Elephantcats good, non beef dripping roasties I can do! I like tofu but have never prepared it so I think I’ll skip that one.
TheBodyPiercer with you on the fruit salad, although I’ve suddenly remembered a fruit salad where you do a sprinkling of sugar and brulee the top. Bruleed pineapple and coconut ice cream??
The purist in me feels as though if I do it right the non vegans should be able to eat the same meal and be happy about it? But that may be unrealistic.
DragonLegs yay re the mushrooms. Because I know those are a source of umami (dried porcini etc) so in theory should be quite tasty, and the non vegans could dump a lot of parmesan on them. Trouble is, I can think of serving them with polenta (loads of butter and parmesan mixed in) and pasta, which often has egg in. But I must look into vegan pasta. When I hear lasagna I think “make ahead” which reduces my stress levels instantly. Thank you muchly. And again, the non-vegans can go mad with the parmesan if they want to.
takealettermsjones erm, yes, as you can see I like my parmesan. Talking about fruit salads reminded me of this great recipe for champagne jelly and a fruit salad of lychees and raspberries. Would agar agar work instead of gelatine, I wonder? Incidentally, I also have orthodox Jewish friends, and they often come up against the gelatine issue as well. So it would be useful to find a workaround.
AlmostSummer21 I’d love to do something that everyone would like, but I realise that’s a bit of a challenge. I do have a fabulous Ottolenghi recipe from the Guardian a few years back for thai red lentil soup with coconut milk and a few drops of chile oil on top, so that’s a no-brainer. The main is a bit more of a challenge.
negomi90, yeah, no, that’s just wrong, to the point of being almost passive aggressive by the host. I’d also avoid having gusts of meat-cooking smells as I’d imagine vegane or veggie friends would be quite sensitised to those. So the kind of holy grail is to come up with something so good that everyone enjoys it, even if it’s animal free.
ceeveebee ooh, interesting. I love both chickpeas and cauliflower. That’s a possibility. Or I have a recipe for tandoori roasted cauliflower (yep, Ottolenghi again…) which could make a good side…
BruceAndNosh orange polenta cake could be a winner. with berries, or a rhubarb compote, plus the ice cream. But I’d need to look into it as I’ve always used eggs in polenta cake before.
Georgyporky check! Designated serving bowls! But I’ll consider it a win if the non vegans are interested enough to steal.
1starwars2 you sound like the ideal guest and are invited! Great suggestions. My carnivorous brain can’t conceive of risotto without about a pound of butter and ditto parmesan. Clearly I need to do some research.
Thanks everyone, fab suggestions. One advantage is that my guests do like a drink, and I am a dab hand at cocktails. So I can spoil them pretty easiy on that count at least.