Melanie de Coppet grew up in England and New York and started throwing dinner parties for her friends at 13 years old. She opened Red Table Catering when she realized that she could turn what she loved into a business. Here, she dishes to ASMALLMAGAZINE about pot roasts, sticky toffee pudding and how to throw the perfect holiday dinner party.

What is your earliest dinner party memory?

It was actually with my aunt and her boyfriend, Leo Castelli (the art dealer). I'm not even sure whose party it was except that it was downtown in a loft—back when SoHo was still deserted at night—and lots of Leo's artists were there. I was always the only child, but I never seemed to mind. All the grown-ups always spoke to me as an equal and asked my opinion on things, which I really appreciated. I always had a seat at the dinner table. (I was appalled to learn a couple years later about the "kids' table." I feared all occasions where I might be subjected to one.)

I adored going to parties with my aunt, staying up late and watching people (usually outrageously dressed) dance, eat and have long conversations into the wee hours. It was a lot of fun.

When did you become interested in becoming a chef?

I used to be an actor and producer and I found the work I was doing just wasn't creative enough. I quit my job and went to South East Asia and came back and started cooking. It was like therapy at the time. I started cooking because I didn't know what else to do. One day I found myself in someone's kitchen in Tribeca, cooking dinner as a favour for a friend, and I suddenly thought, "What am I doing here? I don’t even know these people!" That’s when I knew I could this. I grew up in New York, I knew plenty of people and plenty of people just don't know how to cook. I started Red Table Catering because I love feeding people and hosting people and relieving others of the stress of doing it themselves. I think dinner parties are fun and if I can help people create that, that's fun for me.

Who or what influences you and your cooking?

I love anyone who is a true expert and pioneer in their field, but I can't relate personally to that because I have no formal training. I get inspired by home cooks because that's how I learned to cook and that’s what I grew up around. It's about enjoying yourself in the kitchen and having an instinctive approach to cooking.

I use Delia Smith a lot in the winter for the classics. I also like Amanda Hesser, who writes for The New York Times. I tend to gravitate towards British chefs, like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver. I like their cookbooks. They tend to be more casual about their recipes, like it's "a handful of this" and "a dash of that." They are about having fun, using seasonal ingredients and combining great flavours and, most importantly, not being fussy. I find, especially in catering, you have to be really resourceful. Again, it comes back to not bringing stress into the kitchen and enjoying what you are doing. Nigella and Jamie both seem to have that positive energy and spirit.

Why did you choose to open your own catering business rather than work at a restaurant? Would you like to open a restaurant someday?

I have no desire to have a restaurant. My ultimate dream is to leave New York and open a D&B (dinner and bed) in the countryside somewhere, or a boutique hotel. I like the variety and mobility of catering. I don't want to be tied down to the same place every night. I have lived my whole life in chapters. I gravitate towards diversity and travel; catering offers all those elements. I would love to be doing food in a hot climate somewhere during the winter months, like January and February. I hate the cold so much.

Do you have any celebrity clients?

I recently did the wedding of Elisabeth Moss from the TV show "Mad Men" and Fred Armisen from "Saturday Night Live." She and her husband are the sweetest, most amazing couple in the world. The wedding was a blast. We also cater a lot for Martha Stewart, her radio show and her company events.

What is your favourite food?

Ironically, it's sushi, which is something I can't make! I am a complete sushi junkie. I love noodles too, all kinds of noodles.

What are your favourite things to serve at holiday parties?

My heritage is English, so I grew up with my mother making a lot of English foods. During the holidays, I tend to make a lot of roasts and veg. Or, I do a one-dish meal, something really simple that can be prepared ahead of time and reheated, like a roast or a Thai curry.

Sticky toffee pudding is a favourite winter staple for me. It is rich and gooey and sticky and perfect for wintertime when people are less concerned about their weight and want to be cozy and warm. You can also make them ahead of time. I have made them and frozen them and then reheated them when guests arrived and it seems like a very elaborate, impressive treat to serve.

I also love to serve poached pears in red wine (see recipe). It's a healthy alternative to my richer winter desserts and works well with people that are watching their weight. I hate it when you serve something that half the people at the table don't want to eat because they are afraid of calories.

Are there any foods that you steer clear of when hosting or catering a party?

