Occasions
When we want to push out the boat for loved ones, a two- or three-course meal is a great way to show your appreciation of them.
Putting together a full-blown meal, comprised of multiple courses, is not for the faint-hearted. And it might not be the first thing on your mind in these challenging times.
Very few people pre-COVID 19 came home in the evening to a two- or three-course meal. Dual working households – whether part-time or full-time – rarely had the time, energy or mental space to prep (let alone cook), anything more than a single dish (a tub of ice cream for dessert aside, perhaps).
For most households, multi-course lunches and dinners are reserved for weekends and special occasions. For some of us, it may just be two of you. For others on their own, it is a way of treating themselves. For families, it is a chance to come together, with everyone pitching in.
Rifling though cookery books for something new and different for the main course is always fun – but thinking through what to go before and/or after the main can be more challenging.
Happily, there are basic principles for bringing dishes together, drawn from cookery book classics of yore. Maybe now is the time to learn something new for better and future times.
What your kitchen has to deliver for these occasions is a range of foods that complement and contrast to take you from entrée to dessert.
A classic set of courses includes:
A light, cool-to-warm, sour, colourful entrée – adding texture with a couple of Divas. This is how you make your grand entrance.
A heavier hot, savoury main - featuring at least one of the entrée colours. Here is your show-piece - your tour de force - tasty and packed full of flavours.
A delicate cold-to warm, sweet dessert – again adding texture for completeness. This is where you sweep everyone off their feet - your flawless finishing touch.
First things first. The best advice I had was to not to make the mistake of mixing too many cuisines. In short, if you want to bring out the big frying pan for a Spanish paella, make sure the starter and/or dessert tracks with other Iberian foods. This is not a rule, but it shouldn’t be ignored, simply on principle. The secret to creating a meal is to make sure each course fits together to form a whole.
OCCASIONS Payoffs
Sharing food with others. Coming together to eat together has always been part of every human story. Food is more than survival. Cooking a meal for others helps us deepen relationships with friends, lovers and family. It helps us remember who we are and what unites us.
Gifting of your time and your labour, creating an environment in which others can find a moment to celebrate life and put aside everyday cares and concerns for a few hours. Right now, some of us might have reclaimed an hour or so - temporarily released from the routines of commuting, shopping, driving to and from schools, playdates and classes.