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DIY grad party food saves funds

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By Mark Fisher, Staff Writer Updated 12:35 PM Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Preparing the food for your family member’s graduation party is a money-saving option — and it’s doable.

The key is to plan — and cook — ahead, focusing on items that can be served at room temperature and sliced and served through the duration of the party.

First, ask friends and family members to chip in by bringing salads, desserts and side dishes, while you focus on some “mains.” If enough people help, the culinary contributions won’t have to be so sizeable that they feed every person who comes in the door. Every little bit will help.

Quantity of food that you’ll need is a bit of a crapshoot. Attendance will depend on how many competing grad parties are scheduled at the same time as yours, and the hunger level of your guests will hinge on time of day and on previously attended parties.

Sure, you can open a bag of frozen meatballs and pour then into a slow-cooker with some barbecue sauce. Nothing wrong with that. But why not serve some dishes that set your party apart?

The dishes detailed here can be adjusted easily for quantity, and importantly, they can be cooked a day ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. Remove the first batch from the fridge shortly before the first guests arrive so the dish has time to warm to room temperature, where they taste best. Be vigilant, however, not to let unrefrigerated dishes sit around for long periods (especially outside), for food-safety reasons. Best to assign a couple of family members to monitor the serving plates and slice the main dishes as supplies get low.

Two main dishes that are reliable hits at large-scale parties don’t require an extensive recipe instructions: spicy jerk chicken (a favorite of the younger and more adventurous crowd) and soy-marinated pork tenderloin. Both can be grilled a day ahead and refrigerated overnight, awaiting slicing shortly before the party.

For the jerk chicken, buy the desired quantity of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and a couple of jars of Jamaican jerk rub or marinade (I use Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, but its availability is spotty). Rub one side of the chicken with a judicious amount of the jerk seasoning (seasoning both sides would make the chicken too spicy for some guests), and fire up the grill. No lengthy marinating time is necessary with this spice blend. Grill until just cooked through at the thickest parts of the chicken, remove from the grill, allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight.

For the soy-marinated pork loin, buy the desired number of pork tenderloins, and trim them up a bit by cutting off fat and silver skin. Prepare a marinade of soy sauce, lemon juice, grated fresh garlic and brown sugar, tasting it as you add ingredients until the marinade’s flavor is balanced among the salty-sweet-sour components and appeals to your taste. Add a few dashes of olive or vegetable oil. Divide the tenderloins and marinade among some gallon zip-lock plastic bags and marinate for four hours in the refrigerator. Remove, shake off excess marinade, and grill to desired doneness. Remove from grill, allow to cool and refrigerate. Alternately, roast uncovered in a preheated 400 degree oven until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145 degrees, 18 to 20 minutes (can vary based on thickness of tenderloins).

To reduce waste and stretch your food to cover the entire party, slice pork and chicken thinly and serve on platters, perhaps with buns for those who want to make sandwiches.

Here’s a third recipe that also can set your graduation party apart:

Poached salmon

Adapted from a recipe from Epicurious.com/Bon Appétit magazine

Ingredients:

3 8-ounce bottles clam juice

3/4 cup dry white wine

3 lemon slices

3 fresh dill sprigs

10 whole peppercorns

5 pounds (or less) Atlantic salmon, cut into 6- to 8-ounce fillets

Atlantic salmon can be purchased from seafood purveyors and grocers for relatively reasonable prices.

Combine first five ingredients in deep skillet. Simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Working in batches, add salmon, cover and simmer until just cooked through, about 8 to 9 minutes per inch of thickness (if you’re peeking to check doneness, keep in mind that salmon will continue to cook after being removed from the pan). Transfer salmon to plate. Reserve liquid in skillet, and repeat with next batch. If you’re cooking multiple batches, you may need to add more clam juice and white wine to the skillet. Cool salmon. Cover and refrigerate until shortly before serving. If desired, carefully remove skin before serving.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a store-bought mayonnaise that has been enhanced with fresh lime juice, cumin and a bit of finely minced fresh garlic. Blend the ingredients and refrigerate mayo until ready to use.

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