Having attended the preview events to see what goes into making the Creative Arts Ball and Governors Ball a memorable experience (as Cheryl says ‘we create experiences, not events’), we’re excited to share the secrets from the pros for your Emmy Viewing Party and the recipes for the exact dishes which will be served to over 4000 guests after the Emmy Awards at the Governor’s Ball.

Here are some tips from Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions

Cheryl Cecchetto is the tastemaker in the world of event planning, supported by her outstanding team at Sequoia Productions, she produces, manages and directs some of the most prestigious “experiences” from the Emmy® Awards Governors Ball (17 years) to the Academy Awards® Governors Ball (25 years). Find out more here: www.sequoiaprod.com 

How to Throw Your Own Emmy® Viewing Party

Top Tips from Cheryl, Sequoia Productions

INVITATIONS
Send out an Emmy-themed Evite to set the tone. Use the Emmy key art found on Emmys.com for inspiration.

PRE-TELECAST ENTERTAINMENT
Invite your guests to choose the 66th Emmy winners: download the list of nominees and awards and have them on hand for your guests to vote on before the Emmys Awards show, Monday night on NBC. Distribute these “ballots,” grade each other and the guest who selects the most winners receive a prize.
Prize Ideas:

• A TV series on DVD
• A cookbook by Chef Joachim Splichal, Founder of Patina Catering (the exclusive caterer of the Governors Ball)
• A bottle of Beaulieu Vineyard® Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (the Official Wine Sponsor of the Primetime Emmys Governors Ball)

Create a playlist comprised of your favorite TV show theme songs. It’s a great way to set the tone and the music will keep everyone energized and connected.

ATTIRE

• Have your guests dress up to make the night even more special. Rent The Runway is a great place to find designer dresses for a fraction of the cost.
• For a younger crowd, ask guests to come dressed as their favorite character on TV and offer prizes for most creative, funniest, or most dramatic.

FOOD & BEVERAGES

• Design a menu inspired by your favorite nominated television show or actor. We suggest Breaking Bad inspired cupcakes with blue rock candy topping or Game of Thrones medieval spiced squash.
• If you are ambitious, prepare one of the dishes Patina Catering will serve at the Governors Ball. Recipes are available on Emmys.com/GovernorsBall.
• Serve beverages in colorful stemware to add a pop of color. Party City has great options.
• For the kids, serve juices in a variety of colors or make a fun, colored (non-alcoholic) punch.
• Definitely serve fine wines at your Emmy party! For the wine lovers in the crowd, think about offering a wine tasting bar. The Governors Ball features a central wine bar offering a variety of great wines from Beaulieu Vineyard® (the Official Wine Sponsor of the Governors Ball).

DÉCOR
Be inspired by the Governors Ball “kaleidoscope of color” theme for your decorations. Think vibrant hues of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Experiment with single color tablecloths utilizing different patterns and textures. Use monochromatic flower arrangements of varying heights.

PARTING GIFT
Create a fun multi-colored candy buffet. Consider using different sized and shaped containers for the candy to add depth to your table.

66th Emmy® Awards Governors Ball Recipes

If you are ambitious enough to replicate these recipes by Chef and Founder, Joachim Splichal of Patina Restaurant Group, be sure to invite us! Or at least tweet us with photos!

First Course – Grilled Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Little gem lettuce, candy striped figs, burrata, honey vidalia, peppermint, basil, toasted Marcona almonds, fleur de sel 

Serves 6

• 3 heads little gem lettuce
• 5 ripe summer peaches
• 6 candy striped figs
• 1 green zebra tomato
• 1 pineapple marvel tomato
• 1 brandywine tomato
• 1 vidalia onion
• 6 ounces preserved lemon dressing
• 3 ounces lemon vinaigrette
• 2 ounces preserved lemon
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon
• 1 ounce basil leaves
• 1 ounce peppermint leaves
• 3 ounces buratta mozzarella
• ½ ounce fleur de sel
• 3 ounces toasted Marcona almonds

 Cut the peaches in 1/4s, discard the pit and lightly grill.

 Cut the lettuce into leaves and lay in 6 equal stacks.

 Slice each fig in 3 horizontal slices.

 Slice the tomatoes into wedges, and season with olive oil and fleur de sel.

 Spoon the mozzarella into 6 mounds, drizzle some olive oil on top and season with fleur de sel and a little freshly ground black pepper.

 Slice the onion into rings ¼ inch wide and blanch in salted water until cooked through and all bitterness is removed.

 Place the cooked onions in a small pan and coat lightly with honey, salt and pepper.

 Make the preserved lemon dressing by blending the preserved lemon, 1 tsp of the honey, rice wine vinegar, and 3 ounces olive oil.

 Make the lemon vinaigrette by whisking 3 ounces olive oil into 1 ounce lemon juice.

To Serve: Place a stack of lettuce leaves in the center of 6 plates. Surround the lettuce with the peaches, tomatoes, onions, almonds, figs and mozzarella. Sprinkle basil and peppermint around the lettuce. Spoon some preserved lemon vinaigrette on the plate, and then drizzle some of the lemon vinaigrette over the lettuce.

