Parties for the ‘90s - Glitz and glimmer, Asian-inspired entrees and old-fashioned, homey desserts that are strong on taste appeal will help define a new decade of parties.

What’s in store for party-goers in the ‘90s? Glitz and glimmer with a touch of the futuristic. This prediction is based on a recent banquet staged by the National Assn. of Catering Executives as a showcase for trends.

The party took place in the San Francisco Ballroom of the Westin Bonaventure. This vast space was transformed into a sparkling scene that incorporated such mundane elements as plastic bubble wrap. Glass table tops were placed over the wrap and illuminated to make a resplendent scene that mingled glamour with humor: Guests could not resist popping the bubbles, and the room soon sounded like a giant popcorn machine.

Chandeliers massed with round, bubble-like balls continued the lighter-than-air theme. Huge tubular balloons branched over the ballroom, and smaller inflated tubes that resembled formless statues were grouped on the floor to form an aisle for arriving guests. At the end of the party, balloons came flying through the air tubes, bouncing down around tables that a few moments earlier had held a lavish dessert buffet.

The suffocating crush to get at the sweets revealed that ‘90s party-goers are not afraid of calories. Judging by the main course, East-West flavors will play a strong role in the new decade. Duck breast, spicy with fresh ginger, was bathed in a sweet lychee sauce flavored with hoisin and Chinese chili sauces. Baby bok choy joined other vegetables on the plate, along with wild rice timbales and duck sausage. The desserts included a Pacific Rim Macadamia Nut Tart.

Dinner started with medallions of grilled rare tuna paired with cold marinated ratatouille. Earlier, guests had gathered for a reception where they sipped flavored vodkas, each bottle housed in its own niche in a giant block of ice. Waiters passed glasses of rosy sparkling wine, and a frozen drink machine turned out fruity low- or no-alcohol beverages.

With these libations, guests nibbled on caviar and crackers, smoked fish, smoked trout pate, tiny servings of scallop-and-salmon ceviche in clam shells, and miniature croissant sandwiches filled with Boursin cheese and prosciutto.

Wines--Chardonnay, Petite Sirah and more of the bubbly--accompanied the dinner. And so did a two-way concert: New Age instrumental music on one stage and piano music on another. The white piano stood on an elevated black and white checkerboard floor in the midst of the dessert tables. Miniature chocolate pianos, hand tinted to show each key, transported the musical theme to the dessert buffet. A neon piano on the appetizer table outside was the prelude to this tuneful concept.

The spectacular dessert display featured thin shards of multicolored chocolate scattered along the tables, creating the impression of a landscape in some far galaxy. More shards studded cakes and pastries. And other shards were stacked against cool-looking pale green pillars. The pillars were part of Greco-Roman glass sculptures that also served as table centerpieces, dramatically pinpointed with white lights. The sculptures on the dinner tables were topped with gerbera daisies, eucalyptus leaves and tritoma (red hot pokers), which were sprayed with silver paint. The pedestals were sprinkled with silvery pellets of water-retentive crystal gel that matched the shimmer of silver service plates. Color changers bathed the room in subtle hues, altering the tint with each course.

Some 25 suppliers cooperated to produce the event, according to John Steinmetz, NACE president and director of catering at the Bonaventure. Florists, lighting and neon designers, party planners, wine and spirits representatives, food importers, musicians, and balloon and tubing designers were some of the specialists involved.

Steinmetz, the event’s overall chairman, worked with co-chairwomen Kate Fergusson, regional director of catering for Hyatt Hotels, and Debra Karrenbrock of Los Angeles Party Designs. Karrenbrock is program chairman for NACE.

Steinmetz designed the menu with Werner Glur, the Bonaventure’s executive chef. Joseph Szerwo, the hotel’s executive sous chef, produced ice carvings that included a jagged, “leading edge” design with a neon 1990 sign inside. Pastry apprentice Susan Ettesvold was responsible for the chocolate shards and other sweets.

Upcoming food trends, Steinmetz said, include increased attention to fish; grilling fish lightly instead of serving it raw, and a wider acceptance of game. Cooking in front of diners will be a major trend, and Steinmetz expects to see buffets “where the kitchen is in the dining room.” Desserts, however, will experience a “return to tradition,” with homey, tasty concoctions in demand despite their lack of visual appeal.

Some 250 guests attended the trend-setting NACE event. “It was one of the most exciting parties I’ve ever done,” said Steinmetz. “It even exceeded my expectations.”

