Party! Food Essential Guide To Menus, Drinks, And Planning

Party Food addresses two things: the Party and the Food. It contains over 150 recipes, which are divided into three categories (Finger Food, Fork Food, and Drinks), and organized into a series of suggested menus. Gone are the days of chips 'n' dip and bad crudités: Finger Food recipes include Quail Egg & Smoked Salmon Tartlets and Vietnamese Rice Crackers with Peanut Sauce; Fork Food offers such dishes as Saffron Lamb Tagine and Butter Chicken Masala; the Drinks chapter covers everything from fruit coolers to classic cocktails like Mint Juleps to nouveau creations like Chocolate Martinis.

Through a series of topic headings such as Location, Lighting, Music, and Atmosphere, Lorna addresses all the other aspects of party throwing, including a small bit about the invitations, and suggestions on how to appease your neighbors when you know you will be keeping them up all night. Also included are helpful charts and tables containing guidelines to help you plan menus and calculate quantities for various guest counts (how much food per person, etc.); pre-party checklists (in-advance and day-of-the-party); and equipment rental and staffing tips (if needed).

Her suggestions and ideas are drawn from her wealth of experience, which runs the gamut from simple, casual, spontaneous brunches to the most extravagant and elaborately themed parties. The emphasis is on making the right choices (informed, of course, by the reader's own personal sensibilities) for the right kind of event. To this end, she offers a selection of sample menus drawn from the recipes in the book, including a One-Hour Menu, a Wedding Menu, an All-American Menu, and a Children's Birthday Party Menu. Her menus are built to reflect not only the size and tone of the party, but also such things as the season in which they are given (a Winter menu being something altogether different than a Summer menu).

Above all, Party Food is devised with the enjoyment of guests and hosts in mind; the idea here is that even the people throwing the party should enjoy it.