Impressive, easy meal to wow in-laws

[Adventurine]

I need some ideas for an impressive but easy meal to really dazzle my in laws.

FIL is a monster when it comes to appraising dishes. He's like a freelance, voluntary restaurant critic that nobody ever asked for.

No, I cannot avoid this. Yes, I must impress. The dish must be flavourful. I'm not a novice cook, I'm quite good at it, but I want something new to serve.

Any ideas? Please link or share recipes

Order food in

I agree, don't try to impress - you'll get stressed with unfamiliar recipes and the whole thing will fall flat. Cook something you're familiar with, and like yourself. Perhaps upgrade your ingredients quality if you fancy it / can afford it.

Get DH to show off his cooking skills.

And make sure he is on alert to manage his Dad's behaviour. First sign of any critical comment, he challenges it: "well I for one think it is delicious and we are here to enjoy the family company not pretend we are masterchef judges!"

Or..is it for your DSH's birthday?

In which case "I have made DH's favourite.... lasagne / cottage pie / roast chicken..." or whatever.

Otherwise something like this:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pulled-lamb-shoulder-sticky-pomegranate-glaze with flatbrreads, salad etc.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-roast-persian-lamb-pomegranate-salad

Good luck, OP, I am sure you are a wonderful host and will wow them with your warmth and hospitality.

Serve a cocktail or good fizz (Cremant if not champagne) , some nice nibbles, have nice music on, make the table look nice, all will be well.

If he starts, just imagine you are coated on teflon, smile, and let it slide off. It isn't you. You are being a good host, he is being rude.

Do you honestly think there is anything you could make that he would say was up to his standards? My guess is that it's an impossible task to get him to say it, even if he might think it privately. So don't drive yourself mad trying and just cook something that everyone else will enjoy. Or, of course, get your OH to cook, given they are his parents!

some lovely ideas here. Depending on ages, I recently made an old favourite - Delia Smiths Chicken Basque Style, complete with sundries tomatoes and chorizo . Very retro, but easy, one pot and seemed to please everyone.
I did add some chopped fresh chillies and doubled the garlic , and used left over red wine instead of the white suggested.

I've never had it, but this by Rukmini Iyer always seems to have good reviews and it's a dish that she likes to promote so I assume it tastes good! thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/one-pan-steam-roasted-salmon-and-broccoli-with-lime-ginger-garlic-and-chilli/

Could serve with some roast new potatoes for a nice lunch.

I wouldn’t try and compete

My in laws are chefs. Both.

They are arriving today.
A Roast chicken, simple salad ( it’s from the garden so I’m sure that will gain points), new potatoes ( add some butter and fresh herbs).

I made lemon drizzle cake this morning. It’s looks, erm, rustic.. but had 2 year old helping so they can eat it as he will otherwise. And he will just tell them he went ‘mix mix’

Fil sounds like an arse to me. I would do a really tasty and well cooked roast dinner and he could take his chances. Trifle for dessert so foolproof as all done in advance

Jamie Oliver spiced lamb shanks. Pretty easy

Is he Anton Ego? If so, ratatouille!

Honestly if FIL is so picky why are you even bothering? Why do you need to ‘impress’? Why are you the one doing the cooking?

Id be tempted to make cheese on bloody toast for someone who would be so rude as to critique a meal that has been made for them, don’t get why you are pandering to this nonsense.

I'd do something like coconut daal, a couple of simple veg dishes like aubergine pickle and sag aloo, and (assuming they eat meat) tandoori chicken, serve with rice, Raita and salad. Excellent in hot weather and super easy to make, reheats very well and freezes too

Tartiflette, easy but so delicious served with green salad and baguette.

We're doing build your own pizza for when the in laws come. I do the bases, husband makes the sauce and preps toppings. Everyone can add their own choice, plus garlic bread and wedges.

It's the easiest way to tackle the fussiness of some also.

This. He could sing for it.

Salmon and spinach tart - super easy, serve with buttered potatoes and salad

Or similar salmon en croute

Marry Me chicken.

It's incredible.

www.delish.com/uk/cooking/recipes/a29082430/skillet-sicilian-chicken-recipe/

Does your FIL, know he is doing it? is it unconscious or does he revel in being a total dick. If the latter I'd be tempted to order takeaway and say 'well, I know I could never meet your standards so I thought this would do instead'.

Salmon en croute or Coulibiac (use shop bought pastry!) Serve with a wine, cream and chive sauce, new potatoes or roasted cubes of potatoes: a medley of green veg (sugar snaps, mangetout, asparagus, fine green beans and some roasted cherry tomatoes for colour)

I think you can impress hugely with presentation. Dessert - a square of lemon drizzle cake, a ramekin of mixed berries and an individual glass of lemon posset.

Op sorry to be a total balloon piecer but I played this game a long time ago.
I still remember with crystal clear clarity that first dinner!
I actually had a proper chef in my family who turned the carrot's etc into perfect posh small beautiful bundles.
The food was professional by a chef and it still wasn't good enough. Nothing ever has been since.
How I wish I had not wasted all that energy.
And gone off the starting blocks more like " what can you offer me ?"

I would just cook the meal that is nice and they definitely like. But put a lot of effort in presentation.

These three plus a pitcher of mojitos, make him role dumplings and drink while you fry them, it will put him in a good mood, the tofu and eggplant is a slimmed down ottolenghi i believe, it always turns out amazing, I do usually add some browned ground pork but it's not essential. Vanilla ice cream with toasted, sugared nuts for dessert!

smittenkitchen.com/2019/08/black-pepper-tofu-and-eggplant/

www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/perfect-potstickers-recipe-1942712.amp

cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017629-chinese-smashed-cucumbers-with-sesame-oil-and-garlic

www.maangchi.com/recipe/samgyetang

serve with kimchi.

you can get dried ginseng in Chinese supermarkets (sometimes you have to buy a bag of ginseng soup mix to get it).

I would hit either an ottolenghi recipe or if hey eat Indian, the Dishoom cookbook and just pick out something I think they'd like.