A Moroccan Dinner at My Home

November 23, 2021

Fall is such a wonderful season for entertaining.

Over the weekend I hosted a lovely Moroccan-style dinner party for 17 at my Bedford, New York farm. My friend, Chef Pierre Schaedelin, from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned a delicious menu. The first course was Bisteeya, a traditional Moroccan dish, followed by Couscous Royale, made with chicken, Merguez sausage, lamb, and root vegetables. And for dessert - homemade pomegranate sorbet with brown butter shortbread cookies.

Enjoy these photos.

: Whenever I host dinner parties, I always include place cards and menus – it is a personal detail that is very important to me. The card stock is printed with the symbol of my farm – the great sycamore tree of Cantitoe Corners.

: In my Brown Room, Kevin took a photo of this nice fire built to warm everyone on a cool, autumn evening. Follow Kevin on his Instagram page @seenbysharkey.

: The table is all set and looks so wonderful – just in time for my guests to arrive.

: Here is a view of my table setting – so simple, yet so elegant. Each dinner menu is placed on the plate. This one listed Cantitoe Chicken Bisteeya, using poultry raised right here at my farm, Couscous Royale with Chicken, Lamb Chops, Minted Lamb Rissoles, Merguez sausage, Vegetables, and Ras el Hanout and Saffron Broth. Ras el Hanout is a spice mix found in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. The name in Arabic means “head of the shop” and implies a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer.

: In my servery, we always prepare the bar. I decided to make bourbon sour cocktails using cider made from my apples picked this season. This year, my granddaughter, Jude, pressed all the apples for the cider – it’s so delicious.

: I sugared all the glasses for the cocktails. I top the rim with a little lemon juice and then dip the glass in some brown sugar – it works perfectly for these drinks. When hosting a party – get as much done beforehand as possible, so there is no rush during the party itself.

: These domed dishes are Moroccan tagines. The base is wide and shallow, and the tall lid fits snugly inside the rim. As the food cooks, steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then trickles down the sides back into the dish.

: The meats are all seared in the Flower Room kitchen, before they are finished in the oven in my Winter House. Here are the lamb chops for the couscous dish.

: Chef Pierre took a snapshot of the finished lamb chops cooked to perfection. Follow Chef on Instagram @pstailoredevents.

: Here I am with the Bisteeya just before the three are placed into the oven.

: All the vegetables are prepared early in the morning as part of the “mis-en-place” meaning “set in place”. It refers to having all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before cooking.

: Chef Pierre cooks an assortment of fresh vegetables for the Couscous Royale.

: The pomegranates are all emptied of seeds and then strained to make a gorgeous bright colored sorbet.

: Back in my Winter House Kitchen, dishes are taken out for the sauces, lemon, and harissa for the couscous. At the bottom of this photo, Biquinho peppers I grew in my garden. These “little beak” peppers are small, pointed fruits that have a unique, slightly tart flavor with a tiny bit of heat – so delicious. They are my favorite peppers – I pickle jars of them every year.

: Here’s a photo Kevin took of Chef Pierre, myself and Sous Chef Moises with the three Bisteeyas fresh from the oven and ready to cut. The tops are sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon – see my video at the bottom of this blog.

: If you’ve never tasted Bisteeya, it is a traditional Moroccan dish similar to an elaborate meat pie and encased in phyllo dough. Bisteeya combines sweet and savory flavors all in one. The chicken, almonds, garlic, herbs, and spices are covered with layers of eggs and Phyllo – paper-thin sheets of dough used for baking pastries in Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Moroccan cuisine. We always try to vary them just a bit for every party. Pierre made a decorative Phyllo top on the smallest Bisteeya pie.

: As each guest arrived, they enjoyed a refreshing cocktail – my bourbon sour.

: Guests also enjoyed hors d’oeuvres – gougeres, or airy French cheese puffs, flavored with Gruyere cheese. This is Tyler Salamone, one of the evening’s wait staff.

: Here is one Bisteeya pie as it is carried into the dining room.

: The bisteeya was sliced into pie-shaped wedges and served. It was so savory, sweet, and fabulous!

: For the entre, couscous topped with perfectly roasted tender lamb chops, lamb rissoles, and Merguez sausage, chicken, and the vegetables.

: Dessert always looks so beautiful plated up. Pierre uses some of the fresh pomegranate seeds to garnish the sorbet. Each serving is plated with a Moro blood orange and brown butter shortbread cookies.

: Everyone devoured dessert and even asked for more cookies, so we always make a few extra. It was a very delicious meal and a very enjoyable evening with friends.