Take Back Your Kitchen
Spring/Summer 2008 Girlfriend Getaways> Subscribe Now
As the cooking party gets going, the sound of knives on cutting boards can barely be heard over the lively banter. There's talk of Suzanne's iPhone—which Nancy may or may not have broken—and Bonnie's new job as a hostess on the reality TV show Hell's Kitchen. Long after the girls mess up their aprons, they're laughing and planning their next summer trip to Sicily or France or some other romantic place with a glut of fresh ingredients. "I love to cook and be around people," says Suzanne. "My food and life philosophy is to do things that fulfill me and make me happy."
When guests arrive
After the Nicolas Feuillatte bubbly is poured and the cheese plate is set out—a mix of creamy and hard cheeses, including a pecan chèvre from Georgia and a blue cheese from Australia—the women discuss the meal. Suzanne pairs up two chefs per dish, turning a meal that would normally take a day to cook into a four-hour affair from start to delicious finish. "I like to match up more experienced friends with novices—and to be mischievous," she says. "Bonnie is used to running the front of the house, so she rarely steps into the kitchen. She's the girliest one here—she always has a nice manicure—so I definitely want to give her a knife and assign her to the prime rib."
Suzanne's friends already know what they're in for. "She has a way of taking each person's uniqueness and utilizing it at every party," says Margo. "If you collect wine, she'll have you bring some. Play guitar? You can expect to be the entertainment."
Three-and-a-half hours before
With help from Suzanne, Bonnie, who admits to having zero kitchen skills, is trimming the fat off the roast and rubbing it with aromatics. As Bonnie begins to massage olive oil onto the meat, she wrinkles her nose, realizing that she won't be able to avoid messing up her manicure. "Oil is like glue—it's what makes the herbs stick," explains Suzanne. "More pepper. More! More! We must get dirty!" The prime rib should be placed in the oven about three hours before dinner is served, giving the meat ample time to rest before it is carved.
Over by the stove, Teri, who bought the Umbrian lentils on her last trip to Italy, sets them to slowly simmer. They need to cook for about 25 minutes and then cool in their broth before the salad can be assembled.
Three hours before
Susan is the lucky girl at the lobster station. "She's an intrepid foodie," says Suzanne. "If you were making monkey brains, she'd say, 'I'll help.'" Those who have never dealt with lobsters may want to buy spiny Pacific lobsters because they don't have pincers. Nancy, who's paired up with Susan for this project, gives a cheer as Susan grabs the first lobster and dunks it into the bubbling water to blanch it. (You can also do the blanching the night before.) The lobsters should then be cut lengthwise down their bellies and set aside for grilling.
Two-and-a-half hours before
Two guests set the table, and the rest of the party prepares the lobsters' herb butter, the horseradish sauce for the prime rib, and various vinaigrettes. It's good prep work for novice cooks—slicing shallots, whisking oil, blending jalapeños with mint leaves—or you can cheat and make the sauces ahead of time. As Teri tosses the lentil salad with a light lemon dressing, Suzanne decides it's missing color. She throws in a few hot-pink radishes and steps back, flashing a smile.
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