Take your pick

Just because you don't have a marquee in the garden, you can still host the party of the season.

It's either too soggy or it's brittle, and it suddenly falls apart and whatever you are wearing is covered – a Chanel dress, or my new Patrick Cox suede shoes." That's how Jonathan Rutherfurd Best dismisses the idea of serving bruschetta as party food. You see, Rutherfurd Best is managing director of Urban Productions, perhaps Britain's hippest party professionals. And a few minutes after meeting him, I realise that perfect food for a summer soirée needs careful planning – right down to protecting your guests' shoes.

Charging between £75 and £1,000 a head (depending on the venue – someone's back garden or the Cannes waterfront), Rutherfurd Best has organised events for high-profile clients from Armani and the Archduchess of Austria to Tate Modern and Tesco. Right now, as the social season gathers momentum, business is booming. But with a tiny fraction of that budget in mind, I came to his airy and light Maida Vale HQ to get the inside story. You see, canapés are subject to fashion, but as with clothing, you can still be cutting-edge without breaking the bank.

Lesson one: do not serve last season's fads, like mini-meals (tiny burgers or fish-and-chips). Other no-fly zones include chicken satay, quail's eggs and sushi rolls wrapped in nori. "Spring rolls of questionable quality are definitely a no-no," says Rutherfurd Best, a charming, extrovert New Zealander. "They've been fried once, and then they have to be fried again." With people wanting to eat healthily, too much fried food and pastry could dampen spirits. "Especially the cheap catering trick of using ready-made pastry tart cases, bought in from a factory, which they pipe some ghastly mousse into."

All of which seems to leave ... well, not much – I don't ask his opinion of tortilla chips and sausage rolls. So it's a good job that Rutherfurd Best (who cut his teeth in Sydney, putting on performance events and graduating through the kitchens of Jeremiah Towers, who caters to the Hollywood set) and his head chef Harvey Cabaniss (a former architect from Georgia who learnt to cook at St John with Fergus Henderson) have 1,200 recipes on file.

Scouting through many dozens of menus for bespoke parties, you're dazzled by the sheer global range and invention, fusion fantasies from California and borrowings from the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia – evidence of the multi-skilled chefs employed here. Taking a deep breath, I ask what a home-cook on a tight budget should try.

First, what is the alternative to serving a dozen different pastries? The sophisticated thing to do is offer spicy morsels on firm squares of cos lettuce or little gem leaves, or Thai marinated vegetables on bok choi, even a roast baby vine tomato on a basil leaf.

On the other hand, with so much lighter food, you need to make something substantial available, otherwise the booze will kick in (remember: your home is at risk if you fail to keep your guests reasonably sober). So you shouldn't be afraid to serve one pastry canapé, providing it is sufficiently innovative (like the tart on the menu here).

The other way to stop your party people turning into drunken revellers is to have water available. "There comes a point when some people are getting out of hand and I shout out, 'Get the water'," says Rutherfurd Best. "The waiters rush in with trays of good bottled water, with ice and lime or lemon slices. You see the difference immediately." And when it's time to go, serve coffee.

But supposing the party is due to last for three hours, and it's starting at 8pm – this is also dinnertime for most people. So offer them something quite filling, served in small bowls (you can buy beautiful, cheap ones in Chinatowns). Serve a small portion of risotto, wok-seared chicken with green-tea noodles, or a little bowl of Szechuan peppered squid with mizuna and tomato salad. Or try a demitasse (you can use small teacups) of Cuban black bean soup or panzanella, the Italian vegetable and bread soup. Go for a good number of small portions – more than a few mouthfuls per bowl and it may be difficult to eat standing up.

These ideas are not as complex as they sound, says Cabaniss (pictured). Too many home cooks try dishes that are too complicated. Don't put about four different things into a canapé, but do be adventurous: people don't want bland food. And make sure the first canapé is recognisable," laughs Rutherfurd Best. "Build up their confidence." Stick to the recipes here and you won't go wrong.

