MIAMI, June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When you
prepare for your next dinner party, consider what it must be like
to entertain a ship full of guests every night, seven days a week.
On your cruise vacation you can pick up valuable tips for
your own home entertaining, from experts who host dinner for
thousands.
In fact, hotel directors, chefs and maître d's say they
frequently receive requests for take-home entertainment advice,
whether about napkin folding, specific recipes that guests want to
try or ideas on what drinks to serve.
For those longing to learn, cruise lines including Princess
Cruises have cooking lessons and lectures, and Holland America Line
has an entire Culinary Arts Center. Both provide plenty of ideas to
use back home.
"You learn tricks of the trade, such as substituting white bread
crumbs with panko crumbs, which will assist in providing that extra
crisp and crunch to your baked and fried dishes," said Gerald
Mosslinger, vice president of food & beverage for Holland
America Line.
Food-focused shore excursions in places such as the Caribbean and Mexico can add ideas, and recipes, to your
repertoire.
Several cruise brands including Holland America Line, P&O
Cruises Australia and Germany's
AIDA Cruises also have cookbooks available in gift shops onboard
that feature cruise line-specific recipes and entertaining
tips.
"They are quite popular because people can literally take the
recipes home," said Mosslinger of the four books written by Holland
America Line's consulting Master Chef and Culinary Council Chairman
Rudi Sodamin.
Just like their guests, the crew tends to bring experiences at
sea into home entertaining.
For instance, Irishman Ken Byrne,
known as Carnival Cruise Line's singing maître d', said that just
like in the dining rooms he oversees, he always presents his dinner
guests at home with a menu.
"Six, eight or 10 people, I will always have a menu on the table
for them," Byrne said. "I prepare an appetizer, either soup or
salad and a choice of two main courses, whether it's meat and fish
or meat and chicken, and dessert." One of his favorite
desserts to prepare is the line's popular Warm Melting Chocolate
Cake (see recipe below), available nightly in the main dining
rooms.
Don Habets, the hotel director on
Holland America Line's just-debuted 2,650-passenger Koningsdam,
similarly channels the cruise ship experience when he has friends
over at his home in the
Netherlands. Variety, he said, is key.
"If I do a barbeque it's usually six to eight people but I buy
stuff for 20," he said. "I get portobello mushrooms for the
vegetarians. I know one of my friends likes mozzarella, so I get
that. Another friend likes honey mustard dressing. So all these
things stick in my mind to try to assure everybody gets what they
want."
When adapting experiences you've had at sea into your home
entertaining, it's important to keep in mind basic rules.
Chef Uwe Stiefel, corporate
executive chef for P&O Cruises Australia, said it's great to
try new recipes, but it's never a good idea to experiment on your
friends. Test out new dishes before the night of your dinner party,
he recommended.
It's also important to plan your menu carefully. "Avoid cooking
too many heavy dishes and think about how each course will go
together," Stiefel said. "Also, always ask guests if they have
dietary requirements prior to the party."
Pay attention to the seasonal calendar when buying fruit and
vegetables, advised Guenther Kroack,
corporate executive chef for AIDA Cruises. "And never put tomatoes
in the fridge because they will lose their flavor."
It's also important to take into account when and where you
tasted new flavors so you can bring that experience into your
home.
Dominican chef Emil Vega, whose
recipes are featured in the Ocean Grill on social impact brand
Fathom's 704-passenger Adonia (sailing every other week from
Miami to Cuba and Miami to the Dominican Republic) noted Caribbean cuisine derives from a rich culture
that goes beyond simple recipes. Sharing ambience is also
important.
"Dominicans and Cubans alike start preparing dishes early in the
day to season the new day with happiness," Vega said. "There's a
reason music such as the merengue, bachata and rumba
harmonize perfectly with the marvelous smells that emanate from the
kitchens."
There are also other ways to make your guests feel at home.
Holland America Line's Mosslinger
said he tends to go the whole nine yards with folded napkins,
napkin rings, fancy glassware and even chargers (large decorative
plates).
"When I entertain I want to make the event special just like on
a ship," he said. "You do it because it looks good, you want people
to feel good, you want them to feel welcome."
Carnival Cruise Line's Byrne, currently on the line's newest and
largest ship, the 3,954-passenger Carnival Vista, said it also
doesn't hurt to break into song.
"I always have fun whether it be a game, a song or a dance,"
Byrne said. "It's great to include fun in everything you do, at
work and at home."
Recipe for Warm Melting Chocolate Cake
This easy recipe has been the most popular dessert on
Carnival Cruise Line ships for more than 20 years.
6 oz. Dark chocolate
6 oz. Butter (1 ½ sticks)
4 eggs
6 oz. Sugar (3/4 cup)
2 oz. Flour (7 tbsp. plus ¾ tsp.)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°
Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat.
Mix together the eggs and sugar and whisk for a few minutes,
then add the flour.
Remove the chocolate from the stove, pour in the egg batter and
stir until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased ramekin. Bake about 14 minutes.
Serve warm with or without vanilla ice cream on top.
Entertainment tips from cruise experts
- Decorate your table with fresh flowers and other seasonal
products (leaves, pumpkins).
- Add to the ambience with carefully selected background
music.
- Consider serving dishes that can be prepared in advance, so
that you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your
guests.
- Impress your friends with a printed menu and accompanying wine
selections.
- Relax. You're supposed to have fun at your party too.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc