COOKING & ENTERTAINING : Casual Affairs : Three Hosts Reveal How They Make Throwing Parties Easy

LISA CACAVAS, a lyricist and costumer for feature movies, loves casual, work-free party giving. How does she make it look so easy? “I spend three days cooking and preparing so I don’t spend time in the kitchen when guests arrive,” she says. There is also a lot of lap dining. Casual all the way.

The size and type of Cacavas’ parties vary with the mood and occasion. Much of the entertaining is done indoors, but, if the weather is warm, a balcony off the living room can seat eight people. Cacavas’ table is decorated with artifacts found here and there, in thrift shops and during her travels. For one tropical table setting, place mats purchased in Jamaica are coordinated with birds-of-paradise in a ‘30s-era martini shaker.

Cacavas’ parents (her father is film composer John Cacavas) have certainly influenced her entertaining style. “They are incredible entertainers and cooks,” Cacavas says. “They go all out. I had to realize that I didn’t have to do it all as seriously as they did, but I did take a lot of their ideas.”

One tip Cacavas borrowed was to offer a variety of foods but never to overload plates. “That way,” she says, “you don’t go away feeling stuffed. And you don’t have to watch calories if you watch portions.” The food she serves tends to be simple, focused on what people in Los Angeles enjoy eating: A party menu might include bruschetta (her version is a chopped tomato salad over French bread toast), pasta with chicken, broccoli and radicchio , and English trifle cake. Greek dishes, such as moussaka , are crowd-pleasers taken from Cacavas’ Greek heritage. “You can make these kinds of dishes days ahead,” she says.

FOR YOUNG RESTAURANT proprietor Bonnie Burns--who, with her mother, Elizabeth, brother, Bobby, and sister, Beth, operate the Bob Burns Inc. chain of restaurants--a generous spirit, a keen eye for quality, a love of antiques and a desire to bring people of different interests together dictate her party style.

“I’ve always had twice as much food as needed so that I can send my guests away with care packages,” says Burns. Cost is just not a factor. “Either I can afford it or I can’t,” she reveals candidly.

Much of the entertaining involves her brother, also a chef. “We work together and have many of the same friends,” explains Bonnie.

Consideration of the special needs of Burns’ guests plays a major role in her entertaining style. “I always try to have a variety of foods, from rich, rich desserts to low-calorie fresh fruits, so that a vegetarian or calorie-counting guest can enjoy the food as much as those who can splurge,” she says.

Much time and attention is spent on presentation. “I favor country French, English and Chinese, but we also have 12 different patterns of Portuguese and Italian painted china among others collected in Europe and Mexico, Pasadena and even neighborhood estate sales over the years.”

A Bastille Day picnic was toasted with antique French Champagne crystal. An oversized Ming Dynasty platter was both the utensil and decoration for a seafood meal. An Italian dinner table was decorated with Portuguese painted pottery, mineral water bottles, amaretto cookies and chocolates, with Italian lira scattered casually on the table. “Everyone left the party with favors,” Burns says.

Many of the floral decorations and plate garnishes come from the garden flowers and plants grown and cared for fastidiously by her mother, at her spacious home on San Vicente Boulevard, where most of the entertaining hosted by family members takes place. “My mother’s garden blooms profusely most of the year, and it’s a lovely place to hold our parties,” Burns says.

For one party, the Burns’ garden produced the pink roses and purple basil used to decorate a table for six. Herbs such as lavender, mint and parsley go on platters, and edible flowers garnish foods on the plate.

A Bonnie Burns garden supper menu might include an eggplant caviar served with sliced rosemary bread bought at an Italian bakery, cioppino , Caesar salad, orange brulee with julienne of orange, and goat cheese and fanned California figs for dessert.

For a Sunday Mexican brunch with margaritas, Burns prepared chicken quesadillas and added a platter of beautifully arranged strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapefruit and oranges to offset the heaviness of the cheese dish. For a small dinner party, marinated scallops, lobster and prawns were barbecued and served over a salad of radicchio , Belgian endive, toasted pine nuts, pear tomatoes and avocado. Accompanying the first course might be a salmon Wellington served with spinach creamed with a sauce made by combining cauliflower and potatoes. For a large party, easy casseroles, such as lasagna, are served with an array of marinated asparagus and grilled baby vegetables, a Caesar salad and French bread. “I love vegetables. They are not only beautiful but good for people to eat,” she says.

Burns is a keen judge of good food and menus, both for social and professional reasons: “We do a lot of testing with friends at home before adding a dish to our restaurant menu.”

GEORGE NEWELL looks like the kind of host who tap-dances his way through a party. But don’t let Newell’s grace fool you. Behind the scenes there is planning, planning and more planning. Newell uses the same artistic approach to entertaining as he does to his daily work as makeup artist to stars such as Sigourney Weaver, Jessica Lange and Diane Keaton. His work also appears in American Express television ads and in major magazines.

A fastidious art director of his table and room decorations, Newell likes things simple. No fussy knickknack touches. His concern is with the overall design, taking care to dramatize the juxtaposition of the conventional and contemporary setting. He uses crisp, white-over-peach tablecloths, candles and seasonal flowers. China is white with blue accents--Blue Willow, his favorite china pattern, offsetting stark white serving platters and the ultra-contemporary surroundings of his home.

With outdoor entertaining possible almost year-round in Southern California, Newell’s menu and party mostly revolves around the patio and the outdoor grill. “The barbecue takes the mess out of the house--but makes entertaining easier and the food tastier,” he says. “There is nothing like the smell of grilled chicken, lamb kebab or swordfish wafting in the air. The barbecue also gathers people in a more friendly way,” says Newell, a native Texan.

