Most of us love sports (Pam and, especially, Lauren, are not fans, but Marcella and Lindsay are working on Eloise),so the Game-That-Must-Not-Be-Named—so-called to avoid incurring the wrath of the NFL—is one of our favorite excuses to throw a party. This year, we decided to break away from the usual fare of chili, nachos, and chicken wings, and came up with this menu. We wiilserve the shrimp cocktail, the pinwheels and the bacon-wrapped scallops in the first half, take a break to watch the half-time show, and serve the rest in the second half.  Then break out the cookies.

What to Drink :

Beer, of course.

For the first half: With the scallops, try a Saison/Farmhouse Ale like Goose Island Sophie. The prosciutto will pair nicely with a white ale with some acidity and spice, such as a Hoegaarden. Serve the shrimp with a Hefeweizen, maybe Paulaner with a slice of lemon. Many different German Hefeweizen’s are solid and hold up to the style.

For the second half: A stout will pair nicely with the applesauce; Bell’s Cherry Stout would be great. The latkes alone are delicious with a steam beer, like Anchor Steam. A good IPA pairs well with the nutty flavors in the zucchini salad. Ballast Point Sculpin is one of the best IPAs with a wide distribution. If that is unavailable, try Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Finally, try a strong Belgian ale with some alcohol and spice with the Swedish meatballs. Trappistes Rochefort 8 is an excellent choice. 

For wine, we would do a pinot grigio for the first half—the Santa Margherita is always a hit and goes very well with the food. You can do the same wine for the second half, but we would also offer a red as an alternative—preferably a fruity pinot noir or beaujolais.

Notes:

Serve this menu buffet style.  Put the food out on a sideboard, or a kitchen island or a table.  Use the blue stripe tablecloth, and the red and blue tea towels as napkins. Put out the Nejma 8" plates for the first half food, then use the Sophie stitch blue 10" plates for the second half.

Serve the shrimp cocktail in the Sobremesa blue rim margarita glasses.  Put some shredded iceberg lettuce in the bottom of the glass, followed by a spoonful of cocktail sauce, and arrange 2 or 3 shrimp, tail side up, around the rim. Add a lemon wedge. The Pillivuyt square plate is perfect for the pinwheels, as is the 16" Nejma platter for the scallops.

Use all Nejma pieces for the second half of the menu:  The 12" pasta bowl for both the Swedish meatballs and the shaved zucchini salad; the 13" platter for the latkes; and the 12" serving bowl for the applesauce.

For dessert, re-use the 16" Nejma platter for the chocolate chip cookies.  For this party, you can make regular-size cookies.  Just don't tell the more manly football fans that you used a Disney Princess recipe.

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