How to Choose Stemware...

As if making sure that you are serving the correct wine with the right food pairing isn't enough to make any Trophy Wife's head spin, many of us forget the importance of using the correct stemware to compliment the drink itself. You would never serve truffled mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl, so why sell your pricey bottle of wine short in the improper glasses? I found this interesting article that just may prevent a dinner party faux pas....

"Choosing wine glasses, also known as stemware, to reflect both the best of the wine and your own personal taste is both fun and easy with a little knowledge. The shape, size and color of a wine glass can dramatically affect your perception of the wine that's contained in it.There is no “proper” way to serve wine. There are no “official” sizes, capacities, shapes or colors of wine glasses. Common sense and individual taste should be your guide.Wine’s appeal is not just its taste and smell, but also the visual aspect. The play of light on the wine, the “legs” and “tears’ on the inner wall when you swirl the wine and the way aromas are captured within the wine glass — and presented to your nose while drinking — are things to consider when choosing wine glasses.It stands to reason that a larger glass is required for wine at dinner than would be needed for a sip of sherry after.

Traditionally wine glasses with larger, broader bowls are used for bold red wines with bigger bouquets, and narrower wine glasses are used to concentrate the more delicate aromas of lighter white wines.Champagne is best served in a tall slender tulip glass. Visual enjoyment of the bubbles that differentiate a sparkling wine from a still wine is enhanced by the height. The once popular shorter version of the Champagne glass — whose design was reputed to be based on an particular aspect of Marie Antoinette's anatomy — is too likely to spill and doesn't present the rising bubbles to best advantage or prolong the chill like a tall wine glass will.If your budget, available cabinet space or desire for simplicity limit your wine glass and stemware collection to a single size, a number of producers have made all purpose designs. Most all-purpose wine glass designs are attractive and relatively inexpensive.

You may want to pick a design similar to what the California Wine Institute developed as an all-purpose wine glass. It is five and one half inches tall with a one and three quarter inch stem. Its clear, tulip-shaped bowl has a capacity of eight ounces.There is also an International Standards Organization (ISO) wine glass, but — like many of the wine glasses you might collect as souvenirs when tasting at wineries — it may be a better size for tasting wine — a little small for drinking wine.Riedel Crystal has developed a special tasting glass. The glass is made to have a small amount of wine poured into it, and then to be tipped on its side and rolled across a flat surface to coat its inside surface with wine. Watch out for spills! An elegant dinner party, where a different wine accompanies each course, is enhanced with a table setting that includes a wine glass for each wine. The glasses should be arranged in the order they are to be used and right to left. Wine is traditionally poured from the right, while food is served from the left.The food being served will dictate the choice of wine, but you will most likely begin with tall-stemmed hock glasses for whites and progress to wine goblets for reds then use a smaller glass for aperitifs. A matching water glass is an elegant touch. Be sure not to fill a wine glass too full, one third to one half full at the most. You want to leave room to capture the bouquet in the upper bowl as it rises from the swirled wine, and to allow the glass to be tilted — at approximately a forty-five degree angle — to evaluate and enjoy the color of the wine.The wine glass stem gives you something to hold onto without warming the wine with your body heat. If the wine happens to be served too cold, cupping the bowl in your hand is an easy way to quickly warm it up."

How Does She Do That?

Any old maid can invite guests over for dinner, serve them well, and bit them adieu happy and well fed. But it's a TWT's job to leave them mesmerized and muttering "I had no idea that ___'s wife was such a good cook! We simply must visit again soon." If you are feeling especially confident in your recipes and are well practiced in the art of the dinner party, then it's time to drop in a bit of something special; literally. Aftelier Perfumes, created by "recognized perfume authority" Mandy Aftel, is the creator of such fascinating products like "Chef Essential Oils," essential oils meant to be infused in homemade dishes. The delicious flavors/scents include: sweet basil. bergamot, celery seed, cinnamon, coffee, cognac, fresh ginger, pink grapefruit, geranium, coriander leaf, lime, bitter orange, juniper berry, wild sweet orange, black pepper, pink pepper, peppermint, spearmint, terragon, and many more to fit your taste. According to the directions,

"Start with a drop, then taste to see how many more drops to add. First, dilute the essence in a small amount of the liquid you want to season -- butter, oil, sauce, vinaigrette, soup, stew, etc. -- then add the seasoned liquid back into the larger amount. Chef's essences should be added as close to the end of cooking as possible, to preserve the volatile components of their scent."

Think of these flavor oils like they are little pieces of diamond jewlery; something that adds a touch of sparkle to an otherwise boring outfit.

