on English muffins, covered with a cheddar sauce.

Although Guerin spends a lot of time in foreign ports, he believes that cooks can get whatever ingredients they want right here at home. “Just name the most exotic thing,” he says, “and you can get it in Dallas.”

If there’s anything Guerin would like to master, it’s how to get more time to spend in the kitchen. “I thought I was semi-retired, but it just hasn’t worked out that way.”

Jim Augur sticks to Helen’s recipes without question. “When we use her recipes, we use them explicitly. When a recipe calls for something finely chopped, a cuisinart will not do.

“Gourmet cooking is a sensitivity to what you’re doing,” he says. “It is composition and presentation. There’s a distinction in taste, but equally important is a correct menu presentation. Each dish works together to complement each other.”

Dr. Raymond Courtin agrees with Augur that Helen’s recipes never get boring. “The type of cooking that Helen cooked was designed to please the palate, but it is not a complicated thing. It is making dishes that are a delight.”

Retiring to the kitchen and cooking up a storm has a relaxing effect on him, says Courtin. “I like doing it in Helen’s memory.” Courtin’s specialties are oyster and spinach soup and his traditional Christmas plum pudding.

Jerry Jericho disagrees with those who would say that French dishes are the basics of gourmet cooking. “Gourmet cuisine,” he says, “is that which is out of the ordinary. It is not regulated to any particular ethnic group. I cook simply for the love of cooking.”

Newcomers John Hall, Denys Slater and Robert Enholm were not graced by her presence in the classroom, but they all say that Corbitt has influenced their cooking.

“My wife and I would use her recipes,” says Enholm, “and if we didn’t understand something, we called her on the phone. She was always just great and would explain it to us.”

Enholm is the group’s resident oriental cuisine expert. He’s also well versed in Italian cooking. In fact, through his extensive study of these cuisines, he’s found some startling culinary history: Chinese and Italian cuisines may be the two major cuisines in the world. AH other methods of cooking, he says, are derivatives of these two. Quoting from a Time-Life cookbook, Enholm points out that in 1533 Catherine de’ Medici from the province of Florence, Italy, became the wife of Henry II of France. From Italy she brought her personal cooks. “This is how the French learned to cook Italian,” Enholm explains.

Denys Slater, the local head of the Dallas/Fort Worth Confrerie des Chevaliers du Taste Vin and a former restaurant critic, joined four years ago after having been invited as a guest. His interest, he says, was sparked by his wife’s involvement in wine-tasting parties and French picnics. He really became hooked when he saw that a delicious Hollandaise sauce could be made in a blender.

He sees gourmet cooking as a form of creativity, and cooks for his family about once a week. A typical meal might include lamb or wild duck (he shoots the duck himself) and his specialty, French onion soup.

John Hall came to the group with a background in European cooking from the time he and his wife spent in Belgium. His wife had become quite a cook in Europe, he says, and he “felt a case of latent jealousy.” One of Hall’s favorite recipes is Fondu Bruxelloise (cheese squares with basil and tomato). Pastries, he says, are his next challenge. “I find them very frightening. They’re terribly difficult to master.”

For those who would like to cook, but don’t know where to begin, Hall gives this advice: “Hands-on experience is the way to go. You can take lesson after lesson, but none of that’s to any avail if you can’t implement what you learn on your own.”

Among the group there’s a consensus on where to shop in Dallas for the best grocery deals. For meat, it’s Fisher’s or Fresh Approach; for the best vegetables, it’s Fresh Approach and the Farmer’s Market; and for the freshest seafood it’s Hampton’s.

But just knowing where to shop does not the gourmet make: All these amateur chefs agree that gourmet cooking is a continually evolving endeavor.

Gaylord summed up the one frustration of the group: “The more you know about it, the less you know. There’s just so much to learn.”

GOURMET RECIPES

Raymond Courtin’s Christmas Plum Pudding

Serves 80

1 1/4 lbs. plain flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

5 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2? tablepoons salt

2? tablespoons allspice

1 lb. (14 ounces) dark brown sugar

lb. (14 ounces) suet

lbs. bread crumbs

10 tablespoons marmalade 10 lbs. fruit (white and black raisins, currants, etc,)

20 eggs

50 ounces stout (I use Guiness Stout)

Mix until your arm is exhausted, then get somebody else to continue to mix until he is exhausted. Butter 10 quart bowls or the equivalent in various sizes. Fill the bowls with the mixture one-half inch from the top. Cover with two layers of wax paper and two layers of cloth (old sheets are suitable -recently laundered, of course). Tie with string. Steam for six hours; never let the water dry out. Store (not in the refrigerator). Puddings may be kept for a year.

Brandy Hard Sauce

8 ounces sweet butter

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

tablespoons Brandy or a little more

Cream butter until light. Gradually beat in sugar. Add brandy. Whip until smooth and creamy.

