Calling all good cooks or foodies: reasonably impressive but simple dinner party ideas please!

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I have some people coming to dinner next Friday and I want to cook something lovely. One is a good cook and a bit of a foodie, the others I don't really know about food wise, but one of them is my (lovely, female) boss. She doesn't eat red meat but apart from that I can do anything. I don't need to impress her, she's coming to talk over some business ideas we have, as are the other people coming. So, ideas, please for:

A starter, ideally something I can do in advance
ditto pudding, needs to be done night before
main course, again ideally something I don't have to faff around with a great deal on the night as I also have various children coming to tea that day (I don't work on Fridays atm) so I won't have tons of time.

I don't like pasta or stews so not that. Any suggestions gratefully recieved. I'm a competent cook so it doesn't have to be simple, it can use expensive/unusal ingredients, that's fine and I can get most things in local shops etc so the world's my oyster. Thanks in advance for ideas. I have lots of cookbooks so can do Nigel, Nigella, Jamie, Elizabeth, Ruth Watson (ooh, must look through Something for the Weekend mustn't I?)

I would do Italian antipasti with bruschetta to start, followed by a roast free-range chicken stuffed with lemons and garlic served with asparagus and roast new potatoes followed by home made ice cream.

www you know the key here is posh ingrediants served simply, also I find sticking to a theme (IYKWIM) works well. Therefore if you go Italian then anti pasti is always good, then some kind of italian maincor=urse, and I do nigellas summer trifle for pud (In her forever summer) Fab mix of blackberries, almonds and lemon, best done the day before.

If you have her books then another good one s one of her chocolate cakes with raspberries in served with creme fraiche - mmmmmm, or chocolate pots which are vest done day before and look fab in mini expresso cups.

Main courses I have done for veggies are her mushroom ragout (I do it the day before as reheat with a sprinkle of flat leaf parseley), served with buttery rice, that always goes down well. For DH's 40th I did yummy veggies like skinny green beans, cooked briefly and then just before serving fried with slivers of garlic, butter and lemon zest and juice.mmm Also puple spouting broccoili which you wouldn't ussually have at home. This time of year jersey royal potatos are in season as is asparagus, so think of them.

Oooh what about a tart for starter with goats cheese and asparagus, actually that might need fiddling on the day.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/a-terrine-of-summer-fruits,1262,RC.html

this summer fruits terrine can be made the night before and is fairly simple

One of my dinner party fav's is salmon cooked with green beans, cherry toms, olives & basil,it looks fairly impressive. Basically it all cooks together in a roasting tin, takes about 10mins to prep & 15 mins to cook. Will post recipe if you fancy it.

I'd do a mozzarella, avocado, tomato and basil salad to start.

A mushroom risotto for main course (I use dried porcini, fresh oyster, fresh chesnut and whatever other exciting tasty mushroom I can get my mitts on) with shaved parmesan and rocket on top/to side depending on your preference, with crisp garlic toasts.

for dessert I'd do a creme brulee or a blackcurrant and mint sorbet.

serve with bloody good white wine and maybe a kir with your dessert if you do the sorbet.

simple, impressive, delicious but the ingredients have to be top quality to make it super impressive,

I would do a humungous platter of poached asparagus with hollandaise sauce, or grilled with parmesan shavings. Serve on a huge platter in the middle of the table with 'good' bread for mopping up

I find communal digging in like this gets people chatting right from the off

Then I'd do Jamies, fillet of beef, with porchini?? IIRC. Served with a wild rice salad and tomato and red onion salad. Or mash and oven roasted baby veg.

For pud, I'd do gin and tonic jelly, or chardonnay and raspberry jelly. Failing that, one of nigellas trifles would be lovely. I think hte recipes for both the jellies are in one of the books you have. The gin and tonic one is orgasmic, but you musn't have any drivers When I serve it, I put a massive platter of mixed summer fruits in the centre of the table for people to help themselves too, with it.

Do you/guests like fish & prawns? There's a dead easy but lovely Jamie Oliver recipe which I made mid-week after work when our guests had already arrivedm, so prepared while talking to them - dead quick & tasty, but probably not making best use of your culinary skills. If you like the sound of it, will look out the recipe. Otherwise, something like Salmon en Croute? Also dead simple, but looks more difficult and makes a lovely center piece.
Pudding, Nigella's lemon meringue ice-cream is gorgeous, and can be made up and frozen in advance. Lovely with red berries and shortbread/any other crispy biscuits. Her coq au vin is the best recipe for this I've come across (and not too stew-like).
Starters, bruchetta would be great as already suggested. Else you could make a soup in advance. Or a salad....

bewilderbeast: do you have recipe for sorbet? Sounds fab....

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3108/blackcurrant-and-mint-sorbet.jsp

Oh thank you for all these ideas. Soapbox I think Nigella's slut red raspberries in Chardonnay jelly are a great idea. Can't do red meat for boss so beef out, which is a shame. Absolutely right Crunchie re good ingredients, just been browsing through Something for the weekend and she says the same, which I knew but always good to be reminded. Brightwell, can I please have salmon recipe? thanks. Bewilder, good idea bout the salad starter, I don't like risotto so won't do that though. Lilo, yes please to prawn recipe if you can find it easily enough online.

thanks for all these ideas, that's def pudding sorted! And maybe tomato, basil and mozzarella salad to start. Still need an impressive main course if anyone has any other ideas. I think it will be hot on Friday so the cooler the better.