How To Throw a Dinner Party

Here at TWT, we are big fans of "The Nest," an online magazine dedicated to newlyweds that teaches you how to adapt to sharing your life. They have great basic tips and recipes, no frills or strings attached. I found this great article on how to throw a dinner party that is a great outline for any TWT who needs a bit of guidance for that special night. Here are the basics according to The Nest editors:

Start with a Theme
Get the ball rolling by choosing a motif. Pick a destination (India) or a passion (salsa music), and use it to tie all the elements of your evening together -- from the decor to the drinks, dinner, and dessert. Doing so will add some panache and ensure all the parts complement the whole. (FYI: Egg rolls don't mesh with spaghetti and meatballs.)
To set a cozy French bistro tone, for instance, dole out plenty of red wine. As your table's centerpiece, place lots of votives around breadbaskets filled with sliced baguettes. Instead of a tablecloth, use large sheets of white paper. For the menu, serve a coq au vin for the main course, followed by the salad (as they do in France), and then offer cheese for dessert. Have Edith Piaf or Maurice Chevalier warbling in the background.

Create the Menu
The earlier you sketch out your course of attack, the better. Try to nail down your theme and preliminary food options at least 14 days in advance -- this is really important if both you and your fellow chef have 9-to-5 gigs and time is limited. Part of being a good host is ensuring that your guests enjoy themselves and go home with full tummies.
If a guest is vegetarian and you end up serving roast beef, chances are he or she will go home unsatisfied and grossed out. So play detective and call each guest as you're planning the menu to learn about any special requirements or food allergies. After you've sussed out any diner particularities, you're ready to finalize your carte du jour.

Take Inventory

Once you have your menu planned, make a shopping list of ingredients you need and a checklist of things to do; stick these lists on the refrigerator door. Check off items and tasks as you go along. You'll definitely have to run to the grocery store at least once, and you'll need to stop by a wine or liquor store to pick up the booze. Remember that all the elements of your feast, including the munchies, should complement one another. Go with fares that are relatively simple to prepare, like lasagna, and include dishes that can be prepared a day or two in advance (you'll have enough to do on the day of the party, so go easy on yourself).

Advance Prep

Starters like cheese and crackers or sliced veggies and dip, sides such as couscous or potato salad, and desserts like pies can be made ahead of time and stashed until the dinner. You don't want to be slaving away in the kitchen while your guests (and your partner) are enjoying cocktails and snacks in the living room. If you're not a seasoned pro in the kitchen or have too much on your hands to prepare everything from scratch, don't sweat it. In this day and age, it's absolutely acceptable to buy prepared foods.

Trial Runs

One rule of thumb to keep in mind when drawing up your meal strategy: Never use your guests as guinea pigs for a recipe you've never made before. If you live on the edge and want to try your hand at something new, absolutely do a test run to get all the kinks out.

Seven-day Countdown

Ensure you have enough place settings for the number of guests you're expecting and make things really official with a tablecloth and cloth (not paper) napkins. For decor, hit a thrift store or discounter to get cheap mood enhancers like candles or knickknacks to create the centerpiece (which every well-dressed table includes). And don't forget to pick up some fresh flowers the day before. If you plan on putting a bouquet on the table, keep it low and not monstrously huge so guests won't have to crane their necks to talk to the person sitting across from them.

Preliminaries

The cocktail hour (notice the operative word "hour") shouldn't last more than 60 minutes. Your guests will probably arrive hungry, and having hors d'oeuvres at the ready is essential. Plus, you don't want everyone sloshed by the time you sit down at the table. (This is supposed to be a memorable meal, remember?) Snacks are designed to stave off starvation, not to kill appetites, so beware of portion control. Doubtless, you or yours will be in the kitchen fussing over last-minute details, but try to avoid spending all your time at the stove. The whole point of this happy hour is to give everyone a chance to break the ice, get to know one another, and relax.

Dinner Time

Having a blast hanging out sipping martinis? Tough. Always start your dinner on time (no more than one hour after the first guest shows up). If no one is budging, gently coax them to the dining room regardless, or you run the risk of ruined appetites -- and tipsy friends. If someone is MIA, too bad for him. Begin the meal without him. Delicately mention to a perpetually late pal, when calling to invite her, that dinner starts at such-and-such a time and you want everything to go smoothly, so please show up for drinks on time to offer support.

Enlist Aid

Though you no longer have to juggle a hundred tasks (like sweating over last-minute prep work, pouring drinks for guests, and answering the door) alone, don't be a control freak and take advantage of your mate. Assign tasks. Put one of you in charge of making dinner and the other in control of the cocktails, greeting the guests, or running to the store for any last-minute items. The more evenly the work is spread out, the smoother your party will go.
And remember, friends love to help, so keep a couple of easy tasks -- arranging the hors d'oeuvres on a platter, lighting the candles -- available for them to do. Though, ultimately, everything may not turn out exactly the way you want it to, the point is to have a good time and socialize with your guests.