Dinner party: How to present a casserole?

Holly25

I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me with my dinner party idea?

I'm doing a greek themed menu and for main i will be cooking a slow cooked beef stifado, which is basically beef stew with choped tomatoes, onions red wine vinegar, cinnamon and allspice.

It tastes lovely but it looks like cat food! Does anyone have any ideas on how I can present it so it looks nice or something i could put in it to make it look a bit brighter? I was thinking of maybe adding carrots or maybe peppers ( bit more mediterranean) to make it more colourful. Do you think these would go?

Also i was wondering whether to plate it up or let ppl help themselves from a big casserole dish in middle of the table....

Sublime_2

Holly25 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone might be able to help me with my dinner party idea?

I'm doing a greek themed menu and for main i will be cooking a slow cooked beef stifado, which is basically beef stew with choped tomatoes, onions red wine vinegar, cinnamon and allspice.

It tastes lovely but it looks like cat food! Does anyone have any ideas on how I can present it so it looks nice or something i could put in it to make it look a bit brighter? I was thinking of maybe adding carrots or maybe peppers ( bit more mediterranean) to make it more colourful. Do you think these would go?

Also i was wondering whether to plate it up or let ppl help themselves from a big casserole dish in middle of the table....

Jamie Oliver's looks pretty good. I probably wouldn't detract too much from the recipe, else it will become a bog standard beef stew.

Put some sprigs of parsley/coriander around it, to make more attractive.

jaxx46

I would serve it from a dish & let people help themselves, could you perhaps steam some large cabbage leaves & line a warmed dish with them & transfer the stefido from the cooking pot to the other dish then just a sprinkling of something green on top?

BitterAndTwisted

Eh, if you play some Greek music in the background and have some chilled retsina to hand it will be lovely. Especially, if you're making a yummy choriatiki to go with it.

I wouldn't plate it up I'd let people serve themselves. It makes it much less everyday and much more adult/civilised.

Kala orexi!

kitschkitty

jaxx46 wrote: »

I would serve it from a dish & let people help themselves, could you perhaps steam some large cabbage leaves & line a warmed dish with them & transfer the stefido from the cooking pot to the other dish then just a sprinkling of something green on top?

Thats was my first thought.

lil_me

Dish on a plate with something on the side & a very pretty garnish, a narrow but taller dish which isn't clear would help. Top with something if you want to improve the look too. Helping self can make some people feel uncomfortable with portion sizes etc especially

bluebag

I would keep the recipe as the original, sometimes adding peppers or carrots can change the whole taste of the dish.

Serve it in individual dishes on the main plate with a sprig of parsley and a twist of lemon rind for brightness on top.

pookienoodle

I agree with the individual dishes idea,having worked as a chef for many years I can tell you this is what we always do with food that looks less attractive.
small white bowls for contrast,very much like the ones in the Jamie Oliver link and then have something very colourful or unusually shaped on the plates.
Ikea have these types of bowls at very good prices.

rachbc

I wouldn't mess with the recipe and I'm all for people helping themselves - make for a more convivial atmosphere - I served an asian braised beef that also looked very 'brown' last night and just took it form the slow cooker into a warmed pretty serving dish. It didn't last long enough for anyone to notice what it looked like!

Owain_Moneysaver

Just garnish it up with a drizzle of sour cream, sprig of parlsey, or a crinkly-cut tomato half.

Or is that a bit too Berni Inn?

Fruball

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Just garnish it up with a drizzle of sour cream, sprig of parlsey, or a crinkly-cut tomato half.

Or is that a bit too Berni Inn?

OH WOW!!! I haven't heard of a Berni Inn in years :rotfl: and yes, the cut tomato is a bit Berni Inn :rotfl::rotfl: