61.0F Forecast »

March 17, 2010

Delicious Entertaining

We can say outright that here is woman who has it all. A Boston Brahman husband, adorable children, houses in Palm Beach and the Hamptons, a pedigree from Spanish royalty. And, on top of that, she’s beautiful the way women were beautiful before Botox. Most of all, Victoria Amory is charming, authentic and very generous with her ideas for stress-free but stylish entertaining.

Amory, an excellent cook, hostess and food writer, has recently published her second cookbook, Delicious Flavors, recently submitted to the James Beard Foundation for review and featuring more than 100 recipes designed for easy elegance. Here, she cooks up a great festive winter dinner that offers seasonal flavors—and minimal work for the hostess.

Orange and Red Onion Salad

Serves 6

4 large Valencia oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 pound baby spinach leaves
1 medium red onion, thinly
sliced or chopped
1 cup spiced walnuts (recipe on page 119)
Mint leaves (for garnish)

1. Peel oranges over bowl to collect all juices, removing seeds and as much pith as possible. Cut orange into crosswise slices, as thinly as possible.

2. In small bowl, whisk together collected juices, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and sugar until combined. On large platter, arrange spinach leaves and top with orange slices, overlapping them.

3. Arrange onions on top. Drizzle with dressing, scatter walnuts on top and garnish with mint.

Cucumbers with Sour Cream and Salmon Roe

Serves 6

2 cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jar salmon roe, drained
Lemon zest cut into thin strips

Top each cucumber round with dollop of sour cream, about 1/4 teaspoon roe and 1 strip lemon zest. Serve.

Gypsy Rice

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced

1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup sherry or white wine
2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 pound bay scallops, halved
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

In shallow sauté or paella pan, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until soft. Add tomatoes and cook about 1 minute, until soft. Add rice and stir to coat well. Add chicken stock and sherry; bring to boil. Add shrimp and scallops; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered about 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Serve warm.

Note: To make this especially festive, add shelled lobster.

Warm Pineapple with Maple Syrup

Serves 6

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 12 1/2-inch rounds
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons rum
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1 pint raspberry sorbet
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Fresh fruit (for garnish)

1. In bowl, cover pineapple with sugar and rum. Marinate at least 30 minutes.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Working in batches, sauté pineapple slices until golden brown, adding more butter as needed. Transfer 2 slices to each serving bowl.

3. In same pan, heat maple syrup over medium heat, using wooden spoon to scrape anything up from bottom and incorporate all juices and butter. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly. Remove pan from heat and whisk in rum (if using). Pour bit of warm syrup over pineapple, top with scoops of sorbet, drizzle sorbet with more sauce and top with pecans. Garnish with fresh fruit. Serve immediately.

Tricks for a festive table

Incorporate shiny silver; sparkling crystal; and large, crisp white linen napkins.

Use seasonal produce like pinecones, squash or even dried flowers sprayed in gold paint for instant glamour.

Add one or two fantastic ingredients to an everyday recipe, like a splash of truffle oil to creamy mashed potatoes, a dollop of salmon caviar to scrambled eggs or champagne vinegar to salad dressing.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Florida Table Magazine »