The Caviar Palette: Eating for Art

Cooking an elaborate dinner for 19 guests, most of them strangers--and all of them paying big money toward a good cause--could make the most experienced hostess nervous. But 30 minutes before guests were to arrive at her house for one of the 51 dinners held in September for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s “Art of the Palate ‘98” fund-raiser, Cathy Rogers looked calm and organized.

“It’s going to be fun,” she said, bustling about the kitchen in skyscraper black heels.

And fun for Rogers this night meant orchestrating the serving of five appetizer courses, two main courses, nine desserts, three wines and cappuccino.

Most Art of the Palate hosts served food prepared by caterers or restaurants, but Rogers insisted on producing the entire menu herself (with some kitchen help) and serving it at home. And rather than planning a foolproof, straightforward four- or five-course dinner, she decided to give the guests their money’s worth (each diner paid $225).

Prospective guests had been sent packets that listed party themes and locations so they could choose the event that suited their tastes. Some guests said they booked the dinner because Rogers was cooking. Others wanted to see the Rogers’ Malibu home, which amounts to an Art Deco art gallery. Rogers’ husband, Jeff, who has gathered the extraordinary collection, was the evening’s tour guide.

Cathy Rogers’ specialty is elaborate presentation. Each course consisted of a mouthful or so--more would have been overwhelming--and each was as artfully arranged as a museum display.

“I’m crazy for little tastes,” she said. “At the end you’re not really full, but you’re satisfied.”

To tie in with the benefit theme, Rogers designed one appetizer as a miniature artist’s palette. The palette itself was shaped from a thin slice of French bread painted white with a cream cheese mixture. Rogers then spooned on tiny dabs of red, yellow and black caviars, chives and finely chopped hard-boiled egg yolks and whites to simulate paints. For a brush she attached dark bristles cut from squid ink pasta to a short length of pale egg pasta.

Twenty minutes before the guests were due, Rogers came up with yet another way to convey the party theme. Her idea was to print the word “Art” on each dessert plate. So there she was, cutting out a stencil, then sprinkling cocoa letters onto 19 dessert plates as calmly as if she were spending the evening at home alone.

As guests arrived, they headed straight for the kitchen to watch Rogers at work. Again, she showed not the slightest sign of pressure but welcomed each arrival cordially. When one glanced about and observed, “Some of this looks good enough to eat,” Rogers joked right back: “We’re definitely going to be eating.” Certainly an understatement.

When the guests took their seats, so did Rogers. There were times, naturally, when she disappeared into the kitchen. But still, she managed to relax and enjoy the party as if she too were a guest. It was an awesome performance.

To get some inkling of the scope of Rogers’ work, consider the dessert plate. It contained seven desserts--a tiny lemon tart, a miniature banana chocolate cream pie topped with a caramel cage, a white nectarine tart with homemade blackberry ice cream, blueberry crumble pie with vanilla cream, a profiterole with homemade French vanilla ice cream and caramel fudge sauce, a dab of chocolate croissant bread pudding with Bourbon creme anglaise and an amazing red slipper that Rogers formed of red chocolate purchased from a cake decorating supply store. This she brushed with warmed chocolate and dipped in red sprinkles. The slipper was filled with peppermint ice cream (homemade, again).

In addition, Rogers set a white chocolate baby grand piano with dark chocolate keys and a tiny sheet of music on each table. It contained English toffee. Each table also shared a tiny caramel milk chocolate cheesecake that formed the base of a merry-go-round made of yellow chocolate and gingerbread cutout animals. Rogers had made every component of these too.

Furthermore, Rogers made all of the dinner breads, which included cinnamon-raisin rolls, chewy onion pretzels, fresh corn cob breads and a sourdough olive loaf. And she made the smoked salmon that topped horseradish-dill cream for an appetizer served in a parchment-wrapped cone. The cone was made of a savory tuile that had been sprinkled with fresh tarragon before baking.

The Rogers’ collection of vintage accessories came in handy in presenting the dinner. The salmon cones were supported by a wooden pipe rack. A King Edward Imperial cigar box lined with a white napkin held tiny breads. Places were set with silver in a variety of patterns, including Community silver from the 1920s and coin silver forks from England in a pattern dating from 1877.

