KAREN MARTINI, HARDIE GRANT, $110
If the phrase ‘We’re having a dinner party’ thrills and excites you then this is your chance to learn from a pro. There’s no doubt that Martin Benn – a fine-dining chef for more than 30 years – and Vicki Wild throw wildly impressive dinner parties, seriously cool with sophisticated cocktails and canapés, grown-up wine, a table laden with stemware, proper cutlery, cloth napkins, fresh flowers, a theme and a carefully curated playlist and guests handpicked to sparkle. Wrapped in the multi-course menus – the ultimate guide to sophisticated home entertaining – comes the rare opportunity to pick the brains of a super-talented chef, learning tips of technique or tricks of presentation that only come from a lifetime of culinary knowledge. There’s a red-themed feast of tiger prawns with campari rhubarb and negroni rigatoni, lamb shanks elevated with a stunning cloak of charred peppers, and if potatoes cunningly sliced and stacked to give a wavy-topped dish of crunch don’t get oohs and aahs of appreciation then your guests have no soul. But will those of us without professional culinary training be up to the task? If you want to tackle a whole menu in its entirety there’s no denying you’re going to need some impressive planning skills, lots of time and some kitchen help. But not all the recipes are elaborate: radishes with lemony yoghurt and black sesame salt, butternut with burrata and roasted chilli or a crunchy beetroot salad with gorgonzola will leave you time and energy to enjoy the evening. Some of the desserts are next level. So, push the boat out, get your groove on and prepare something extraordinary.
TRACY WHITMEY
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