[maestrousmc]

Hello. I'm hosting a dinner party this weekend and I plan to serve crispy blue cheese risotto cakes. I'd like to fry them immediately before my guests arrive and keep them in the oven in the "warm" setting. Will they dry out? Will they stay crisp? Or..can I just leave them sitting out and microwave them? The key is I want them to be crispy.

Thank you.

[Suzanne]

The worst thing you can do is microwave them. That will kill any crispness.

Your best bet is to fry them, drain them on paper towels, and then keep them in the oven on a wire rack over a baking sheet. The less contact they have with a surface, the crisper they will stay. And unless you have to hold them for hours, no, they will not dry out, especially if you keep the oven at a low temperature (say, no higher than 200 degrees F).

[boar_d_laze]

It's best to avoid crisp fried food if you have to hold it for more than a few minutes. Assuming your cakes are formed, breaded then pan fried -- none of your proposals will work well. Butter fried bread crumbs are difficult.

A solution is to move the first part of the party into the kitchen, and enjoy your guests while you fry off your cakes. FWIW, that's my favorite kind of party -- but not all kitchens can handle it. It helps a lot to be well organized before the party. Have your cakes breaded and ready to go on one side of the stove; a draining area with paper towels on the other; your pan, and spatula at the ready; the butter out; plates ready to go; the rest of the kitchen spotless; etc. Think of it as show-biz.

Caterers and restaurants sometimes cook, drain, hold at room temperature, then refresh by briefly frying again (preferably deep frying) in very hot fat. This tends to be somewhat greasy, though. And in your case, it's the worst of both worlds.

BDL

[Blueicus]

Agreed with Suzanne. Also, unless something like fried pork cutlets or fried chicken risotto's something that holds liquid relatively well and won't dry or overcook as quickly as meat or vegetables.