PARTY LINE : What Models Eat (When They Eat)
“I’ve never seen a waif consume a pound of Brie in less than five minutes before,” says Michele Economou, “but it happened that night.”
Economou knows that most mannequins aren’t the finicky eaters everybody thinks they are. Sure, they eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, but the pencil-thin figures also gobble up platters of lasagna, spicy sausages, even brownies. As caterer for Prima Modeling Agency, Economou’s even gotten used to the body-builder types who won’t touch anything. “All they talk about is body fat,” she says. “It makes me want to run straight to Taco Bell.”
Even so, when Economou catered Detour magazine’s seventh-anniversary party last month, the Brie binging took her off-guard, mostly because more hungry style scenesters showed up than she expected. Co-hosted by Prima and Photo Impact, a photography laboratory specializing in black-and-white printing, the party, held at the lab’s small gallery, featured an exhibition of the 70 best photos that had run in the fashion magazine.
“I was told it would be a cocktail party for 300, and supposedly these people were going to be eating light,” Economou says. “Instead, 700 turned out, and it ended up being a Weight Watchers escapee free-for-all.”
Before Economou could set up the food, which had been trucked over from the Prima kitchen around the corner, the fashion mavens began tearing the plastic wrap off the trays and snatching hors d’oeuvres. They grabbed the stuffed grape leaves, the miniature spanakopita , the cheese, the antipasti , the eggplant terrines. And then they gorged on the platters of bread pudding.
“We worked 72 hours straight, and we barely had enough food,” says Economou. “I learned a lot from this one.”
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This eggplant terrine served at the Detour party is very beautiful, and not difficult to make. It can be sliced and served at room temperature, or chilled and served in a sandwich.
EGGPLANT TERRINE 2 large eggplants Roasted Sweet Red Peppers 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 1 1/2 cups goat cheese 2 teaspoons lemon juice Olive oil 3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs 1 large bunch basil Salt, pepper
Cut eggplant horizontally into slices 1/2-inch thick. Purge eggplant by standing 1 layer of slices upright against inside of colander and sprinkle with salt. Repeat process until all eggplant is salted. Place deep-dish under colander to collect drippings. Let eggplant stand about 30 minutes.
Prepare Roasted Sweet Red Peppers.
Cream ricotta, goat cheese, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons olive oil and mixed herbs in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Rinse and pat each eggplant slice dry with paper towels. Brush slices with olive oil to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant over extremely high heat, approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until translucent.
Line 7-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Layer bottom with grilled eggplant. Top with 1 layer of cheese mixture. Top cheese mixture with 1 layer of basil leaves. Repeat layering until loaf pan is full, ending with eggplant.
Cover top with plastic wrap and weight down, using milk carton or another loaf pan filled with something heavy. Let stand overnight.
To serve, turn layered mixture onto board and carefully remove plastic wrap. Top loaf with Roasted Sweet Red Pepper mixture, then slice. Makes 8 to 12 servings.
Each of 12 servings contains about: 137 calories; 115 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.23 grams fiber.
Roasted Sweet Red Peppers 2 large sweet red peppers 1 large clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Salt, pepper
Halve peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. Place peppers skin-side-up on baking sheet and broil 2 to 3 inches from heat until skins are charred black, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer peppers to paper bag, close tightly and let peppers steam about 15 minutes. Slip off charred skins.
Cut peppers into strips and place in flat bowl or pie plate. Sprinkle peppers with minced garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
