taste | menu ideas

By BETTS GRIFFONE

MAKING IT HAPPEN! That’s what entertaining is all about. Planning the event. Preparing the food. Setting it up. Making sure the ambiance is perfect and then — waiting for the smiles of satisfaction.

Sharon Sessler has been doing this for most of her life. She was entertaining her friends with baked potato parties when she was in grade school, and won her first cooking contest when she was 12.

A self-taught cook, Sessler started her professional career more than 13 years ago at Ambrosia in Chino. She was catering manager there for three years and then moved to Wolf’s in Claremont, where she planned events for groups as small as 100 and as large as 2,000. She and her staff catered the opening of the new terminal at Ontario International Airport and the dedication of Seven Oaks Dam in San Bernardino.

After 10 years at Wolf’s, Sessler moved to Williams-Sonoma where she teaches cooking classes several times a week. She also plans and caters large and small events on her own.

It’s no surprise that Sessler landed where she is because her introduction to the food industry came early. Her grandfather started the Chris & Pitts BBQ restaurant in Downey in the 1950s, eventually opening 15 restaurants. Today, four locations remain in Los Angeles and Orange counties and one of the original restaurant signs is in the Museum of Americana. Fans of the barbecue sauce can purchase it at select grocery stores.

Although Sessler never cooked with her grandfather, his passion for food became her passion.

Sessler believes that planning an event for a large group isn’t much more difficult than planning one for four to six people — it just requires more food and bigger pots.

And this is the perfect time of year to plan a party, she says. The warm evenings of summer provide a perfect backdrop for al fresco dining.

Planning and preparation
Important things to keep in mind:

-- Plan the menu, taking into account the number of guests and whether or not you want a theme.

-- Dinner or hors d’oeuvres. When you’re having a large group and you really don’t have enough tables to seat everyone, it may be a better idea to serve heavy hors d’oeuvres.

-- A signature cocktail — pomegranate martinis or peach margaritas — can be served along with wine, beer and soft drinks. Mint or rosemary can be added to lemonade for a refreshing summer cooler.

-- Bottles of liquor can be frozen in empty milk cartons with sliced lemons and limes or fresh herbs. Remove the carton and wrap the bottom of the cube with a pretty towel to absorb the melting ice.

-- Before dinner, serve no more than three appetizers. They should follow the dinner theme, but offer different tastes — savory or sweet, hot or cold, crispy or soft.

-- If you serve hors d’oeuvres, adjust the portion size of your main course — about 4 ounces of meat or fish per person.

-- For heavy hors d’ouvres, serve food that doesn’t have to be cut with a knife.

Food can be served in lettuce cups, cucumber cups (cut the cucumbers in one-inch pieces and hollow out the center) or in Chinese soup spoons. You can freeze ice into shot glasses to serve food or drinks. Make it as easy as possible for your guests.

-- Before the day of your event, remember to get everything ready before you start to cook — chop all the veggies, measure the wet and dry ingredients, etc. Prepare as much as you can in advance. Some things can be frozen, others can be made a day or two early.

All you should have to do on party day is put it all together.

-- Keep in mind the presentation.

Choose platters and bowls that complement your food and stay with the theme of your party.

-- When serving outside on a hot day, food can be kept cold by placing bowls and platters on an ice-filled container.

Line a box with plastic and fill with ice.

Pretty towels, flowers or even fresh herbs can be used to hide the box. Dry ice, which can be found at most grocery stores, can be placed under frozen items to keep them frozen or added to a container filled with water to create a bubbling bath for bowls of fruit.

-- Finally, have fun! Relax and enjoy your friends.

Summertime Roasted Vegetable Torte
Ingredients
3 red bell peppers
3 yellow bell peppers
3 medium size eggplants
5 medium zucchini squash
1 large sweet Maui onion
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
12 oz. block Parmesan-Reggiano
Cheese, grated
olive oil
1 bunch asparagus
salt & black pepper
1 9-inch round cake pan
parchment paper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, take out the ribs and seeds and spread peppers on parchment lined baking sheets in single layer, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Cut eggplants into quarter-inch round slices and spread onto parchment lined baking sheets, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast peppers and eggplant in oven until peppers start to char and blister, and eggplant slices brown and are tender, which takes about 30 minutes. Set eggplant and peppers aside to cool.

