While all of us here at The Kitchn love to chat about simple meals and the day-to-day realities of cooking, we also really love a good party. So this week we're launching a new monthly series, Gatherings from The Kitchn, showing you our own dinner parties, large and small. Gathering with friends can be as simple as a cozy dinner party for for four in a little apartment, or as ambitious as a backyard movie night. We'll show you our real-life parties, taking a week to walk through planning, recipes, tips, decorating tips, and the party itself.
Our first party comes from my own kitchen, where last week I threw a dinner tailored for the end of winter, one with hearty, rustic polenta and lots of red wine. Simple, right? Well, we decided to add a dramatic centerpiece for this party -- a four-foot-long polenta board! Want to see more?
The Party Idea: Polenta alla Spianatora
The Centerpiece: Polenta Board from Gray Works Design
For this party I knew I would need an awesome board to serve the polenta. So I turned to a pair of artisans I have admired from afar for a while: Elizabeth Bryant and Andrew Gray of Gray Works Design. (We recently mentioned them and their gorgeous boards here.) They agreed to make me a custom rustic board for the polenta. I'll share more about them later this week -- look for more on them and their approach to their craft.
The Party Menu: Polenta, Braised Beef, Red Wine
- Antipasti platter with olives, peppers, and prosciutto
- Polenta with mascarpone and Parmesan
- Braised beef in red wine and tomatoes
- Braised kale
- Creamy mushroom sauce
- Fennel salad with lemon dressing
- (Store-bought) ice cream with cherries in red wine
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I've always wanted to do a polenta board dinner too!
That's how my grandmother served it, on a long platter. The difference is that not in a million years would she serve it to (non-family) guests. I have made polenta for friends, but don't tell that side of the family!
Yum....I've been having a craving for polenta and now am dying to use that board!
I like the sound of your menu. Good idea, having simple appetisers and store-bought dessert so you can concentrate on a fabulous main course. If we're fortunate enough to have a freshly caught big fish, we sometimes bake it whole in a salt crust, which is smashed open at the table. It gets messy, though!
What a unique idea! Definitely going to look into this more =)
How can you leave me hanging like this? Imagining that delicious dinner party feast and wanting to re-create immediately!! But alas, where is the recipe please?!!
Back when I was going to culinary school, I lived in a very eclectic house. My Landlady was my nutrition/baking chemistry teacher (she was also a friend and an employer). Her husband was from Italy, and was known for awesome polenta parties. Sadly enough, in the four years I was there, they never held a polenta party, but there was plenty of talk about them.
I often say that I learned more about food and cooking in their kitchen/home, than I ever did in the college classrooms.
Recipes?
Polenta, yummy..that board looks great!
just be smart about your friends with dietary restrictions! as a vegetarian, i would stay far away from this. i don't want braised beef finding it's way on my fork. the person who is allergic to mushrooms is in for a trip, too.
I want to see the cauldron and oar used to make that much polenta. ;o)