Helping With Holidays: Learning to Host

There's a reason so many holiday disasters show up in movies, romcoms, and sitcoms- the general public unreservedly empathizes. Why? Because they don't know how to entertain! The craft of hosting is not as commonly learned or practiced a skill as it ought to be, which is how I've been keeping the lights on lately.

People have been asking me over for my How To Holiday consultation. The concept is pretty straightforward from my end- are you entertaining for the first time in a while, and think you might be in over your head? Have me come visit! For a modest fee, I take a thorough look at your house, decor, arrangements, kitchen, menu, guest list, and whatever else we think needs checking over. Then, together, we make a plan to help you pull it all off without a hitch. I get to eat that week, and they get peace of mind in an otherwise very stressful time. Simple, right?

Well... yes, once you get the basics down.

The notion of spectacle gets everybody from time to time, and it's really easy to give in to ambition, take a leap of faith, and faceplant in front of everybody you were trying to impress. So the first thing to do is Avoid That, and the best way to do that is to keep things simple, and play to your strengths. 

Got a nice house? Decorate without being gaudy, and make it as accessible as possible. Spacious kitchen? Consider bringing the party in there. Love to cook? Lean into it. But above all else, do these things carefully. 

• Fancy decorations? Might get broken if your guests have young children. Know your guests.
• Party in the kitchen? Make sure there's space for everyone, and that there's plenty of food that doesn't need cooking so the mess stays minimal. 
• Doing a whole lot of cooking? Figure out what can be done ahead, so you can spend more time with the people you really want to see while you enjoy yourselves together- last minute touches are all well and good, but not at the expense of your guests.
• How long is everyone over for? Think about traffic, travel, and relative sobriety.
• Shoe space, coat space, fridge space, freezer space, closet space, parking space, it's all important.
• What's on the radio, stereo, or TV? 
• How are you and yours dressing? What mood are you trying to set?

This is just the start of it, really. Learning how to think like a host isn't difficult, exactly, but it does require a measured, thoughtful approach. Once your party's over though, you've learned what worked, what didn't, why, and how to make it better next time. These are skills you can apply over and over again no matter where you are. 

The greatest gifts, after all, are knowledge and understanding.

Another Sushi 101, Another Success

 

Wasn't a terribly large class, but everyone really wanted to be there and had a lot of enthusiasm- something that doesn't happen often. Did have a bit of a messy time preparing things though, since the list of allergens I was given -no dairy, no gluten, no nuts- wiped out my default snack tray plan completely. But once I figured out sufficient substitutes and made sure to buy tamari instead of more standard soy sauce, it all came together quite nicely.

Not bad, right? Comfy!

The class was designed to be geared around basics. Fewer hard and fast "recipes", more techniques and principles that help the students make their own delicious food. I find that to be more effective than just handing people things to memorize and follow by rote- such techniques have their place, but copying makes it more difficult to understand how to apply the technique elsewhere.

For a starter, I taught them the fingertip method for rice after demonstrating a suitable rinse, and recommended a couple of rice cookers.

Sushi vinegar is a lot more than just vinegar, but mine isn't complicated.
This makes a batch large enough for a family dinner or two, and it keeps in the fridge for ages:
2 cups/500ml unseasoned rice vinegar, 1/4c / 65ml mirin, 1/2 cup/100g granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp coarse salt, and a 2"x2" piece of kombu.
Throw all that in a pot, bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes, and let it cool naturally. 

I also showed them all a nice easy snack in Kinpira Gobo, introducing them to an uncommon ingredient in a way that makes it familiar, delicious, and easy to handle. Julienne burdock root and carrots, saute in a hot pan with oil for a couple minutes, add sake, mirin, and tamari/soy, then cook it till it's dry. Hard to be much simpler than that.

Mostly I skipped the history lesson this time, but there were a great many questions about sourcing ingredients- particularly seafood, naturally, but also brands of soy sauce, mirin, even vinegar. (I inadvertently made a short primer on soy sauce just the other day- quite informative, if I do say so myself)

The student dynamic varies widely from one cooking class to another even if naught else changes, so an educator's ability to adjust to their audience on the fly is one of the more important qualities to have honed. My personal approach starts with things everyone should hear, even if they've heard them before- safety, cleanliness, communication, etc. How they react to that allows time to adjust the meat of the matter.

It's funny, though. As much as I harp on about not giving recipes, the one recipe I did design specifically for the class is also the one every single person goes completely gonzo for, and that I get the most gratitude for sharing.

A pound/500g of sliced mushrooms (shiitake preferred, but most any will do), 1c/240ml water, 1/2c / 120ml soy sauce/tamari, 1/2c / 120ml mirin, 2Tbsp sugar, a hand's worth of ginger, and spice. Combine in a lidded pot and (again) gently cook till all but dry.  

I rather like them in chawan-mushi myself, but the beauty is in their flexibility. Simple and excellent alone, or as a component of vegetarian sushi, stir fry, soup, or whatever you might deign to do with them. Understanding the principles behind the construction is what allows you to get more broad-spectrum use out of even somewhat niche preparations.