Style expert Amanda Puck came into our ABC7 studio to show a few Emmy party ideas. We should disclose, Puck is the publicist for Glenfiddich, Hendrick's Gin and Sailor Jerry.
64th Primetime Emmys
Sunday, September 23, 2012
6 p.m.
ABC7
www.emmys.com
Host: Jimmy Kimmel
Amanda's Emmy Party Tips:
- Choose an Emmy-nominated show, actor or category that you love to be the theme of your party.
- Include elements from your favorite show into the text and design of your invitations.
- Create a Step and Repeat. This can be purchased at a party store or designed on a home computer. Encourage guests to take photos in front of it before entering the party.
- Create a red carpet at the entrance to your home. Get a red carpet remnant from a local rug store, make your own using red fabric, or check party stores.
- Have someone at the party be the "paparazzi" and take staged photos.
- Download an Emmy voting ballot for your guests to fill out before the awards show. Have prizes for the winners such as plastic award trophies, bottles of champagne, etc.
- Create ample seating space for guests to enjoy the show.
- Avoid foods that require knives and forks, as most of the eating will be done in front of the TV.
- Cocktail punches are a great time saver. They can be made ahead of time and guests can help themselves to refills when needed.
A. Show theme: "American Horror Story"
1. Party tips:
- You can draw inspiration from scenes from the show or episode titles such as Piggy, Piggy (pigs in a blanket) and Night of the Fluffing Dead (candied apples).
- Use Cello music in the background to set the mood.
- Play into the supernatural theme of the show and use elements such as a crystal ball, skulls, blood splattered items, spider webs, apothecary bottles, jars with doll heads, red candle sticks, etc.
- Draw inspiration from the American Horror Story logo and use red, white and black as a color theme.
- Extend the theme into party favors with candy eye balls and masks for each guest.
2. Recipes:
a. Sangria
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Rum
1 oz Wine
1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice
Method:
Mix all ingredients. Top with Sprite/ soda water/ 7Up.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Build in glass. Add ice. Shake.
Pour into desired glassware with fresh ice.
Top with Sprite.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
b. Pigs in a blanket
Ingredients:
8 frankfurters
8 slices cheese
1 (10 oz) package refrigerated biscuit dough
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wrap the cheese around each frankfurter then the biscuit around that. Put on cookie sheet with the overlap of biscuit faced down.
- Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
c. Candied apples
Ingredients:
15 apples
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups water
8 drops red food coloring
Method:
- Lightly grease cookie sheets.
- Insert craft sticks into whole, stemmed apples.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water.
- Heat to 300 to 310 degrees F, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads.
- Remove from heat and stir in food coloring.
- Holding apple by its stick, dip in syrup and remove and turn to coat evenly.
- Place on prepared sheets to harden.
B. Show theme: "Downton Abbey"
1. Party tips:
- Serve the Queen's favorite cocktail - a Gin & Tonic.
- Give guests tiaras or top hats as party favors.
- Incorporate photos of the Queen of England and Union flag in the décor.
- Use Union flag inspired plates and napkins.
- Utilize doilies and tiered plate settings in your food displays.
2. Recipes:
a. Gin & Tonic Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 parts Gin
Tonic water
Cucumber spears
Method:
- Pour gin into a highball glass over ice cubes and fill with tonic water. Stir.
- Garnish with cucumber spears.
b. Assorted Finger sandwiches: Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich
Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths
Ingredients:
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 32 slices)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
16 slices best-quality white bread*
Salt to taste
Method:
- Place cucumber slices between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- In a small bowl, combine mint, butter, and cream cheese; spread on one side of each slice of bread.
- Lay cucumber slices onto the buttered side of 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt.
- Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
- Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife.
- Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally, and then cut in half again.
- Decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.
c. Selection of Canapés: Mushroom and Stilton Tarts
Ingredients:
1 sheet ready rolled shortcrust pastry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5/8 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 to 2 tablespoons white wine
5/8 cups single cream
2 small eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
5/8 cups Stilton cheese, crumbled
Method:
- Pre-heat your oven to 392 degrees F.
- Roll out the pastry about to about 5mm thick and use to line 6 mini fluted tart tins.
- Chill the pastry-lined tins in the fridge for about half an hour. Then cover each one with greaseproof paper and blind bake by weighing them down well with some dried beans.
- Cook for 15 mins.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Sauté the onion until soft.
- Add the garlic, mushrooms and wine; turn up the heat to medium high.
- Fry for a few more minutes until they're looking golden, then leave the mixture to cool a little.
- Lightly whisk the cream with the eggs and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Stir in the crumbled Stilton and the mushroom mixture.
- Pour into the pastry cases, leave a little space so they don't overflow while they cook and bake them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until they're golden on top and solid.
- Serve warm.
Serve a selection of British cheeses topped off with Union flag toothpicks:
Popular British cheeses include: Bath Blue, Camembert, Cheshire Blue, Stichelton, Shropshire Blue and Stilton.
B. Show theme: "Mad Men"
1. Party tips:
- Have Roger Sterlong's office décor set the MOD mood!
- Play '60s era music
- Incorporate popular '60s dishes into the menu including Lipton Onion Dip, marinated olives, deviled eggs, cheese balls and more.
- Mimic the use of plaid in the Mad Men wardrobes in the décor, including plaid paper plates and napkins.
- Set up your own bar cart with decanters, shakers, martini glasses, ice bucket, etc.
- Serve cocktails featuring brands that were popular during that time period including Stoli, Glenfiddich scotch and more.
2. Recipes:
a. Cocktail: Glenfiddich on the rocks
Ingredients:
2 parts Single Malt Scotch
Ice
Method:
- Pour Glen?ddich over ice in a rocks glass.
- Great cocktails start with responsible measuring.
b. Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, reserve 1/4 cup to thin if fondue begins to thicken
4 (3 1/2 ounces each) bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped
2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur, optional
1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds, optional
Suggested Dippables:
Hazelnut or almond biscotti, salted pretzel sticks, cubed pound cake, sliced bananas, stem strawberries
Method:
- Heat 1/2 cup cream in a heavy non-reactive saucepot over moderate heat until cream comes to a low boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add chocolate.
- Let the chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with the cream.
- Stir in liqueur and/or chopped nuts and transfer the fondue to a fondue pot or set the mixing bowl on a rack above a small lit candle.
- If fondue becomes too thick, stir in reserved cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency.
- Arrange your favorite dippables in piles on a platter along side chocolate fondue with fondue forks, bamboo skewers or seafood forks, as utensils, for dipping.