After the salmon cones, guests took their seats for a parade of first courses served on large white plates. First came the edible artist’s palette. This was followed by a miniature Caesar salad composed of red and green baby romaine leaves accompanied by a quail egg embedded in the center of a slice of toasted brioche.

Next came a slice of duck accompanied by the bronzed skin and homemade puff pastry layered with sauteed portabello mushrooms and creamy baked potatoes. The duck skin, which had been glazed with honey, rice vinegar and chile powder, was crisp and not fatty in the least. The secret, said Rogers, is to buy a fresh duck three days ahead of time: “The skin gets taut in the refrigerator.”

Rogers switched to aqua plates next to show off a stacked lobster salad. A morsel of lobster sat on a bit of sweet apple bacon that Rogers had smoked herself. Under this was an avocado flower stuffed with purple potato salad seasoned with chives and wasabi mayonnaise. Three thin slices of yellow beets formed the base, which was surrounded by lobster vinaigrette made with lobster essence and lobster oil.

“I wonder what time she got up this morning,” mused one guest.

However, Rogers is no amateur at cooking or entertaining. “I do this all the time,” she said. She’s a resident cooking teacher at Let’s Get Cookin’ in Westlake Village and Gelson’s Cooking Connection in Calabasas, specializing in decorative presentation. A few years ago, she edited “Malibu’s Cooking Again,” a cookbook put out to aid Malibu fire victims.

The first of the main courses was Chilean sea bass in a pale orange Thai sauce made with red curry paste and coconut milk base. This was accompanied by a tiny stack of roasted eggplant topped with sweet peppers. The peppers, from Rogers’ garden, of course, had been sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with garlic. The second main dish was a small rib-eye steak, smoked and then grilled to perfection. Rogers ordered the rib-eyes with extra long bones, and instead of presenting buttermilk onion rings on the side, she strung them over the bones. Each steak rested on a pool of smoky orange barbecue sauce edged with green basil oil.

The wines that accompanied these dishes were 1994 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay “Belle-Terre” and 1995 Straus Merlot “Sage Mountain.” As guests arrived, they were handed flutes of Champagne, either Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial or Dom Perignon.

After finishing the main dishes, one of the guests quipped, “Can we come back tomorrow for dessert?” But no, the dessert plates came next, along with cappuccino in vintage pottery mugs and Napoleon cups from Jeff Rogers’ grandmother. As guests shared the sweets, the clock was pointing toward midnight.

“I’d like to see her at 1 in the morning,” said one guest. By that hour, though, with the assistance of the three women who’d helped serve, the kitchen was in pristine shape. “It was like nobody had ever been here,” Rogers said.

And shortly afterward, she was sound asleep. “I really wasn’t exhausted,” she said. “It was a wonderful high. You worry about bringing people into your home that you don’t know, but it works out to be such a joy.”

The Art of the Possible

Cathy Rogers is no typical party host. And her Art of the Palate menu--four appetizers, two entrees, nine desserts, three wines and cappuccino--is something we can’t imagine ourselves ever doing without professional help. We’ve chosen some of the best dishes from Rogers’ dinner to make what we think is a terrific--and more manageable--party menu.

MENU

SMOKED SALMON WITH CARAMELIZED RED ONION AND DILL SAUCE

MACADAMIA-CRUSTED SEA BASS WITH THAI RED CURRY SAUCE

CHOCOLATE CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON CREME ANGLAISE

SMOKED SALMON WITH CARAMELIZED RED ONION AND DILL SAUCE

Cathy Rogers layers the salmon and sauce in crisp cones that she makes and shapes around a wooden form. Others like to layer the salmon, sauce and red onion on top of small toasts and serve them as canapes. If 2 pounds is more salmon than you can conveniently use, halve the recipe. Any leftover salmon can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks and served with bagels or added to pasta sauces.