When entertaining a crowd, Newell hires a grill attendant to make sure the food is cooked to perfection. “It’s very important that the food is not over- or undercooked and that everything comes together at one time,” Newell says.

A typical George Newell Sunday barbecue starts with egg salad, a dish of his youth, served as a dip with Carr’s crackers and bowls of Maui-style potato chips, large plain ripe olives and roasted nuts. Then there is an arugula salad recipe made with balsamic vinegar and virgin olive oil, which he picked up from being an avid restaurant hopper. The surprise is the grilled drumettes, which are marinated overnight in salt-free seasonings, then barbecued. He does the same with chicken legs, thighs and breasts for other meals. Peas and sugar snaps are another nostalgic touch from Newell’s Texas past. Fruit and nuts and cheese keep the dessert simple and serving easy.

For a small group, Newell switches to pastas and salads accompanied by grilled veal, rosemary chicken and, sometimes, veal sausages purchased at a neighborhood Russian deli.

PASTA WITH CHICKEN, BROCCOLI AND RADICCHIO

3 cups broccoli, cut into florets

2 cups boiling water

2 large chicken bouillon cubes

cup butter

Oil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch pepper

2 tablespoons bottled marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into strips

1 pound penne or other tube-shape pasta

1 cup sliced radicchio

Salt, pepper

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Blanch broccoli florets 10 seconds. Plunge into cold water to prevent further cooking. Set aside.

Combine water, bouillon cubes, butter and cup oil in saucepan. Add seasoning, garlic, pepper and marinara sauce. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a plastic bag combine flour and salt. Add chicken pieces and shake in bag until coated with flour mixture. In large skillet, heat cup oil over medium heat. Add chicken pieces, shaking off excess flour. Do not crowd pan. Cook, turning chicken, until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cool.

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water. Drain.

Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Add broccoli, chicken and radicchio and mix again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in refrigerator until needed. Before serving, reheat pasta mixture, covered, in oven at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Serve at once with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and any remaining sauce. Serves 8.

ENGLISH TRIFLE CAKE

1 20-ounce, 8-inch round sponge cake

10 ounces raspberry jam

12 ladyfingers

1/2 cup Sherry

2 10-ounce packages frozen raspberries

2 dozen soft macaroons

1 box frozen strawberries

Orange juice, optional

1 pint sweetened whipped cream

Slice cake horizontally into four layers. Place first layer on plate. Cover generously with one-third of jam. Separate ladyfingers. Dip into Sherry and place layer on top of jam. Arrange thawed raspberries over ladyfingers. Pour some juice from berries over cake. Add another layer of cake and spread generously with one-third more jam. Flatten 12 macaroons between hands and soften in strawberry juice. Place layer over jam. Add strawberries and pour some of the juice over cake. For third layer, spread with remaining jam. Dip macaroons in strawberry juice. Place over jam layer. Spoon remaining raspberries over top with juice. Place top cake layer over raspberry layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

About two hours before serving, spoon juices in bottom of plate over cake to moisten. Cake should be moist but not soggy. If cake is not moist enough, add orange juice.

Just before serving, spread whipped cream over top and sides. Serves 16 to 20.

CIOPPINO

3 shallots

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon pink peppercorns

teaspoon thread saffron

1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc

2 cups fish stock

2 1/2 cups Tomato-Basil Sauce (see below)

teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

teaspoon fresh chopped basil

1 9-ounce lobster tail, split

2 medium scallops

2 large shrimp

2 green-lipped mussels, well scrubbed

2 littleneck clams

2 4-ounce pieces swordfish

2 Stoney Island oysters

2 pieces Alaskan king crab legs, split

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons minced red pepper

3 tablespoons minced green pepper

3 tablespoons minced yellow pepper

Chopped parsley

Basil sprigs

In large skillet saute shallots and garlic in olive oil until shallots are tender. Add peppercorns and saffron and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, fish stock, Tomato-Basil Sauce, tarragon, oregano and basil. Simmer 5 minutes. Add lobster tail, scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, swordfish, oysters and crab legs. Cook 6 to 7 minutes or until fish is done. Remove seafood to large soup tureen and keep warm. To broth in pan add carrots, celery and peppers. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Pour over seafood in bowl. Ladle onto plates. Garnish with parsley and basil. Serves 6 to 8.

Tomato-Basil Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1-pound can whole tomatoes

2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce

teaspoon fresh chopped basil

teaspoon fresh chopped oregano

Pinch black pepper

1 1-pound 12-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes

Saute garlic and shallot in olive oil. Add juice from canned tomatoes, reserving whole tomatoes. Add tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add basil, oregano and pepper. Mash reserved whole tomatoes and add with plum tomatoes to sauce. Simmer 15 minutes.

EGG SALAD

8 large hard-cooked eggs

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Fine sea salt

Black pepper

1/2 cup small pitted Spanish olives, halved

Peel and grate eggs with medium grater into bowl. Add onion, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and olives and mix lightly but thoroughly. Serves 6.

GRILLED DRUMETTES

3 1/2 dozen chicken drumettes

Salt-free gourmet-type seasoning mix

Freshly cracked black pepper

4 or 5 stems fresh rosemary

Melted butter or oil

Sprinkle drumettes with seasoning mix, pepper and rosemary. Rub drumettes well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator. When ready to cook, prepare grill and cook over medium-low coals 12 to 15 minutes or until tender, turning often. Or broil 15 to 20 minutes, basting with butter or oil. Serves 6.

Produced by Robin Tucker.