How to present Christmas pudding:

Steam for three hours. Never let the water dry out. Invert the pudding on a platter. Insert sprig of holly in the middle of the dome of the pudding. Pour on warm brandy sauce. Extinguish lights in the dining room. Ignite the brandy and enter proudly.

Background music: Wish You a Merry Christmas or Here Comes the Pud.



Jerry Jericho’s Steak au Poivre (from The Art of French Cooking)

Steak au poivre can be very good when it is not so buried in pepper and doused with flaming brandy that the flavor of the meat is disguised. Serves four to six people, depending on the menu.

2 tablespoons ofa mixture of

several kinds of peppercorns, or white peppercorns

Place the peppercorns in a big mixing bowl and crush them roughly with a pestle or the bottom of a bottle.

2 to 2 1/2 1bs. steak, 3/4 inch to 1 inch thic

Dry the steaks on paper towels. Rub and press the crushed peppercorns into both sides of the meat with your fingers and the palms of your hands. Cover with waxed paper. Let stand for at least half an hour; two or three hours are even better to let the flavor of the pepper penetrate the meat.

A hot platter

salt

Saute the steak in hot oil and butter. Remove to a hot platter, season with salt. Keep warm while completing the sauce.

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons minced shallots orgreen onions

1/2 cup stock or canned beef bouillon

1/3 cup cognac

3 to 4 tablespoons softened buttersaut坢ed or fried potatoes

fresh watercress

Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the butter and shallots or green onions and cook slowly for a minute. Pour in the stock or bouillon and boil down rapidly over high heat while scraping up the cooking juices. Add the cognac and boil rapidly for a minute or two more to evaporate its alcohol. Off heat, swirl in the butter a half tablespoon at a time. Decorate the platter with the potatoes and watercress. Pour the sauce over the steak and serve.



Robert Enholm’s Osso Bucco

6 lbs. veal shanks

1 onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

1/4 cup celery, minced

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup stock

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon thyme

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons sherry

Gremolata

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

rind of one lemon, grated

garlic clove, minced

1 anchovy fillet, chopped

(optional)

Veal shanks should be sawed in half and tied. Season with salt and pepper and dredge. Crush garlic. Brown the shanks in the butter and olive oil in a 10-inch Dutch oven, a few at a time. Add more oil if needed. Stand the shanks on end (cut ends up) in the Dutch oven, and add the wine. Simmer to reduce the wine by half. Add the vegetables, seasonings, tomato paste and stock and cook covered in a 350-de-gree oven for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. Baste frequently, and add more stock if needed to keep from becoming dry. Transfer veal to an oven-proof platter and bake for five to 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Strain the contents of the Dutch oven (pressing as much of the vegetable through as possible). Bring to a boil while stirring to reduce and thicken. Add sherry, seasonings, and pour over veal shanks. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve.



Denys Slater’s French Onion Soup Serves up to 40

16-20 onions, preferably brown

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 stick butter

3 tablespoons brandy

3 tablespoons sugar White pepper to taste

4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons flour

7 cans beef bouillon

4 cans water

1 cup white wine

Brown onions, butter and oil slowly for 45 minutes over low heat. If you need more oil, use olive oil, not butter. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Add flour. Put on moderate heat and stir for five minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add beef bouillon concentrate and water (or two cans of water and two cans of chicken broth). Add white wine, salt and white pepper. Add sugar and brandy. Cook for several hours on low heat, partially covered. Cook a minimum of two hours. Preferably serve the next day.

Pour into large Mason jars and freeze for later consumption. Always dilute mixture with chicken broth.

Bob Gaylord’s Crépe Suzettes

Makes six to eight crepes (this recipe can be doubled or tripled, depending on the number of people to be served)

4 rounded tablespoons of flour

1 egg

1 egg yolk

pinch of salt

4 tablespoons of milk

2 tablespoons of melted butter (unsalted)

Combine ingredients and beat with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and velvety. Add 3/4 cup milk gradually (you may not use all of it) until the consistency is like light cream. Pour batter into containers and cover. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking.

To cook: Pour batter into crepe pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 seconds. Flip crepe and cook other side. Store in bundles of 10, freezing until ready to serve.

Orange Sauce

1 cup sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter2 to 3 oranges

1 lemon

Triple Sec or Orange Curacao 151 Rum

To serve: In front of dinner guests, melt sugar and butter into a chafing dish. Grate the rind of the fruit into the dish; thensqueeze the juice into it. Add Triple Sec orOrange Curacao to taste. Bring to a bubble over low heat. Lay a crepe in the chafing dish and spoon sauce over the crepe.Roll up crepe with the prongs of a fork.Push to the side of the pan. Repeat procedure until pan is filled with crepes.Warm the rum. Pour rum over cr&pes. Tiltpan until the alcohol catches fire. Let thefire burn out and serve the cr&pes, usuallytwo to a person.