Coming round for a nice dinner - what do you want to eat?

[Ribenaberry12]

I’ve got some friends coming round for dinner soon and I want to cook something really, really nice for them as one of them has a new job so I want a bit of a celebration meal.

They’ve said they eat anything/don’t mind what we have/just surprise us but I’m stumped. There are no food allergies.

What’s the nicest thing you’ve ever eaten round someone’s house? And if you were coming over what would you like and what would
make you go ‘ooooh, that’s a bit more special that the usual shite we get from Ribenaberry12’?

Just to add ‘soon’ means in a couple of weeks, not in 10 minutes!

Thai Red Curry.
Casserole.
Ox Tail.
Steak and Kidney Pie.

Proper goulash with creamy mash and good veggies eg honey and mustard glazed. Food that takes time and love to cook well, like French onion soup mmmmm

Roast beef with all the trimmings.

I’d love loads of tex mex type food - wraps, fajita filling, loads of toppings (cheese, refried beans, sour cream, homemade guac, homemade salsa), nachos etc. You get the gist! Some margharitas on the go. More of a fun meal!

if you want something fancier (but less fun for friends in my opinion..fillet steaks with dauphinois potatos and nice fresh green veg, lemon meringue pie for pudding.

Have a good recipe book session reading through them all at the library?
Pudding wise.... how about a trio of circus baedmmsed things eg a mini key lime pie, orange sorbet and lemon tuille, or chocolate trio eg mousse, cake, biscuit

Steak served with garlic mushrooms in a ramekin baked with blue cheese and some sort of green veg or daphinous.

Something rich for pud, chocolate mouse or delias chocolate torte with a few raspberries on the side.

I make myself this now and then when I fancy it and I always love it.

A fish stew done properly would be cool too

Spicy butternut squash soup with sliced garlic baguette

Roast duck legs with a cranberry glaze, served with mash and veg

Fall fruit crumble - (spiced plum and apple) with vanilla or bourbon ice cream

Lots of red wine

Oooh yes, something with a good mash… 👍👍👍 Everyone likes good mash. Beef bourginon maybe? Posh cheeseboard…

Oooh, and crumble…

Agree that Tex mex it a great option.

Fish pie, fish gently cooked in milk then flaked and mixed with parsley sauce (bechamel made with the poaching milk) and wrapped in a big pastry parcel.

I love a series of home made salads with good warm bread or flat breads. Potato salad, coleslaw, cucumber and dill. Broccoli and sour cream etc etc.

Something you can prepare in advance and not worry about or be away from your friends for too long.

When I visit my friends I just want to have a good chat, good wine, and relax - especially if they’re doing it as a celebration for me! We can go out for swanky food, I just want to have some quality time with my friends.

Something like a chicken basque for main (one pot style dinner), that can be kept on standby in case we fancy a couple of cocktails or linger over aperitifs. Nothing that involves last minute or precision cooking (steaks where everyone wants it cooked differently etc.), pick a theme (Spanish is always a winner, especially with good selection of easy tapas to start), and if someone is forking the last olive/chicken/rice/chorizo from the pan, then you know it’s a success!!

We have friends who love to cook and entertain. She is vegetarian and he eats meat. He usually makes a meat based starter involving chargrilled chicken, or meatballs, or some sort of sausage with an amazing sauce and a bit of flat bread naan or something.

She makes the main course, some lovely veggie thing (often Ottolenghi I believe) with rice or pasta and a couple of salads and home made dressings.

There is usually a home made baked pudding (which I think she makes in advance). He does all the serving up and clearing up because she does 60/70% of the food. It's always phenomenal!

Lots of gin and tonics, beer and digestifs on offer. Guests bring the wine.

Sirloin , dauphinoise , asparagus/ tender stem broccoli followed by raspberry cheesecake .

Thankyou I'll be round at 7pm

Osso bucco and risotto Milanese - nicest meal I’ve ever had cooked for me!
Chicken Marbella with roasted potatoes and brocolli. Tasty and easy to prepare in advance.

Oooh, now I’m thinking lots of unusual salads. Maybe flatbreads. Or tapas. Bit of Ottolenghi… There will definitely be lots of wine.

Tapas sounds wonderful - lots of different delicious things to try.

Anything that you're a specialist at would be a treat though. For example I can cook a decent roast but I have a friend who makes the BEST roast potatoes I've ever had so it's always a treat to have a roast at theirs.

Similarly, I make a particularly good garlic bread that all our friends rave about so we often go in for nice pasta or rice dishes that give us an excuse to make garlic bread to go with it. An Italian slow cooked beef and peas with giant pasta tubes is my go-to for a more fancy dinner.

Salmon en croute isn't that difficult (buy the pastry) but looks impressive.

I think presentation can make food look more special too.

For desserts, I like 'some sort of cake' with 'some kind of fruit in a sauce ' and a ball of ice cream, served on a rectangular plate. Can make I look really special with not much effort.

Ottolenghi's Lamb meatballs with barberries, yoghurt & herbs. Relatively simple and better made ahead. With herby couscous. One of my faves meals.

You could do flatbreads, hummus & mixed salads too, makes it lots of smaller dishes.

I always think a homemade topped focaccia is lovely to start, with little bowls of nice olive oil and the smell of freshly baked bread is lovely to arrive to. Plus so easy and you can just do second proof in the fridge and make the day before.

Love a baked espresso cheesecake for dessert at the moment. Otherwise the river cafe’s chocolate nemisis.

Mains, this time of year maybe something like a slow roast shoulder of lamb or braised pork cheeks. If any vegetarians my go to is Ixta Belfrage’s crispy oyster mushrooms on creamy chickpeas- she’s a genius, it’s so good

https://www.souschef.co.uk/blogs/the-bureau-of-taste/ixta-belfrages-crispy-oyster-mushroom-skewers-with-crushed-chickpeas?srsltid=AfmBOorlRK11Kd2Rj_D06Y4aox5efUcEq3TAc-AsTm_paiB-RHbWCDDb

All these sounds yummy. I would say something easy to eat, ie not steak, so it is easy to chat and eat.

And @ANiceCuppaTeaandBiscuit menu sounds great

Roast Chicken! I'm seemingly preternaturally disposed to adore anyone who feeds me roast chicken! Even more so if it's followed with a lovely pudding and some cheese...

This Nduja crusted cod is delicious. Serve with parmentier potatoes and griddled tender stem broccoli and samphire with garlic and chilli. (You can buy Samphire from Waitrose fish counter).