Chef, cookbook author, and master entertainer Alex Hitz hosts a Christmas Eve dinner for 40 in his Los Angeles home. ​ You could say Alex Hitz inherited his love for throwing a good party. His mother, Caroline, a consummate hostess, and his stepfather, the famed conductor Robert Shaw, “entertained constantly,” he says. Hitz continues the family tradition, and sets Christmas Eve aside to share a sparkling evening at home with friends. No surprise, food is paramount, but the at

A Host with the most Alex Hitz sets the Thanksgiving table and shares his entertaining quips. To Alex Hitz, entertaining is an art form: a glorious culmination of thoughtful planning and meticulous preparation. His Southern manners and East Coast sensibility combine to produce abundant and aesthetically superior dinner parties. His flair for entertaining began with a love for cooking (which he inherited from his mother), but certainly did not end there: “There’s an art to bei

Serve this succulent dish — enhanced by a creamy sauce with just a bit of tang — for seated dinners or festive buffets. FOR THE ROAST TENDERLOIN Yield: 10 to 12 servings Ingredients 1 6- to 8-pound beef tenderloin, trimmed 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons dried thyme 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, softened 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots Directions 1. Preheat the oven to broil. 2. Rub both sides of