Second Course : Filet of beef, artisan grapes, Idaho 90 potato “bone”, zephyr squash, caramelized cippolini, crisp lacinato kale

Serves 6

• 2lbs. prime beef tenderloin
• 5 ounces olive oil
• 6 medium sized russet potatoes, 4 ½ inches in length
• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes
• 2 cup milk
• 5 ounces butter
• 6 zephyr squash
• ½ ounce fresh basil, cut in strips
• 8 leaves kale
• 3 ounces olive oil
• A pinch of nutritional yeast
• 6 cipollini onions
• 3 ounces witch fingers grapes
• 3 ounces cotton candy grapes
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

For the beef: 

 Season the beef with salt and pepper, and sear in a pan with 2 ounces olive oil, until caramelized on all sides

 Place in oven, and cook to an internal temperature of 128 degrees

 Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes

For the red wine sauce: 

 Sauté the 4 tbsp. finely chopped onion over low heat for 2 minutes, then pour in the red wine

 Add the smashed garlic and 1 branch of the thyme, raise the heat, and cook until the wine is reduced by half

 Remove the pan from heat and stir in 3 ounces butter, followed by the mustard.

 Season with salt and pepper

For the potatoes: 

 Bake the Yukon gold potatoes until cooked through, peel and pass through a strainer or food mill, and place in a saucepot

 Add milk until potatoes have the consistency of mashed potatoes

 Add butter, salt and pepper and set aside

 Trim the russet potatoes into bone-shaped cylinders, place in a saucepot covered with cold water, and cook very slowly until the potatoes are just barely cooked

 Let cool and carefully hollow out the center with a small spoon

 Season with salt and pepper, and fill with mashed potatoes

For the garniture: 

 Peel cippollini onions, and sauté slowly in olive oil until tender

 Blanch the zephyr squash in rapidly boiling salted water until cooked through, shock in ice water and drain

 Lightly sauté the squash in a little olive oil with basil strips

 Drizzle some olive oil on the kale leaves, season with nutritional yeast and bake in a 325 degree oven until crisp

To serve: 

Cut the beef into 6 pieces and put one on each plate. Alongside the beef, place a zephyr squash and potato bone. Pour some red wine sauce over the beef, and garnish each plate with a kale chip, onion, a few cotton candy grapes, and a small cluster of witch finger grapes.

Dessert Course – Chocolate S’mores

Alunga™ whipped ganache, torched marshmallow fluff, graham crumble, Inaya™ chocolate pop rocks 

Milk Chocolate Chantilly 

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups Alunga™ milk chocolate

 Heat the heavy cream in a pot

 Once cream is hot, pour over the chocolate

 Whisk well until the chocolate is completely melted

 Place in a plastic container and cover with plastic wrap

 Store overnight in refrigerator

 Use a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment mix the Chantilly until it is medium firm

Crème Brulee 

1 quart heavy cream

8 each egg yolks

1 cup granulated Sugar

2 each vanilla bean

 Boil cream and vanilla beans

 Mix the sugar with the yolks

 Pour some the hot milk over the yolks while whisking vigorously

 Bake in a water bath at 300 degrees for 15-18 minutes in small dome silicon molds

 Once it has baked, cool and freeze

Flourless Chocolate Sheets 

2 ½ cups egg whites

¾ cups sugar

2 ½ cups Inaya™ dark chocolate

1 ¼ cups unsalted butter

1 ½ cups yolks

 Melt dark chocolate and butter and whisk together

 Whisk in yolks into the chocolate.

 In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment whisk the egg whites until they grow and become fluffy

 Pour in the granulated sugar slowly and mix to medium peaks

 Fold in the chocolate mix into the egg whites slowly

 Spread unto a sheet pan and bake at 320 degrees for 8-9 minutes

 Cool and store in freezer

Graham crumble 

2 ½ pounds graham cracker crumbs

½ pounds brown butter

5 grams salt

Pinch cinnamon

 Place unsalted butter in a small pot and let it cook on low heat until it gets a nutty brown color

 Take it off the heat

 In a bowl put the cracker crumbs, salt and cinnamon

 Mix in the melted brown butter (it’s okay if it’s hot) and mix all the ingredients together

Marshmallow Fluff 

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup egg whites

3 tablespoons water

 Place the water and sugar in a stainless steel sauce pot and combine with a whisk

 With a pastry brush dipped in water, clean down the sides of the stainless steel pot from the sugar residue

 Cook sugar to 118 C

 While the sugar is cooking, place the egg whites in a Kitchen Aid mixer with a whisk attachment

 Whisk to medium peaks

 Once the sugar has reached 110 C, pour into the egg whites slowly (it should be a stream no thicker than a pencil)

 Mix until fluffy

Chocolate pop rocks 

 Purchase at the local grocery store (non-chocolate ones work as well)

To Serve: 

Fill a bowl with the chocolate Chantilly. Insert the frozen crème brulee pieces and cover with broken up pieces of the flourless chocolate cake. Garnish with dollops of the marshmallow fluff, graham crumble and the chocolate pop rocks

Bon Appétit

Emmys in the 26 other categories will be presented at the 66th Emmy Awards telecast on Monday, August 25th

This year’s Creative Arts telecast partner was FXM; a two-hour edited version of the ceremony will air Sunday, August 24 at 8:00 PM ET/PT with an encore at 10:00 PM ET/PT on FXM. The program will be streamed in its entirety as part of the Backstage LIVE! show on Emmys.com at 12:00 PM PT/3:00 PM ET on Monday, August 25.