Gluten and wheat free dinner party

[Karbea]

Hello,

We've some friends over at the weekend and I need some ideas/big help.

I sent a text to find out if anyone didn't like anything and have found out two of my fri ends are gluten and wheat free.

I've now no idea what to cook, I need a starter, main course, dessert and breakfast ideas.

Please help, the only allergy I have is to prawns so I've never had to worry about these things before.

I'm an ok cook, but not an expert.

Thank you so much!

Smoked salmon starter, Pavlova dessert or in the frozen section of supermarkets, the toblerone or daim dessert is GF and delicious - not too expensive either. Something without gravy for a main course. Steak and jacket potato and veg? You can get special products. If you want to make a sauce, Tescos cornflour is gluten/wheat free, so thicken with that. Breakfast could be a cooked breakfast, or rice crispies are GF. There is GF stuff in special sections, but thats expensive. Might want to get some GF rolls in, I recommend the ones you have to part bake, as they can be quite vile otherwise. There are exceptions to that, but its a good rule of thumb.

Roast for main is easy - you just need to check gravy granules/stock cubes to see if GF
Something meringue/fruit based for pudding, or crumble made with GF flour works well.
Stater could be a homemade soup, thickened with potato rather than flour, although cornflour is a useful thickener for GF.

Eggs and bacon or smoked salmon and scrambled egg for breakfast. Full English is fine but leave off the sausages.

For starter could you do carpaccio? It's not everyones cup of tea I know, but it's a fab starter. Asparagus wrapped in pancetta with brie?

Main course ideas - risotto, paella (you can do meat paella, just check the chorizo doesn't have a coating), pork belly and mashed potato - don't use a stock cube for gravy though, actually any meat will work but stock cubes are out, unless you can find GF. Tuna steaks, asparagus and poached egg? Steak and homemade chips?

For dessert I'd just do cheeseboard with some GF crackers or a pavlova.

Starter:

Salad - as long as you don't have any croutons
Cured meats and cheese
Prawns cooked in garlic butter
Stuffed mushrooms or peppers (no breadcrumbs)

Main:

Basically any meat or fish with potatoes and veg/salad. Maybe slow roast leg of lamb cooked in red wine with vegetables - thinks it is either a Jamie or Nigella recipe - the sauce cooks down into a gravy and you could serve with mash.

Pudding:

Chocolate mousse/chocolate pots
Ice cream - homemade?
Trifle - retro!
Eton Mess

Oh and double check but I'm pretty sure Knorr stock cubes are gluten free.

Thanks everyone!

I was starting to panic but you've made me relax a bit!

Not trifle unless the sponge is GF

I'd also go with a roast main course - the only thing you need to think carefully about is the gravy. I completely forgot about the whole gravy aspect once but the boy in question simply had dinner without it.

Pudding - equal quantities of chocolate (mix of milk and dark makes this less rich!) and mascarpone cheese. Melt together and pour into small ramekins. Leave to set. Or eat it warm, straight from the saucepan.

Starter - Risotto

Main course

Mustard chicken

Ingredients
125g ball mozzarella , torn into small pieces
50g strong cheddar , grated
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
4 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
8 smoked streaky bacon rashers

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the cheeses and mustard together. Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff with the mustard mixture. Wrap each stuffed chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers - not too tightly, but enough to hold the chicken together. Season, place on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins.

Pudding - flourless cake with Marscapone - suggestions - orange & almond/chocolate/pear & almond

Starter: Jamie recipe for salad with roast butternut squash, Parma ham and Parmesan (v delicious)
Main: roast lamb with a red wine jus (reduced rather than thickened w flour)
Pudding: I have a lovely recipe for GF brownies made with ground almonds and rice flour, could serve warm with some single cream/raspberry coulis?
I have a friend who does a twitter blog (is this possible?) About GF cooking as she is coeliac - search for Fresh Ginger and you'll find it

All meat and vegetables are gluten free but buy Kalo stock cubes and dont use gravy granules or wheat flour for thickening. Use cornflour if you need to thicken. Rice and potato is fine for the starch component of the meal.

For breakfast yiu can buy Genius gluten free bread from a supermarket for toast and eggs and bacon are gluten free. M&S do naturally gluten free sausages which only contain pea starch not rusk or bread. Check the packet. Doves farm gluten free flour is great for making crepes if you want to impress.

Pudding I suggest doing this fabulous quick and easy Elizabeth David classic chocolate mousse. Contains only eggs and chocolate and very very quick and easy and always a winner. Buy the best quality 70% dark chocolate you can get like. You make ahead of time and put it in fridge ready to take out.

American pancakes made with Doves gluten free flour are great. No messing about required, just substitute the flour.

Dessert,what about a flourless chocolate torte

starter a nice soup maybe creamy mushroom. jamie olivers recipes nice. main cod wrapped in parma ham with roasted med veg - corgettes, peppers, red onions just bake the lot in the oven. for pud jelly maybe elderflower or something. breakfast is bacon and poached eggs with grilled mushrooms and tomato.