Menu for lunch at home with girlfriends.

[mrsm43s]

So for the first time in absolutely ages, I'm getting together with 3 of my lovely friends and I'm hosting a lunch. Due to Covid isolations/family and work commitments etc, it's been a good while since we've all managed to get together without kids/husbands, and we've all got the whole day free right through til evening, and no driving responsibilities, so I want to make the most of it.

It's good friends, so no need for formality, but equally I really like the idea of making it a bit more special than everyday food.
No intolerances or special diets, but no seafood or super spicy food
I don't want to serve anything that would be a "family meal" e.g lasagne or fish pie or roast, fajitas etc
We're likely to get a bit drinky as the day wears on, so I'd like a reasonably substantial lunch.:

My meal plan so far:
Drinks - start with Champagne cocktails, then onto fizz or wine

Casual starter - olives/anchovies/sun dried tomatoes etc, bread basket with EVOO and balsamic, maybe salami milano or some italian style snacks.

Main - Can't decide betweenChicken Saltimbocca or Chicken Marsala either could be served with some kind of potato (parmentier? Skinny fries? Garlic mash?) and tenderstem and maybe roasted carrots. Or I'm open to other suggestions?

Dessert - torn between a fruit platter, or a panacotta. Again, I'm open to other suggestions, but I would like it to be something that I can make in advance.

Then, to be served later, in the place of a dinner - a hefty cheeseboard, with plenty of cheese/bread/crackers/fruit/nuts etc.

I'm trying to keep things reasonably simple, so I can prep loads in advance (so starters/puds/cheeseboard could pretty much all be done before people arrive or only need a bit of arranging).

Any thoughts? Any other suggestions? I'm not 100% sold on this menu, so more than happy for people to come up with other ideas.

TIA

How about afternoon tea instead? You can make it really pretty with cake stands, finger sandwiches, cute crockery etc. I think it always looks and feels special but is quite easy to do everything in advance yourself.

I think the menu sounds lovely. I would go for parmentier potatoes. Not sure skinny fries would be right for that mean and mashed potato is a bit of a pain to make (I hate all the starchy washing up).

One of my favourite puddings is pannacotta - advanced cooking, relatively easy and always seems impressive to me. Some fruit alongside, depending on the flavour of the pannacotta would be nice. Saying that, I once made a Baileys pannacotta and it was divine on it's own. The casual starter sounds perfect.

@EssexLioness

How about afternoon tea instead? You can make it really pretty with cake stands, finger sandwiches, cute crockery etc. I think it always looks and feels special but is quite easy to do everything in advance yourself.

Thanks, but no to afternoon tea. It's not really our vibe nowadays. We did it to death 10 years ago in the "shabby chic" era!

Sounds lovely! What time shall I come round? 😉

Ohhhh I want to come! Especially for panacotta 😍

Ooh lots of love for the panna cotta! I'm thinking just a vanilla one, served with blueberries and raspberries on the side (and maybe a raspberry coulis).

Parmienter pots seem the way to go.

Any thoughts on Chicken Marsala v Chicken Saltimbocca?

Yum, I’d go fruit platter with chocolate fondue. Made one with melted toblerone a long time ago.

Chicken Marsala please!

Sounds great! Chicken marsala would be my fave and I'd do
Chips or roasted baby potatoes as easy

Another pudding idea is lemon posset. Make in advance, serve with raspberries and shortbread on the side

Sounds absolutely delicious OP!

What you could do, alongside/after the fruit platter and panacotta, is offer coffee and shop-bought chocolates or truffles. That way you can have slightly sinful bite of something indulgent (and hit that super sweet spot) without having an overly rich and cloying dessert. It also feels a bit more special too to just set them out for people to crack into.

Also make sure you have some snacky bits (even if it's some crisps) or something you can bung in the oven later as people drink during and after lunch. Sounds like a perfect getogether!

May I suggest nigellas chocolate pavlova 🤤 beautifully light and tasty. Prepared in advance. Amazing Aith raspberries and a few shards of ripple 🤭

The tartness from the raspberries pairs really well.

You could do miniature ones instead of a large one although it does look nice all made up. You can pre whip the cream (a quick stir before using) and assemble at the last minute

Second Nigella’s choc/raspberry pavlova - much lighter than it looks.

If you want something a bit fancier, an old River Cottage recipe:

Lightly poach some fruit in a flavoured syrup eg: pears in spiced red wine,; peaches in white wine and lemon thyme or bay; apples in cider and cinnamon; forced rhubarb in blood orange juice and ginger.

Remove fruit. Freeze 2/3 of poaching liquor to make a granita or sorbet.

Reduce remaining 1/3 of liquor to a thick syrup. Use a small amount to flavour a vanilla panna cotta. Keep the rest for drizzling over the finished dish.

Fridge/freeze components overnight. Plate up in a few minutes next day, with a delicate biscuit on the side and a herb sprig. Looks impressive,, and the contrast in textures/temperatures is wonderful.