We made it! Overall, the party went very well, but of course there are always glitches and changes along the way. Here is a summary of the course of events.
The biggest glitch was when the pellet grill malfunctioned the night before the party. It happened when I was getting ready to smoke the beef. After putzing around with it, we discovered the fan was not working properly and there wasn’t time to diagnose it any further. However, all was not lost, I phoned a friend, and he fired up his Z grill and cooked the roast at his house. I had him cook it at 250* F until it reached an IT of 125*. I was very pleased with the way the roast turned out.
I cooled the beef overnight and sliced it on a slicer the day of the party. To reheat it, I preheated a roaster to 250*, and placed the sliced beef on a rack that went on top of a pan with some hot broth in it. After the roaster reached the proper temp, I turned it off and then placed the pan, rack, and sliced beef in the roaster. The residual heat worked surprisingly well at rejuvenating the meat. To serve it, I placed a small slice of beef on a mini pita round with a toothpick and had tzatziki sauce on the side.
The grill malfunction forced a few other menu changes. I was not able to smoke the Devils on Horseback or the chestnuts. There wasn’t oven space to do them inside. Since we had to scrap the outside station, I decided not to make the hot cider and served it cold with the other beverages.
The lamb meatballs were a huge hit. One guy told me he raised lamb and never liked eating it, but he really enjoyed the meatballs. It was high praise coming from him. I used a spice blend that I brought back from Greece. Originally the meatballs were to be smoked and wrapped in puff pastry with a piece of goat cheese. We were facing a time crunch, so this step was eliminated. Fortunately, I had a bottle of one of my favorite BBQ sauces on hand and poured it over the meatballs. Nobody was any the wiser when it came to the switch.
Larry was the unsung hero of the party. I was so glad he made the effort to join us. I enjoyed watching him work. He was very efficient and methodical in the way he approached each step in the process. His latkes were incredible. Crispy outside, soft, light, and creamy inside. There was applesauce, cranberry sauce, and sour cream for toppings. The people I have talked with since the night of the party continue to tell me how much they enjoyed the latkes. Larry brought his “Darth Tater Mr. Potato Head”, and the infamous singing Latke Larry doll. Since we are also in the midst of Hanukkah, we lit a menorah and Larry had some dradles for people to play with. It made for an impressive display. The pineapple he had sent from Maui was incredibly good and also got rave reviews.
The people on this forum never cease to amaze me. There is not only a wealth of information, but I am very humbled by the kindness and generosity of the folks who contribute and those I have been fortunate enough to meet up with.
I was surprised by the number of people who were not familiar with spanakopita. I was pleased with the way it turned out. The artichoke dip, olive penguins with the igloo cheeseball, Baba Ganoush and the roasted red pepper dip all turned out well. I was not happy with the hummus. It was very bland and needed some doctoring up, but by the time I remembered, it was already on the table.
My wife came through with the desserts. She made a cutting board out of chocolate with figs, dates, nuts, and dried blueberries in the middle. The only problem was that it took people a while to realize it wasn’t real! The figgy pudding was a big hit. We turned oyt the lights, had everyone sing the song, and lit it at the right moment. The flame was beautiful. All in all, I think people were adequately impressed!
There were probably close to 50 guests. It was the first Christmas party we have hosted for this parish, and people did not know what to expect. My guess is there will be more next year! I have some pictures, but not a lot. When it gets busy it is hard to find time to take them. I will try and see if I can get some up in the very near future. Thanks again for being my accountability group, I couldn't have done it without your help! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!!