Starter and main course ideas?!
For dessert I am doing Delia's Melting Chocolate Puddings, as I know I can even cook them from frozen.
Answers: I am cooking my own birthday dinner party. I have one veggie. I want a starter that I can make in advance and then just dish up when we are ready to eat. I was wondering about Pate. Main course again something that is easy and not too much messing around when my friends are here. I do not want to do pasta though.
For dessert I am doing Delia's Melting Chocolate Puddings, as I know I can even cook them from frozen.
Pate is nice, but as much as I like it, people tell me all the time that they don't.
Caprese salad is easy. Tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, a touch of mashed garlic, good olive oil, a tiny bit of balsamic, salt and pepper. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into fairly small dice, tear the basil leaves into it and add the rest, mix well and let sit up to 4 hours. Note: if it will sit for more than 30 minutes, I wouldn't add the balsamic until serving time. You can use crackers or thin slices of baguette brushed with olive oil and grilled until toasted.
My favorite main course for making ahead of time. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
1 chicken, cut into 6 or 8 pieces - skin on
1 lb. red or Yukon gold potatoes
3 - 4 cloves of garlic
15 green olives
1 Tbsp. capers
1 sprig fresh rosemary
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
Cook the potatoes either by boiling or in the microwave. After cooling a bit, cut into 1 - 2 inch chunks, leaving the skins on. Coarsely chop the garlic, olives and capers, finely chop the rosemary - add to potatoes in a roasting pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil, pepper to taste, toss well. Place chicken pieces on top of potatoes, sprinkle with salt and cook at 375 for about 1 hour or until the chicken is crispy. This dish can be prepared and kept in the fridge all day and cooked when needed. It's good hot or at room temp.
I do little dinner parties every monday evening and I try to differ my starters every week. So here are a couple of choices for you.
Melon boats. So easy, can be done in advance.
Just cut the melon into 6 or 8 wedges depending on the size. scoup out the seeds
slice free of the skin, but leave it sitting on the skin
cut along the length of the melon 'boat' and then cut into squares,
leave all on the skin and decorate with a glace cherry
Just leave in the fridge until required.
Then there is egg mayonaisse, or patte like you said or even prawn cocktail. all of which just need a salad garnish and either toast or bread rolls to accompany them.
So all you really need to do in those instances is make a salad bowl and just put on the plates when ready.
The prawn cocktail is easy if you use seafood sauce and perhaps chopped chives or something like that for colour and texture with the prawns. again can be made earlier as long as the prawns were well dried before hand. and then put in salad lined dishes when ready.
Hope this has been of help to you
Jackie
prawn coctail for the starter and for main course scampi and chips with a well garnished salad then your vegie dont feel left out because he/she can eat what every else is eating
Try this website,
http://lovely-healthy-recipes.blogspot.c...
Have the fishcake for starter and the curry for mains
I suggest buying pears and cutting them in half (1 pear per person). Core them and then smother them in blue cheese (or similar) - (quite a messy job) - and then coat them in chopped hazelnuts. Serve with sliced beetroot - colours go beautifully and possible crusty bread if desired.
For a really simple starter why not have asparagus wrapped in prosciutto ham and just minus the ham for the veggie and serve with melted butter. For a main you could make a caramelised onion and tomato tart. Get shop bought puff pastry and grease and line a tart case.Mix together two eggs milk,cream and mature Cheddar cheese, put to one side.To do the onions you have to put them on a very low heat with butter and a small amount of brown sugar,stir from time to time until they go a golden brown colour and gooey,do this in advance as it takes awhile.Put the onions on the bottom of the case and then pour over the cream mixture and then put cherry toms on the top and place in moderate oven for 30-40 Min's,you will know when it is cooked when you put a knife in the centre of it and nothing is stuck to it when you pull the knife out.Serve with a salad and new potatoes.Good luck.
