Theatrical Fare

Modern epicures have a perfect definition of theater. It's the link connecting the snack before to the supper afterward. The idea of a pre-theater appeasement rather than a full trencherman's dinner bolted down in time to make the 8:30 curtain gets a big hand from performers and audiences alike. And for generations the midnight supper after the show has been one of the most gracious of all ways to entertain.

If your theater party is to be really successful, you'11 first pick a play cued to the tastes of your guests. You'll offer them the prolog of cocktails and the kind of food that takes the edge off their hunger but still lets them sit through Ionesco or Beckett with a clear head. Your potables should allow them to roll in the aisles with Auntie Mame rather than with the aftereffects of five martinis. When the show's over, your party will taxi to the armchair comfort of your own hearth, where fine food and fine wine will help make a bomb tolerable and a superb play bewitching. In the fall and winter there are all kinds of dialogs for fireplace suppers, but none more engaging than the chatter over cast, staging, sets and story.

While one man can manage this kind of three-stage party, there are times when dual hosting works out best. The first producer gets the tickets and is responsible for the early snack and for taxi or limousine service. The second collaborator hosts the leisurely after-theater supper and drinks. Of course, the division of labor needn't follow these specifications literally. But it's the one we've found best for intimate theater parties of six to twelve people. If you belong to a theater subscription club, members naturally take turns throughout the season in hosting the party.

Part of your entourage may live in urban domains where the nightly ordeal by traffic becomes just too much for gathering at the twilight hour. When they're caught in this kind of nightmare alley, they can only forgo the preliminary snack, pray that fate will get them to the show on time, and then gather afterward for the unhurried dramaturgy of the buffet table. But if your party can possibly be mustered before the show, it not only keeps the crowd moving as a happy unit but makes the whole evening's junket infinitely more festive.

When you plan a roster for a theater party, remember that the number of couples invited shouldn't exceed the table space and chairs providing easy anchorage. We've found that the best day for putting temptation in the way of your party is Saturday, Host and those who are hosted are often caught up in the late office groove during the week. Saturdays, too, give you all the line you need for exploring gourmet emporiums and liquor shops, and for assembling all the ingredients of an opulent supper.

Ironically, the scene of action that bugs every host's soul the first time he runs a three-stage theater party isn't the sumptuous supper after the show but the small snack before. Bachelors in the land of plenty still seem to suffer from a pronounced phobia of not appeasing the belly slave that theoretically rules every civilized man about town. In countries such as Spain or Greece, where the dinner hour normally begins at 10 or 11 at night, no such problem exists. The Greek planning a theater party wouldn't dream of compressing his evening dinner into any kind of timetable. Before the theater, the Greek will dawdle over a small sea of olives, a plate of fish-roe salad or slices of feta cheese, some dark bread and butter. He'll take a glass of wine or perhaps an ouzo or two. It's the most civilized kind of dawdling, which we Americans could well emulate. In this country the question of what to serve for the pre-theater snack can be answered in very practical terms: Serve the first course of a dinner. Would you normally offer cherry-stone clams and an onion soup, a mulligatawny or a cheese fondue? Present any of these, and the first mouthful will assuage the pangs of hunger. Another delightful solution is the sm?rrebr?d, or Danish open sandwiches. The beauty of the sm?rrebr?d is that it can be contracted or expanded to meet the needs of any hungry circle. It's eaten with knife and fork. Although the kitchen procedure for making sm?rrebr?d is the easiest in the world, there are several ground rules that must be faithfully followed. The bread should be freshly baked, thinly sliced and generously spread with sweet butter. Toppings may include anything in your larder from boneless sardines and sliced tomato to smoked cod liver with scrambled eggs, to raw chopped steak with onions and capers. If sliced meats are on the bill, they should be prime in quality, well chilled and freshly sliced. The snackmaster must look to the logic of the clock. It will tell him that the moment has arrived when he must tap men on the shoulder, take women by the arm and tell them that the scene is now shifting to the theater.

In planning your after-theater menu, your first rule is to avoid duplications of the party of the first part. If there were lobster cocktails beforehand, you won't serve coquille of seafood to the captive crowd at midnight. Let your supper program fit the changed mood with dishes of substance such as the filet mignon below. Avoid avant-garde cookery, dishes that require elaborate carving, and food conversation pieces that try to steal the scene from the show itself. Last-minute preparation, even in your black tie, is perfectly feasible, provided all behind-the-scenes work has been put out of the way beforehand, and your labors are limited to simple sautéing and reheating of sauces. Finally, if you can contract for the services of a Jeeves, you'll find him invaluable for setting up the napery, silverware and champagne coolers, for checking room temperatures, lighting the fire and all the other (continued on page 204)Theatrical Fare(continued from page 147) prompts of a late-supper-and-drink session.