Cut zucchini into quarter-inch round slices, and Maui onions into wedges. Mince garlic finely. Heat a large sauté pan or large skillet and add 1⁄2 cup of good olive oil, sauté onions, zucchini and garlic over medium-high heat until all are tender, about 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper as you sauté, then set aside to cool.

Trim 2 to 3 inches off the bottom of the asparagus, removing the toughest part of the stocks. Heat two quarts of well-salted water to boil, and blanch asparagus in rolling-boiling water for 4 minutes. Remove asparagus from boiling water and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and lock in the color. Asparagus will be tender-crisp. Remove asparagus from ice water when well chilled then refrigerate in a covered bowl.

Press a piece of parchment paper down into the cake pan. It should cover the bottom and come up over all the sides of the cake pan. Rub 1 Tbs. olive oil onto the parchment paper in the bottom of the cake pan. Lay down a layer of eggplant slices, overlapping and covering the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the eggplant layer. Next, layer with roasted red bell peppers the same way. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese, then a layer of zucchini and onion, and more cheese.

Now start the layering process with more eggplant, cheese, roasted yellow peppers, cheese and so on, until all ingredients are used up. Press down with your hand on each layer of ingredients to make them compact. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours; overnight is even better. Turn chilled torte over onto a pedestal cake plate or serving platter and carefully remove the pan and parchment.

Top torte with the reserved chilled blanched asparagus spears and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Cut torte into wedges using a serrated knife and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. This makes an amazing vegetarian entrée or a great vegetable side dish for grilled chicken or fish.

Thai Steak Salad
3 filet mignon, New York or top sirloin steaks (grilled medium to medium rare)
3 limes juiced
6 Tbs. sweet chili sauce
1 serrano chile thinly sliced in rings
1⁄2cup good soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped chiffonade (ribbon cut)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 pkg. udon noodles, boiled and rinsed
3 bunches butter lettuce, washed and leaves separated
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and sliced
1⁄4 inch 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Crispy fried onions (canned) for garnish
1⁄3cup chopped toasted peanuts

Directions
Season steaks with salt and pepper, grill steaks medium to medium-rare and set aside.

Combine juiced limes, sweet chili sauce, serrano chile, soy, garlic, vinegar and red pepper. Slice beef thinly (save any juices), add sliced beef and juices to the above marinade/dressing. Chill steak in marinade for 1 hour.

Prepare salad on a large serving platter with a bed of butter lettuce topped with udon noodles, then the steak with marinade/dressing over noodles. Top with chopped mint, cilantro, basil, scallions, crispy fried onions and chopped peanuts. Scatter radishes, and cucumber on the edges. Serves 4 to 6.

Enjoy! This is a great summer salad.

Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie
Lemon Curd
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
6 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
6 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Melt butter in a medium metal bowl, set over a large saucepan of simmering water. Whisk in sugar, lemon juice, zest and salt. Gradually whisk in egg mixture. Whisk until thick and thermometer inserted into curd registers 178-180 degrees, about 8 minutes. Transfer curd into a small bowl and press plastic wrap on top of curd. Chill 4 hours. Can be made up to two days ahead.

Crust
1 1⁄2 cups finely chopped pecans
2 Tbs. sugar
3 graham crackers, finely crushed
1⁄2 stick butter, melted
3 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, divided into two portions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix pecans, graham crackers, sugar and butter in medium bowl until moistened. Press pecan mixture onto bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan. Bake until crust is lightly toasted, about 12 minutes. Cool then freeze crust for 30 minutes.

Dollop
1 1⁄2 cups softened ice cream onto bottom of crust and re-freeze till ice cream is hardened. Spread chilled lemon curd over ice cream layer and re-freeze 2 hours, top with remaining ice cream and re-freeze till firm.

Meringue
4 large egg whites, room temperature
Cream of tarter, a pinch
6 Tbs. sugar
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Beat in cream of tarter. With mixer running, gradually add sugar in a steady stream. Beat until stiff peaks form, spoon meringue over pie and, again refreeze.

Using a kitchen torch, brown top of meringue and enjoy!