The Dinner Party Issue

Spoiler alert - don't read this if you want to read about it in tomorrow's Sunday New York Times

It's going to be holiday time soon enough, and with that comes dinner parties. Luckily tomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine is devoted to all things cooking for a large crowd. Any home chef can follow the recipes and rules - yes, there are rules and be a modern day Pearl Mesta. It's actually easier than one would think, thanks to their  The Art of The Dinner Party.

This is definitely a keeper issue. There are stories and recipes from such heavy hitters as Sam Sifton and Tejal Rao, regular contributors to the Times' Wednesday Food section. What is great about their and other's contributions is that there is a story of how to and why  with the recipes. Home chefs will get a feel of what goes into each particular meal and how to prep the food and table. There are also rules included - mostly on how to start conversations in the little Table Talk tips . This helps any newbie host or hostess start up table talk. One valuable idea is researching some recent news item or weird science story that guests haven't heard about. This will set the ball rolling for some interesting salon like chatting. Another Table Talk  Tip is letting guests mingle and make small talk with each other. It helps in gauging  views on politics, sex and religion. Another fun sidebar is the celebrity questionnaires. Such luminaries as Quest Love, Alice Waters, John Waters, Busy Philips, and DJ Khaled are asked about who they would invite, what food and drink would they serve, where they would hold it  and what music would be played. The fun last question is how would they get people to leave (John Waters' way is a hoot). There are other sidebars too that feature memorable dinners and essays on dinner parties and being a bad guest.

Of course the issue is all about the party itself and the recipes that make it. Each is different and fun in their own ways. Take, for example, Samiin Nosrat's dumpling party,  which is really a cooking party,where everyone pitches in to make the Korean mandu or potstickers. Its' roots go back to when she was in college, busing tables, and working and eating with fellow waitstaff and cooks. It starts with feeding guests snacks first and then letting them pitch in . Tejan Rao gives us a fondue party (surprising  because she is the number one Indian chef). Hers is an informal cheese fondue,  true to the Swiss with Gruyere and Appenzeller cheeses. Bread, potatoes and cornichons are dipped in th gooey melt. She serves it with quick pickled vegetables and finishes with a thin and crisp apple tart. A more sophisticated take is famed chef, Dorie Greenspan has a French twist on it, feeding those in the food industry with gravlax, ossobucco and spiced red wine poached pears. Gabrielle Hamilton 's menu is ideal for a semi dressy cocktail dinner party. It starts out with ice cold martinis that pair with deep fried pork, braised rabbit and roasted mushroom with black lentils and croutons. Sam Sifton writes about the expandable feast complete with steamed clams with jalapeno butter, pineapple salsa, cilantro and mint salad and roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika.His is a relaxed do, with turning a dinner party into an expanded family dinner. He ends it with the homey Klondike bars and whiskey.

A dinner party is what you make it. It does take help and that's what the Sunday Magazine dinner party issue is for. Use it during this holiday season to create the one you want to give.

T