Before the theater, we like cocktails on the rocks. They make long drinks of short ones. We favor aperitif cocktails such as the negroni, vermouth cassis or white-wine cassis. When you return to your apartment after the theater, throw open the full resources of your bar. And for the final program note, what could possibly be better than a tray of liqueurs such as Chartreuse, benedictine or Grand Marnier poured over rocks or finely shaved ice?

The following dishes have been through tryouts and are ready for your theater dining repertory.

[recipe_title]Cheese Soup Roquefort Croutons[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]3 Spanish onions[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]3 pints chicken broth, fresh or canned[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]12 ozs. processed gruyère cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ozs. brandy[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]12 slices narrow French bread[/recipe]

[recipe]6 ozs. roquefort cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]Paprika[/recipe]

Peel onions, cut in half through stem end, then cut crosswise into thinnest possible slices. Heat butter and oil in soup pot until butter melts. Add onions and sauté slowly, stirring frequently, until onions are limp and turning yellow, not brown. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil; reduce flame and simmer slowly 20 minutes. Add cream and milk; bring up to boiling point but do not boil. Put gruyère cheese through large holes of square metal grater. Remove soup from flame. Add Worcestershire sauce, brandy and gruyére cheese; stir until cheese dissolves. Add salt and pepper to taste and a generous dash of cayenne pepper. Toast bread lightly under broiler flame. Spread one side with roquefort cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Place bread, cheese side up, under broiler flame until cheese begins to brown. Reheat soup just before serving and spoon into tureen or individual soup marmites. Place 2 slices roquefort toast on each portion. Serve an accompanying course of oysters or clams on the half shell.

[recipe_title]Danish Ham Chicken And Asparagus Sandwiches[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]4 boiled breasts of chicken, cooled[/recipe]

[recipe]12 ozs. sliced Danish ham[/recipe]

[recipe]6 large center slices round pumpernickel bread[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter, at room temperature[/recipe]

[recipe]2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen asparagus, cooked, drained and cooled[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon dry English mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon heavy sweet cream[/recipe]

Remove skin and bones from chicken and, with very sharp knife, cut chicken into thinnest possible slices. Spread bread with butter. Place chicken slices on bread. Place ham slices on chicken, letting them overlap crust. Arrange asparagus spears in center of ham. In small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, English mustard, vinegar and cream. Mix until smooth. Spoon mayonnaise mixture over asparagus. Serve sandwiches, ice cold, on large platter or individual plates.

[recipe_title]Shrimps Vinaigrette[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]2 lbs. (cooked weight) shrimps, boiled, peeled and deveined[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup white-wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 green pepper, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 canned pimientos, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]3 pieces celery, peeled, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced chives or scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon thyme leaves[/recipe]

[recipe]6 medium-size firm, ripe tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]Boston lettuce[/recipe]

[recipe]2 hard-boiled eggs, small dice[/recipe]

Combine shrimps and oil in mixing bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and toss well. Add vinegar, wine, green pepper, pimientos, celery, parsley, chives and thyme and toss well. Marinate in refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight if possible. Lower tomatoes into large pot of rapidly boiling water for 20 to 25 seconds. Peel tomatoes under cold running water; remove stem ends; then cut each tomato through top (but do not separate) into 6 wedges. On 6 serving plates, place several leaves of lettuce. Spread out tomato wedges fanwise, with-out separating segments, and sprinkle generously with salt. Add egg to shrimp and toss thoroughly. Spoon shrimps with dressing onto tomatoes. Serve ice cold. Pass bread-and-butter sandwiches made of thinly sliced French bread generously spread with sweet butter.

