Friends for dinner: what do you cook?

[Greentomatoes21]

What would you cook for a couple of friends coming over for dinner on a Saturday night? Please help me with some ideas! I'm thinking appetisers, a main and a dessert. Nothing very fancy, just tasty and simple but looks like I've made a bit of effort!

I'd go 70s.

Prawn cocktail to start. Then Coq au vin, with hot crusty rolls. Or serve it with buttered tagliatelle.

Then rum babas, strawberry gateaux, roulade, pavlova, or similar.

Glass of fizz on arrival.
Antipasti starter, sourdough and good butter.
Steak, baby potatoes crushed and roasted with garlic, cherry tomatoes, rosemary and butter served with green beans.
Lemon posset for dessert.

Most easy to prep in advance and steals take minutes to cook.

Clafoutis - good for puddings as you can make the batter in advance and then just pour over fruit in mini ramekins and shove in the oven when you start the main course. I serve alongside berries and cream/icecream, then if someone doesn't want a heavy dessert there's still a fruit/cream option.

I agree with several others and always have something that is largely cooked before friends arrive. My favourites are:

Starter:
Bruschetta with drinks or anti pasti or homemade smoked mackerel pate.

Main course:
ginodacampo.com/recipe/puglian-lamb-stew/
or
Delia Smith's Chicken Basque

Pudding:
Gooey chocolate puddings
racheleats.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/hot-gooey-chocolate-puddings/

To start:

• whipped feta dip with roasted tomatoes and little garlic toasts
• antipasti

Main:

• Potato dauphinoise
• Steaks
• Grilled asparagus

Dessert:

• Burnt Basque cheesecake with caramel sauce

Tortilla chips with home made salsa and guacamole
Slow cooked shin of beef chilli
Chocolate brownie, berries and thick cream or vanilla ice cream

A really easy but tasty dessert is Cranach. Not sure if that’s how it’s spelt.

Raspberries
Pavlovas, crushed
Toasted oats
Whipped cream
Splash of whiskey

Mix altogether and serve in glasses. To spruce it up add a sprig of mint on top.
We had friends for dinner a couple of weeks ago after a veeeeery long time and this went down really well.

Good luck and enjoy 🙂

Starter
Dazzling smoked salmon.

Using a spoon fan out smoked salmon slice until it covers small tea plate. Scatter small diced pieces of beetroot, avocado and sweet yellow pepper and dill on top of the salmon. Serve with soda bread or sour dough.

Main
Chicken Swiss roll.
Stuff chicken breasts with Bourskin soft cheese and lightly cooked spinach. Roll up & secure with cocktail stick. Cook in foil. To serve remove sticks & cut each breast in three pieces on an angle to show off the stuffing.
Serve drizzled with bought tomato and mascapone sauce, bought hassleback or roast potatoes & steamed green beans.

Dessert
A nice apple or plum crumble with cream or ice cream

Oh these look great!

I am useless at this sort of thing, I always get stuck in the kitchen and then my cooking goes wrong... maybe I need to do a practice run first.

Would it be cheating to do a meal from one of those delivery companies, eg hello fresh?!