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Chef Julia Shanks picks up supplies for her home catering service, Interactive Cuisine.
(Globe Staff Photo / Suzanne Kreiter)

Caterer gives dinner party a new twist

By Rachel Travers, Globe Correspondent, 3/29/2001

ina Nathaniel was in a panic by the time she contacted Julia Shanks. Nathaniel, who lives in Lincoln, recalls: ''I found Julia a couple of years ago when my husband said he had out-of-town guests coming the next day and would be bringing them home for dinner. I would have to cook for 10. And I can't cook.''

Shanks is a chef, and Interactive Cuisine is her company. She offers a crossbreed of catering, culinary arts, and cooking class, culminating in a dinner party of restaurant quality in a client's own home.

Nathaniel had called six caterers including Interactive Cuisine, leaving a message with each. Only Shanks replied within hours, told her ''no problem,'' read her three menus over the phone, said this is how much it will cost, and reassured her.

''I'll be there, don't worry about it,'' said Shanks. Still, Nathaniel was a little concerned, especially when Shanks asked how many aprons she should bring.

Shanks arrived with all the groceries for the menu they'd chosen, as well as chopping boards, knives, and aprons for all the guests, none of whom the hostess even knew. Nathaniel thought maybe the women would cook and the men might watch a little, but that was not the case. The women did more watching while the men cooked, and all were delighted when they got to play with the little blow torch used to create the crust on a creme brulee. The event was an instant ice-breaker and a total success.

After the guests helped with the prep work and the cooking lesson was over, they all sat down and Shanks and her assistant served them at the table for a fine dining experience. By the time the meal was over, the kitchen was clean, and Shanks and her assistant were on their way home.

Since then, Nathaniel has been getting private cooking lessons once a month, and says she now prepares evening meals at least four times a week.

Rob Landino had quite a different experience with Interactive Cuisine. He was given the personal cooking class and dinner party for four as a Christmas present. Landino researched how he might get the most out of this gift. He analyzed what he wanted to learn, sought out sample menus on the Internet, and carefully considered his food preferences. Before he even called Shanks, he devised a list of 10 items he thought might interest him; he was very anxious to be a good student.

''It became an interactive situation from the first conversation,'' says Landino. ''She listened to me then offered suggestions, and her ideas were great.''

Two things Landino wanted to learn how to prepare were artichokes, which he loves, and beef Wellington, that classic tenderloin dressed in puff pastry.

Shanks took his suggestions to a higher level. The artichokes became carefully sliced baby artichokes sauteed with extra virgin olive oil and garlic on top of a bed of arugula wrapped with prosciutto. The beef aspect of the Wellington re-emerged as braised short ribs served with horseradish gnocci and freshly marinated beets. The puff pastry that Landino so wanted to learn was reincarnated in an apple tart.

Shanks arrived at 4 p.m., there was an hour of prep work, then two other guests arrived and their two-hour cooking class ran from 5 to 7 p.m. At that time, all four guests sat down and ate, and, at their insistence, Shanks joined them at the table.

So thrilled was Landino with his Christmas present that the next day he went out, bought the ingredients, and prepared the entire meal again on his own, not wanting the tips and little secrets Shanks had shared to be forgotten.

Julia Shanks did not initially study to be a chef or a cooking instructor. Her education was in aviation psychology; her thesis was ''The Effects of Personality Interaction on Flight Instruction.'' She was an aviation analyst during her college summers and worked for the Federal Aviation Administration for a year after college. She has a multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot's license.

Then she decided to go to cooking school.

In 1993, she graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, then drove around the country for three months, and offered herself as an intern at restaurants with chefs she admired. She worked at Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, Boyana and Commander's Palace in New Orleans, and Cibolette in Atlanta.

''But Biba in Boston was my favorite kitchen,'' she says. She worked there for a year-and-a-half.

Shanks has left the cockpit behind her but has taken those skills and melded them with her love of teaching and of high-end food. There is, she says, a parallel between the two fields: ''The adrenalin rush, the sense of immediacy, having to focus on 10 different things. Both in the cockpit and the kitchen, there's a lot going on that has to be done immediately.''

Shanks is calm under fire and creates a stress-free climate for her culinary clients.

''All they have to do is set the table and clean the kitchen,'' she says. She plans the three-course dinner, does the shopping, types up menus and recipes, even irons the aprons. She delights in taking the mystery out of preparations that might appear to belong only to those professionally trained. Her students and clients learn to smash tostones (plaintains), wrap spring rolls, roll gnocci, and stuff ravioli. Whoever said dining and entertaining wasn't physical?

Frico (cheese tuille) with Roasted Asparagus

Serve with lemon vinaigrette on mesclun; feeds 6.

3/4 pound grated montassio cheese (may be hard to find) or grated semi-hard pecorino cheese
2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 spears)
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped, mixed fresh herbs: thyme, tarragon, chives and parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 shallot, diced small
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound mesclun mix
1 cup croutons

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

To make the frico: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of the cheese to make a thin layer across the bottom. Cook until the cheese starts to brown around the edges and sizzle. (You will know the frico is done when it moves when the pan is shaken.) Slide the cheese out of the pan and mold it around a rolling pin until it sets.

Repeat this at least six times, to allow at least one for breakage or taste testing.

Trim the asparagus. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place in a single layer on a sheet pan. Add enough water for a thin layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Roast in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until water has evaporated and asparagus begins to brown on the bottom.

To make the vinaigrette: Mix lemon juice, herbs, and shallots in a bowl. Slowly whisk in remaining olive oil. Season to taste with sugar, salt, and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss mesclun with enough dressing to coat well. There will be vinaigrette left over.

On individual plates, lay down a frico so it is like an open hand. Add half a handful of dressed mesclun in the frico, then lay a serving of asparagus, or about five spears, over the salad. Drizzle the frico with remaining vinaigrette, and drizzle a little around the plate for effect. Garnish each frico and plate with croutons.

Braised shortribs

Yields 6 servings

6 bone-in shortribs, approximately 10 ounces each
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small leek, white part only, washed and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 sprig fresh parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup red wine
1 quart chicken broth, stock or water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil. Generously season the shortribs on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, and brown ribs on all sides until well browned. Do not crowd them in the skillet.

Place the shortribs in a large, ovenproof pan. Drain excess fat from skillet, then add the carrots, onion, celery, leek, cumin, parsley, and thyme, and saute for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Then add the red wine, stirring and scraping up bits stuck to the pan. Finally, add the stock. Pour this mixture over the ribs. Do not cover. Cook for about 3 hours, or until shortribs are so tender the meat is falling off the bone.

If you want a more refined sauce: Remove the ribs from the braising liquid. Strain the liquid, discarding the vegetables. Set the liquid aside (in the refrigerator) so the fat rises to the top. Skim off the fat. In a small pot, reduce the liquid by two-thirds, for a thick, luscious sauce. Add a splash of red wine at the end to brighten it up. Then heat the ribs and cover with sauce.

Serve with your favorite potato dish and a green vegetable.

Julia Shanks and Interactive Cuisine can be reached at 617-424-1767 or at www.interactivecuisine.com.

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