DUCK BREASTS WITH LYCHEE SAUCE

4 single Muscovy duck breasts

1 1/2 green onions, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon Chinese chili sauce

Lychee Sauce

Loosen duck skin along top of breasts. Gently push index finger under skin to form pocket. Combine green onions, cilantro, ginger, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and chili sauce.

Spoon small amount of marinade under skin. Press skin to distribute mixture over meat underneath. Rub remaining marinade over outside of breasts. Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours.

When ready to cook, drain off excess marinade and reserve for use in sauce. Grill or broil meat until internal temperature is 140 degrees and meat is pink, about 15 minutes. To serve, place 2 tablespoons Lychee Sauce on plate. Slice duck and arrange on top of sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Lychee Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

1 (1-pound, 4-ounce) can lychees

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

Reserved duck marinade

Place cornstarch in small bowl and gradually blend in water. Drain syrup from lychees into saucepan. Reserve lychees for another use.

Add orange juice, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, onion powder and marinade to lychee syrup. Bring to boil. Add cornstarch mixture, stirring well. When mixture comes to simmer, remove from heat.

DUCK SAUSAGE

1/2 pound duck meat, trimmed of fat

1/2 tablespoon bacon drippings, warmed

1 egg white

1/2 tablespoon softened butter

1 slice ham, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon finely chopped leek

1 teaspoon chopped mixed herbs (rosemary, parsley and thyme)

Salt, pepper

Cut 3/4 of duck meat into small pieces. Place in food processor and process until smooth. Add bacon drippings and process 1 minute. Turn into bowl, cover and chill 30 minutes.

Return 1/2 mixture to processor. Add egg white gradually while processing, then add butter and process 1 minute. Turn into bowl.

Cut remaining duck into small cubes. Add duck cubes, remaining pureed duck, ham, leek, herbs and salt and pepper to taste to mixture in bowl. Mix gently.

Place mixture on long sheet of foil and form into sausage 12 inches long. Roll tightly in heavy duty foil. Fold and crimp ends to make water tight.

Place enough water to cover sausage in roasting pan large enough to hold sausage flat. Bring to boil. Add wrapped sausage, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before unwrapping and slicing. Makes 8 appetizer servings.

WILD RICE TIMBALE

1 strip bacon, diced

1/2 green onion, sliced

1/4 cup Bechamel Sauce

1 cup cooked wild rice

Cook bacon and onion together until bacon is crisp. Drain. Add to Bechamel Sauce. Add rice. Spoon into 4 buttered custard cups. Place in pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes. Turn out of molds onto dinner plates. Makes 4 servings.

Bechamel Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup well-seasoned chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

Salt

White pepper

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 cup.

GRILLED TUNA WITH COLD RATATOUILLE

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 sweet red pepper, finely diced

1 small zucchini, finely diced

1 small crookneck squash, finely diced

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing

6 ounces fresh tuna, about

Bottled Cajun seasoning

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Chopped chives

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add red pepper, zucchini, crookneck squash, onion and tomato and saute about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Set aside 2 tablespoons dressing. Toss vegetables with remaining dressing and refrigerate overnight.

Coat tuna on all sides with Cajun seasoning to taste. Heat vegetable oil in skillet. Add tuna and cook until medium rare, 4 to 5 minutes.

To serve, cut tuna in thin slices. Place spoonful of ratatouille in center of 4 plates. Fan tuna slices on top of ratatouille. Garnish with chopped chives. Drizzle reserved Italian dressing over plates. Makes 4 servings.

PACIFIC RIM MACADAMIA NUT TART

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups unsalted macadamia nuts, lightly toasted

Tart Shell

Chocolate Glaze

Combine sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon. Boil until mixture thickens and turns golden brown, about 240 degrees on candy thermometer.

Remove from heat and cool, stirring occasionally. When cool, stir in nuts. Gently push filling into prepared Tart Shell, being careful not to crack shell. Chill.

With large spoon, drizzle Chocolate Glaze back and forth across chilled tart. Makes 8 servings.

Tart Shell

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Dash salt

1 egg, beaten

Blend flour, butter, sugar and salt together in bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg and mix until dough begins to come together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.

On lightly floured surface roll pastry out until 1/4-inch thick. Fit pastry into 9-inch tart pan. Pastry is delicate and may crack. If so, press together in pan.

Fill with layer of beans or pastry weights and bake at 400 degrees about 8 minutes, until lightly golden.

Remove beans or pastry weights and bake 5 minutes longer, until lightly browned. Cool.

Chocolate Glaze

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Chop chocolate into small pieces. Bring cream to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until no lumps are visible. Stir in corn syrup until blended. Cool until thickened slightly but still fluid enough to pour.