Favourite Dinner Party Menu/Ideas

[kate87]

Main: Baked chicken breast has been mentioned and its always a great one to do on a summers day as you can cook it before hand and serve cold. Bake for 30-45 min but remember to turn it in the oven half way! When serving, slice the chicken breast along the grain and fan out on the plate. You have a choice of what else to serve with it, my favourite is chargrilled asparagus and creamy mushrooms, but you can also do roast sweet potatoes, roast pumpkin, roast carrots or roast capsicum. If your not doing a creamy mushroom something that is really nice on a hot summer's day is take some mayonaise and add lemon juice, not much is needed. Have a seperate small bowl and put in some mayonaise and start with a quarter of a lemon and stir, add to taste (always wanted to say that ) and you will be fine, by having it seperate it will allow others to put as much as they want on their plate.

For a good salad to go with the meal take some roast pumpkin that has cooled, place it in a bowl with baby spinach and pan fry some pine nuts and add on top, when sitting down to the meal add some olive oil and balsamic and stir.

Desert: For a nice summer desert you cant really go past ice cream, just about everyone likes it, but just in case have some cream in the fridge. Then get some lychees - i know they are hard to peel but they are worth it - and some mango, dice and put into seperate bowls, add ice cream or cream. (remember not to skimp on the ice cream, dont ruin a great meal by serving home brand icecream which is more ice than cream)



I have cooked the above before and it always works out a treat, serves nicely for either a formal dinner or when cooking for a date.

Enjoy!

A meal no date could resist!

 

[Lily House]

Hey Wylie - you willing to share your secret special salad dressing with the forum?



Thanks
Lily

 

[wylie]

Wylie's Salad Dressing

1 bunch English spinach
6 rashers bacon, cooked and chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped in quarters

(This is the original "salad" for the dressing to go over, but we put the dressing on any salad we make, and on just about anything else. I usually make up the dressing, and keep some in the fridge and it gets put on anything you fancy.)

I tend to pour the dressing over a salad, but sometimes leave it in a bowl beside so it can be added later. We use it as a "sauce" for fish, steak, sausages, anything really.

It takes me five minutes to make and is delicious.

Here goes -

Add the following into a medium bowl and stir after each addition, in the order they are listed (not sure why?)

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (I use ground black pepper)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
1/2 cup vinegar (I use balsamic, but white is fine)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 clove garlic (or from jar)
2 onions (we only use one onion)
(chop the garlic and onions in a food processor together)

I have a tiny "chopper" food processor that I use. Also, we tend to use one onion as sometimes the onion is too overpowering.

I cannot remember how many copies of this recipe I have handed out, as everyone seems to love the dressing.

 

[lizzie]

i had to laugh the other day when i pulled out one of my cookbooks from the mid 80's. still got some good receipes, but thinking of this thread i had to look up the "perfect dinner parties" section.

a sample of some of the menu items:

prawn and avocado cocktail
chicken and veal kiev
ham terrine
potato casserole with green beens
hot broccoli salad
chocolate pears

my - haven't times changed! and we thought we were soooo classy.

 

[Lily House]

Thanks Wylie,
I'll have to try out your dressing sometime.

Lily

 

[depreciator]

I do most of the cooking and we like to have people over.

My quick, easy and foolproof dish that also looks impressive?

Get a whole ocean trout or atlantic salmon - one that will fit in the oven. It will be about $40. It will feed 6 people and any leftovers are great the next day.

Drizzle a bit of oil on it, maybe some lemon juice, a bit of pepper. Stuff the cavity with whatever herbs you have a round the place. Wrap it in alfoil and bung it in the oven. That's it.

Maybe 40 mins or so on a lowish temp. You can pull it out and check it to see how it's going.

Then you can serve it with roast veges, or salad or whatever. You just pull the flesh off with tongs. I unwrap it at the table and serve it out there.

It's dead simple. And if you serve it with salad, there is nothing you need to do when people show up except start drinking. I do these fish if I want to have a relaxing night i.e. don't want to work too hard or bother with anything fiddly.

Scott

 

[Oscar]

JoannaK - your salad of baby bocconcini, baby roma tomato and basil, etc sounds good. i do similar all the time.

Have you tried hamming it up a notch and using fresh buffalo mozzarella instead of bocconcini, and sliced vine ripened tomato instead of cherry's.... a summer sensation!

Try with champagne, maybe a Pol Roger, thinly sliced parma ham, and then some fried haloumi cheese (with olive oil, basil and lemon juice), served straight off the skillet, with sliced bread of your choice.

best set of starters ever...