Dinner Party ideas?!

seraphina

If you're doing a 3 course job then it's best if only one course needs last minute attention, otherwise it will be a nightmare. This is what I would do:

Starter: Soup (eg carrot and corriander, mushroom with a splash of marsala, etc) - can be done in advance, costs pennies - served with rolls. Can make soup look pretty by adding eg, dollop of creme fraiche at last minute. Alternatively I would go for smoked salmon on wheaten bread - can be plated up well in advance

Main course - I'm a vegetarian but you would probably want to do something meaty, but this can be something that requires a bit more last minute attention

Pudding - a tart or pavlova. Pavlova especially is very cheap, as it's only egg whites, sugar, cream and some fruit. You can make mini ones to make it extra special, and go exotic with the toppings - I like rasperries and pomegranite (sp?) seeds, the seeds look like little jewels.

The voice of experience says that it's better to stay away from the new and exciting in favour of the tried and tested - if it's really important to impress then try everything at least once beforehand.

Good luck!

vixtress

slow roasted lamb:

i think it may be a nigella one, not sure though.
pomegranite molassas isnt really necessary but really is nice, sainsburys sell it in the 'posh ingredients' section

1 shoulder lamb approx 2.5 kg
4 shaloots halved but not peeled 6 cloves garlic 1 carrot peeled and halved
handful freshly chopped mint
500ml boiling water
1 pomegranate.
serves 6-8.

pre heat oven 140 gas mark 1
on hob brown lamb fat side down in roasting tin then set aside, briefly fry veg sprinkled with salt for a few mins
pour the water over and replace lamb fat side up and bring to boil. Then tent with foil and bung in the oven for 8 hours or so or 5 at a slightly higher temp.
then shread and serve with pomegranate (cut in half and bang with wooden spoon to get seeds out) or pomegranate moulasses small amount mixed with water and add mint.
serve with roasted red pepper feta and pine nut salad and cous cous, and serve the left overs next day with pitta.
hope you like it!

competitionscafe

vixtress wrote:

i have an excellent recipe for slow cooked lamb with pomegranate, its lamb shoulder so fairly cheap and is served with cous cous and feta salad.
it can all be done a bit in advance and looks fairly flashy with minimum effort.
if this sounds like what you are looking for let me know and i will dig it out.
vix

Is that the Nigella Lawson one - I think it's on her website Nigella.com - keep meaning to try that one out, it sounds delicious. The HFW one with shin of beef sounds good too - I did a similar one from Jamie Olivers new book which was in Delicious magazine - melt in your mouth tender beef and shin is much cheaper than the posh cuts.

By the way don't go to Tesco for your meat, if you can try a local butcher - probably much better quality and not necessarilly any more expensive (might even be cheaper). Even if it does cost slightly more though using the best quality ingredients to start with really makes a difference to the finished dish as HFW points out all the time in his Meat book.

MagsyB

Ok I think I have now got to the age of the 'dinner party' - sad I know!
However IF I am to give such a party I certainly dont want to pay a lot for it!
So my thoughts are - soup starter - simple can be prepared in advanced and is cheap! - alternatives welcome
Main course - I would love to use the slow cooker cos its easy and I dont need to worry - but I need to step up my game from comfort food to something MORE! - also dont want to have loads of pans on the hob at the sametime - maybe an all in one?
Pudding - (desert) I am thinking of a champagne jelly (still have a bottle since my graduation 5 years ago!) with fruit and stuff - or an Eton mess - yep also really easy - or my cheese cake without cheese but also really easy!

So what do you think - is it possible to have a really cheap 'dinner party' without spending a lot while looking like you have spent a fortune and all day preparing?

TIA

juliapenguin

I nearly always do a Delia casserole of one type or another so that I'm not slaving over a hot stove at the last minute. The stroganoff and beef in beer are lovely - I don't know about doing them in the SC but I can't see why not. The goulash is good too BTW. They all use cheap cuts of beef which I buy yellow-stickered and freeze, so when I need to feed a crowd I can do it for under £5.

lamplady

My standard cheap and quick dinner party is
Grilled goats cheese with balsamic vinegar and sultana dressing
Pasta with garlic and chilli oil (with seafood added if I'm feeling flush)
Vanilla ice-cream with an espresso poured over and some nuts and choc on the top.

I can do this in half an hour, and it always seems elegant and posh even though it's really quick and cheap. If I have more time I do some home made garlic bread to go with it all.

Pink.

Hi Magsy,

A good (cheapish) dinner party recipe that can be cooked in the slow cooker is pork in a mustard and cream sauce. I keep my eye out for reduced price whipping or double cream to freeze for when I want to make this. It works well with rice or new potatoes and seasonal steamed veg.

Pink

doraexplorer

what about something different like a mexican theme, cheesy nachos for starters really easy then chicken enchaladas with salad and potato wedges. and a pudding .

nice and easy and cheap

krispyg76

Soup, carrot n coriander or carrot and orange

main - do a pot dish, casserole, stew with crusty bread

Desert, if you have time make one. If not i'd cheat and see what there is in your supermarket

floss2

I serve carrot & coriander soup in white tea-cups, with a swirl of cream or creme fraiche on top - looks really swish, and doesn't fill you up for the food to come!

Delia's beef in beer is lovely and i'm sure you could slow-cook it - you could serve with green beans (in season, bogof in Tesco), baby carrots & crusty bread to soak up the scrummy gravy.

For dessert, I tend to do fruit: fresh fruit salad with a slug of brandy, poached pears with vanilla ice-cream & choc sauce, or baked figs with mascarpone.