SMOKED SALMON

2 pounds salmon fillet, skin on

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 cup fresh dill sprigs

1/4 cup vodka

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

DILL SAUCE

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon horseradish

2 shallots, diced

1/4 cup minced dill or chives

3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

ONION GARNISH

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, sliced

Sea salt

Cocktail-size toasts or crackers

SMOKED SALMON

Place salmon in glass dish. Cover with sugar, salt, dill sprigs, vodka, liquid smoke and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate 2 days. Turn over and refrigerate 2 more days. Remove from marinade and pat dry. Slice into julienne strips.

DILL SAUCE

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, shallots, minced dill and mustard.

ONION GARNISH

Heat olive oil. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Season to taste with sea salt and reserve.

To serve, layer Dill Sauce, Smoked Salmon and Onion Garnish on toasts or crackers.

About 2 dozen. Each serving:

126 calories; 200 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

MACADAMIA-CRUSTED SEA BASS WITH THAI RED CURRY SAUCE

CRUSTED SEA BASS

2 ounces macadamia nuts

1/2 cup flour plus extra for coating

1 egg or 2 egg whites

6 (1/4-pound) fillets Chilean sea bass

Sea salt

Pepper

RED CURRY SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste, or more to taste

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Juice of 1 lime

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

Sea salt

ASSEMBLY

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup creme frai^che

CRUSTED SEA BASS

Grind nuts with 1/2 cup flour in food processor. Beat egg or whites in bowl. Season fish with sea salt and pepper to taste. Coat lightly with flour, then dip into egg, then into nut mixture, coating all sides. Chill 1 hour.

RED CURRY SAUCE

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in saucepan. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Add curry paste and stir 1 minute. Add broth and coconut milk. Boil 3 minutes, then stir in lime juice, garlic, ginger, tomato, cilantro, fish sauce and sugar and simmer until lightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Strain and season to taste with sea salt.

ASSEMBLY

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in skillet. Add fish and cook until golden brown and crusty on all sides, about 12 minutes.

Place some of warm sauce on each individual plate. Place 1 piece fish on top. Dot with creme fraiche. Accompany with Stuffed Eggplant.

6 servings. Each serving, without Stuffed Eggplant:

427 calories; 534 mg sodium; 86 mg cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 1.36 grams fiber.

STUFFED EGGPLANT

2 large Japanese eggplants

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 red bell pepper, cut in thin strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut in thin strips

1 onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea salt

Cut off stems and tips of eggplants. Cut each crosswise into thirds, making 6 pieces 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. With melon baller, scoop out centers, leaving bottom intact to hold filling. Place eggplant shells cut side up on baking sheet. Brush with some of olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees until tender, about 15 minutes.

Saute red and yellow peppers and onion separately in remaining olive oil. Stir in garlic and sea salt to taste. Place peppers and onion in eggplant.

6 servings. Each serving:

107 calories; 52 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.58 gram fiber.

CHOCOLATE CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON CREME ANGLAISE

6 chocolate-filled croissants, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

10 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup Bourbon

Cathy Rogers makes her own chocolate filled croissants, but bakery croissants also work well in this dessert and save a lot of time.

Divide croissant pieces among 6 (6-inch) gratin dishes. Bring cream, 1/2 cup milk and vanilla bean to boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean and scrape seeds into cream mixture. Whisk 7 egg yolks and sugar together. Gradually whisk into cream mixture. Strain.

Divide custard over croissants in gratin dishes. If desired, recipe can be prepared to this point, refrigerated and baked just before serving. Place gratin dishes in two baking pans. Add hot water to come 1/2 way up sides of gratin dishes. Bake at 300 degrees until set, 30 to 40 minutes.

Place remaining 3 egg yolks in small bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup sugar. Bring 1 cup milk to boil. Gradually stir into egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and cook and stir constantly 5 minutes over low-medium heat. Strain. Stir in Bourbon. Pour into bowl and set in bowl of ice. Refrigerate until ready to serve. At serving time, serve in sauce boat so guests can add sauce as desired.

6 large or 12 medium servings. Each medium serving:

352 calories; 119 mg sodium; 297 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0 fiber.