The salmon recipe

7oz green beans top & tail & blanche until tender.
20 cherry toms
1-2 handfuls pitted olives (I prefer green ones)
2 tbs olive oil
salt &pepper
4 salmon steaks or fillets
2 lemons
1 handful fresh basil
1 tin anchovy fillets

pre heat oven 220c
I cook this in a large metal roasting tray. Lightly oil tray
In a bowl toss the beans, toms, olives & torn basil leaves together with juice of 1lemon & the remaining olive oil.
Put salmon at one end of roasting tray, sprinkle liberally with lemon juice. Salt & pepper (I only use black pepper, don?t cook with salt)
At the other end put the beans & toms mix put the anchovies on top of this.
Cover with foil; cook for 10-15 mins.
I serve this in a dish with the bean mix topped with the salmon , and with new potatotes & nice bread.put the anchovies over this.

Easy starter is smoked mackeral pate. I think I got a recipe from a Hamlyn cookbook but it's basically flaked smoked mackeral, cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and pepper. Serve with toast or crusty bread.

A good main is chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes wrapped in pancetta. Serve on a bed of savoy cabbage, fried in a little olive oil, lemon and garlic. Nice served with sweet potato wedges.

Another good one is maple-roasted poussins. One pouissin per person. Stuff with a sprig of rosemary and clove of garlic. Mix some olive oil, Dijon mustard and maple syrup together and glaze the poussins. Cook for 40-45 minutes. Both these mains can be prepared in advance and just put in the oven when needed.

Chocolate mousse is my favourite quick dessert. 2oz chocolate and 1 egg per person. Separate eggs. Melt chocolate and stir in the egg yolks. Whip up the egg whites and fold into the chocolate. Whip up some double-cream or whipping cream and add to the mixture. You can add the cream to taste. If you don't add any, you get a very heavy, dark mousse. The more cream you add, the lighter your mousse will be. You can also add alcohol if you want (brandy or orange liqueur work well).

Key lime pie is another easy one from Nigella's Domestic Goddess book. She has two recipes - the second is the easiest.

Let me know if you need any more info re quantities, oven temperatures, etc.

Hope the dinner party goes well!

Can't find it online. It's in Happy Days with the Naked Chef....
Baked Cod with Avocado, prawns, cream and cheese.
for 2 people (EASILY multiplies up)
2 x 8oz cod fillets
1 small handful fresh basil, ripped
1 avocado, peeled, stoned (duh!) and sliced
5 oz peeled prawns
5 floz double cream
5 oz cheddar chees, grated
Rub a baking dish/roasting tray with olive oil. Season cod ; place in dish. Sprinkle with basil, sliced avocado & prawns. Drizzle over cream, top with cheese. Book 15 - 20 mins gas 7.

(note, it took 25 - 30 mins in our oven)

You could do pannacotta which is really simple to make and looks impressive with some mixed berries and with real vanillaseeds in it.

let us know what you end up making and how your evening goes, www

for starter I would do prawns in lemon and garlic.

king prawns, few cloves garlic, approx 150 ml olive oil, juice of half a lemon salt and freshly ground black pepper. make a marinade with the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. marinade the prawns for at least an hour but as long as you like really. line a grill pan with foil and put the prawns in and pour over the marinade, grill for approx 10 minutes then serve in bowls with the marinade poured over, with crusty bread on table which can be dipped in the juices.

for main course I would do chicken wrapped in parma ham with orange glaze - 4 chicken breasts, clove garlic, crushed, and 1 tsp parceley, and 4 slices parma ham. rub a little of the crushed garlic/parceley on top of each chicken breast, then wrap in a slice of parma ham and cook in the oven on 180 degrees for approx 25 minutes. Then make up a glaze in a pan with 1 tablespoon of orange marmalade and 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. heat these together until the marmalade has desolved into the juice, serve the chicken with the glaze over with new potatoes and salad.

for dessert would do chocolate mousse.

oooh, Wannabe, that sounds fab. Will try these out myself (unless you'd like to invite me over for dinner?!)

Ooh thank you for these further ideas. I am thinking now of maybe bruschetta or prawns with garlic mayo to start, followed by either cod or chicken wraped in proscuitto. The cod would be the Jamie one on green beans with lemons and garlic but I've done that LOADS and the chicken so it would be nice to do something different. I flicked through Real Food, a couple of Jamie, Nigella's Forever Summer (you'd have thought there'd have been SOMETHING there wouldn't you but no), Feast, Something for the weekend and came to the conclusion that something simple and one tray is best as a main, esp as it may be hot outside. Def raspberries in Chardonnay for pud.

but I will let you know what I do and how it goes, thanks everyone.

www jamies sea bass a la tony blair is a real crowd pleaser

and it is bone achingly easy

I did linger on that page yesterday enid, I may well go with that.

I second Sea Bass, steamed on a bed of jullienne courgette & carrots. Put veg on bottom then fish, bit of butter & black pepper on top add a splash of milk or wine, cover with foil and it's devine.

ok have checked book

I write down on the page who I have served it to and what they think

have served it to 5 different lots of guests

all love it

espeically if you can let it drop that it is local organic sea bass

dh made a yummy Jamie Oilver starter the other day - it was fresh tuna served with crushed ginger and chives - quick & easy - think it was in the how to cook book.

Main course - lemon & rocket risotto - onback of sainsburys arborio rice box

pudding - eton mess

Bloody hell Enid, do you have people to dinner a lot?
(Or just never serve anything other than sea bass?)