[recipe_title]Crab Meat Bourbon[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]1-1/2 1bs. fresh crab lump or 3 7-1/2oz. cans Alaska King crab[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 1b. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons minced shallots or scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]3 ozs. bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pint light cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]2 ozs. oloroso sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Pernod[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

Before theater: Examine crab lump carefully, removing any pieces of shell or cartilage. Melt butter in large saucepan over low flame. Add mushrooms, shallots and paprika. Sauté, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes. Add crab lump and sauté, stirring frequently, until heated through. Add bourbon and set it ablaze. When flames subside, stir in flour, mixing well. Add light cream and simmer, don't boil, 5 minutes. Remove from flame and store, covered, in refrigerator until after theater. After theater: Place crab-lump mixture in top section of chafing dish over simmering water. When mixture is hot, remove 3 tablespoons sauce and combine with egg yolks, mixing well. Add yolks to chafing dish and continue to heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken. Add sherry and Pernod; add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of cayenne pepper. Keep flame under chafing dish as low as possible. Serve with rice or fine noodles.

[recipe_title]Portuguese Bacalhau[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]6 cups mashed potatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]2 11-oz. cans cooked salt codfish or smoked finnan haddie, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]6 tablespoons melted butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons minced chives or scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1 hard-boiled egg yolk[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/4 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]6 eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]6 slices black truffle[/recipe]

Before theater: In large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, codfish, melted butter, milk, olive oil, 1/2 cup heavy cream and chives. Mix well. Salt is usually not necessary, because of saltiness of fish, but a generous dash of pepper should be added. Spread in shallow casserole to a depth of 1 1/2 ins. Store in refrigerator until after theater. Force hard-boiled egg yolk through fine strainer into well of electric blender. Add raw egg yolks. Heat butter in small saucepan over low flame until melted but not brown. Remove from flame. Spin blender for about 10 seconds. Slowly add hot butter, a tablespoon at a time, through opening in blender top, until butter is used and sauce is emulsified. Turn off blender. Add lemon juice, a generous dash each of salt and pepper and a light dash of cayenne pepper. Run blender for a few seconds to combine seasonings. Store sauce, covered, in warm place until needed. After theater: Preheat oven at 400°. Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream until thick. Place casserole in oven 20 to 25 minutes. Poach 6 eggs in lightly salted water or in egg poacher. Spread whipped cream over bacalhau and place under broiler flame until light brown. Remove from broiler and place poached eggs on bacalhau. Spoon sauce over eggs. Top each egg with a slice of truffle. Serve with a green salad tossed with olive oil and red-wine vinegar.

[recipe_title]Glazed Corned-Beef Brisket[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]5 lbs. corned-beef brisket[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup brown sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup crab-apple jelly[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons prepared horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon Düsseldorf mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon dry mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]Whole cloves[/recipe]

Before theater: Soak corned beef overnight in cold water. Simmer in fresh water until tender, 4 to 5 hours. Let it cool in the cooking liquid. After theater: Remove corned beef from liquid. Preheat oven at 450°. Make a smooth paste of the brown sugar, jelly, horseradish and both kinds of mustard. Score the fat on top of the corned beef by drawing diagonal lines with a French knife at 1-in. intervals. Stick a clove into each section. Spread glaze on corned beef. Place in shallow pan and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until top of corned beef is glazed a rich brown. Serve with a potato, tomato and cucumber salad, and garnishes of cold chowchow and pickled walnuts.

[recipe_title]Filet Mignon, Sauce Piquante[/recipe_title]

(Serves six)

[recipe]6filets mignons, 8 ozs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1b. large fresh mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]Sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 15-oz. can artichoke bottoms, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup dry red wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup onion, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup finely minced dill pickle[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon dried chervil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]6 slices French bread[/recipe]

Before theater: Wash mushrooms. Cut stem ends protruding beyond caps. Use ends for another cooking purpose, or discard. Place mushrooms in large shallow saucepan with 2 tablespoons butter. Sauté, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from flame. Place artichoke bottoms in same pan and store in refrigerator for later reheating. Pour wine and chicken broth into deep saucepan. Add onion and pickle and simmer slowly until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Add 3 tablespoons butter, beef extract, parsley, chervil and vinegar. When butter is melted, remove from flame. Cool slightly and pour into well of electric blender. Blend 1 minute at high speed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to saucepan and store in refrigerator until needed. After theater: Sauté mushrooms and artichoke bottoms until heated through. Preheat electric skillet at 400°. Pan-broil filets mignons, without added fat, until medium brown on both sides. While filets are pan-broiling, toast bread. Remove filets from skillet and place on toast on serving platter. Pour wine sauce into skillet and bring to a boil. Top filet mignon with artichoke bottoms and mushrooms. Pour sauce over steaks. Serve with French fried potatoes.

As Ethel Barrymore once said, "That's all there is, there isn't any more." We trust these dishes will win you many bravos and curtain calls.