Judie of the downtown Amherst treasure by the same name gives some scrumptious ideas for before-show entertaining.

I cannot believe I've been in the restaurant business for over 26 years! It all began at the Lord Jeffery Inn where I worked as a waitress and baker when Dave Williams asked me to go into the restaurant business with him. Now I spend my time in busy downtown Amherst entertaining daily at Judies! But when I have the chance, I do enjoy entertaining in my home. Here are a few of my entertaining successes, perfect for before a show at the Fine Arts Center.

Sit down dinners are too formal for me -- I would rather have my guests move about and talk to me while I'm cooking and serving. So I make main courses and turn them into hors d'oeuvres, serving them on unique platters and dishes.

A good way to start is with a variety of Dirty Bloody Mary's using Dirty Vodka (an infused vodka with olives), and my own tomato juice from fresh tomatoes, garnished with avocado slices, a celery stalk, and black, yellow, or orange pepper rings. A celery stick tops it with a big green olive stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and a carrot stick for color. It's a terrific salad! And serving Cinzano Bianco, a special herby vermouth on the rocks, is a must. I’m always looking for cocktails that guests have not tried or do not usually make at home. Colored salt or exotic fruit as garnish, or pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top of a drink is a showstopper. My passion is the perfect margarita.

Let's talk food: we're talking coq au vin, and I really get into showing guests how to layer individual servings on a toasted asiago cheese croustini. Also, Coquilles St. Jacques, which I nestle in individual scallop shells with mashed potatoes piped around the base.

"Judie's" Caesar salad is fun with these dishes. I combine baby romaine greens topped with Judie's Caesar dressing, fresh parmesan cheese, chopped eggs, anchovies, artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. For the more daring, I layer slices of brie or camembert on croustini topped with a spoon of Caesar salad to create a French Croustini Brie Caesar hors d'oevre. My green tomato pie with raisins in a double crusted pie shell makes a great alternative dish to the Ceasar salad.

Dessert - the best part. Henion Bakery is the place to go for their wonderful selection of cookies and bars. I cut them into bite size pieces, so everyone can try many different tastes, arranging a spectacular dessert platter with a squiggle of fruit sauces. Try mango, kiwi, raspberry, white chocolate and caramel.

Now that's entertaining!

Judie

Judies Restaurant, Amherst