Finally, enjoy your own party. Don't be carrying round trays of food all evening – a few serve-it-yourself food-stations do the job. Planning will also make you feel more relaxed on the night. Get organised days before, remembering coathangers and napkins – a small investment for saving clothes and carpets. "And if you're still in the kitchen at the last minute, get your guests to help. They love it. And they swear the food tastes better when they've made it."

But you can't foresee every problem. Rutherford Best arrived home recently to discover that he had invited round friends. "I rushed out to a store, bought some swordfish steaks, blazed them under the grill, broke them into pieces and served them on a platter with some bought dips – a chilli salsa and aioli. My guests loved it. I thought, 'if only you knew I'd forgotten you were coming'." Urban Productions, tel: 020 7286 1700

Tapenade roast vine tomatoes

Makes 12

12 small vine tomatoes (or six larger tomatoes cut in half)

12 basil leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

50g/11/2oz good black olives (kalamata)

Half a clove of garlic, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

First make the tapenade (or you could use ready-made). De-stone olives and place in food processor with garlic, parsley, oil and a couple of turns of black pepper. Grind to a rough paste, adding more oil if the is too dry. (Any left over tapenade keeps well in the fridge with a slick of oil over it). Cut off a flat wedge from the stem ends of the tomatoes, lay on greaseproof paper on a tray. Dribble with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for two to three hours at a very low heat (100C/210F/Gas1/2). Put a blob of tapenade on each and serve on basil leaves.

Spiced sweet potato with deep-fried crispy ginger

Makes 12

2 cloves garlic

1 or 2 red chillies

1/2 medium onion

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

3cm/2in piece of ginger, peeled

Half can coconut milk

500g/1lb 2oz orange sweet potato, diced

Half bunch coriander leaves, chopped

4 spring onions, finely sliced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Salt and pepper

12 sturdy leaves of little gem lettuce

Grind the first seven ingredients to a fine paste in a food processor. In a saucepan, fry the paste in a little oil until starting to brown. Add coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add sweet potato, cover with lid and lower heat to minimum. After 10 minutes, once potato has softened, cool and add coriander, spring onion and cumin seeds. Season. Using a mandoline, slice ginger thinly, then cut into thin julienne. Heat a small pan of oil to 180C/350F and deep-fry. Remove almost immediately. To assemble: place a blob of curry on each neatly-trimmed leaf, top with crispy ginger.

Cuban black bean soup

Serves 12

250g/9oz black turtle beans (or dark beans)

1 onion, peeled

1 clove garlic

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 ham bone – optional

1.5 litres/21/2 pints chicken stock

Bouquet garni

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon ancho chilli powder (or mild equivalent)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped coriander

Sour cream

1 red pepper

Soak beans overnight. Place in saucepan with carrots, onions, garlic, bouquet garni and ham bone. Cover with stock and bring to boil. Simmer until beans are tender (up to two hours). Transfer to mixer and pureé, adding cumin and chilli powder. Reheat, adding stock to get preferred consistency. Season with coriander, a blob of sour cream and diced, peeled red pepper.

Chickpea, piquillo, roast red-onion and herb salad

Serves 12

450g/1lb dry chick peas soaked overnight, cooked until tender, or 4 cans of chick peas, drained

1 jar of red piquillo peppers, chopped

4 red onions

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 handfuls of rocket leaves

Small bunch of oregano or marjoram, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons powdered sumac (from Middle Eastern stores) or juice of one lemon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Cut onions into wedges and roast in hot oven until tender (about 30 minutes). Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Assemble in small bowls or large teacups, tossing well, adding oil and seasoning to taste.

Red-grape and fennel- seed tart

Serves 12

55g/2oz unsalted butter

55g/2oz sugar

1 large egg

12g/1/2oz plain flour

25g/1oz ground almonds

1 tablespoon eau de vie or calvados

250g/9oz puff pastry (you can use frozen)

24 seedless grapes

Fennel seeds

Make almond frangipane by creaming butter and sugar, then beating in the egg. Fold in flour and eau de vie. Roll and cut pastry into 5cm (2in) squares. Pipe mixture into centre of each to within 0.5cm (1/4in) of edge. Place squares on baking tray, slice grapes on top, scatter fennel seeds. Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/Gas 6. Lower to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and cook for 12 minutes, until turning light brown.