Anything that's too fussy or takes too much time. Holidays are usually a time when you are having more people over, so you want to make something easy that you can prepare ahead of time so you can have more time with your guests. I love risottos, but they take so long and you end up spending too much time in the kitchen over the stove instead of in the living room with your friends.

Also, I would also say when you are having a dinner party don't choose to make something you have never made before. You end up spending all your time in the kitchen and when you finally sit down at the table you find yourself making all these critiques and excuses and are probably not even hungry anymore! That's why I recommend making something easy, like a roast, which you can prepare in advance and then reheat easily. I also love serving shepard's pie. If I make a lamb one day, there are usually not enough good bits left to serve again, so I'll use the leftover lamb bits in a shepard's pie and serve it for lunch the next day.

What are your tips for throwing the perfect holiday soiree at home?

1. Enjoy yourself and make it easy on yourself. Create a menu that's do-able and simple that allows you to cook as much food in advance of the party.
2. You must have great lighting! I love tons and tons of candlelight; it makes it really cozy.
3. For the holidays, it's nice to do something that has some sort of interactive element. For example, I always do a tree-trimming party. Any fun activity that brings people together, particularly if you have a diverse group of guests, is a good icebreaker. A game of charades at the end of the meal is always great too.

Two of Melanie's Signature Dishes

Melanie’s Crispy Roast Potatoes, serves 6

Ingredients:
5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds (or halves if potato is small)
salt and pepper
canola or vegetable oil (about 5-6 tablespoons)

Specialty equipment:
1 medium pyrex or metal baking pan (I prefer pyrex), 9' x 12"

Preheat the oven to 425°

Place peeled and cut potatoes into a large pot of cold, salted water (about a tablespoon of salt per 4 quarts of water) so they do not discolour. Bring water to a boil and let potatoes boil for about 10 minutes then remove pot from the heat and drain in a colander. The potatoes should still be quite hard when touched, although the outer layer of the potato should be fluffier and able to be scraped with a fork.

Allow the potatoes to dry and cool so that they can be handled. Using a fork, scrape each side of each potato. Sprinkle with some ground sea salt and fresh pepper.

You can do the previous procedure up to a day in advance and leave potatoes in the fridge until you are ready to roast them. If you do this, make sure that you remove the potatoes at least an hour before you are going to bake them so that they return to room temperature.

Fill the baking pan with about an inch of oil (about a fingertip's depth). Place pan in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes until oil is very hot. Remove pan with hot oil from oven and carefully place each scraped potato in the hot oil, turning it over slowly to baste each side with oil. Return pan to the oven and leave to roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the bottom side of the potatoes begins to turn a crispy golden brown. Turn the potatoes to another side and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Continue turning for a total of about one hour to an hour and 20 minutes, or until each side of each potato is golden and crunchy.

Remove potatoes with slotted spoon from hot oil and allow them to drain slightly on wire rack or paper towels. Serve potatoes immediately while still hot and crisp.

Make sure to allow the oil to cool before disposing of it.

Pears poached in red wine with Meyer lemon crème fraiche, serves 6

Ingredients: 7 not too ripe pears (any variety is fine), peeled and sliced in half
2 cups red wine
1/2 cup sugar 1 cup crème fraiche
zest of 1 Meyer or conventional lemon
squeeze of lemon juice

Specialty equipment:
Dutch oven or large deep pan with a lid or foil

Combine wine, sugar and cinnamon in pan over medium heat and whisk until fully mixed.

Using a melon-baller or teaspoon scoop out the core of each pear. Place each pear half in pan, core-side down. Cover pan and bring wine to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer pears for 20 minutes then turn over. Continue simmering pears for another 10-15 minutes until pears are lovely red colour and wine has thickened considerably to glossy syrup.

While pears cool, make the lemon crème fraiche by adding zest and a squeeze of lemon to the crème fraiche and mix well.

When pears have cooled, place them in a bowl of warm water to remove any grit or cinnamon residue. Remove pears from water and drain on paper towels. Pour the red wine syrup through a sieve to remove any further grit. Pour strained sauce over pears, add a dollop of lemon crème fraiche and serve.

You can make the pears up to a day in advance, but bring up to room temperature before serving.

For more information on Red Table Catering, visit their website, www.redtablecatering.com.