Dinner Party Ideas

[Purplecarrots123]

Hi everyone, need some help here! Next Saturday I have 8 people coming for dinner in addition to the two of us. I have to cater for the following; vegetarian who are pescatarian, gluten free, one who is vegetarian and eats cheese but not eggs or milk.

I’m a bit stuck on what to cook. I found an easy recipe for salmon en croute which I can use GF pastry for (but this may have egg in the pastry I guess need to check the packet!). I thought chocolate mousse or pavlova for dessert as I can make that gluten free but then both contain eggs. And then I thought roast veg lasagne with GF pasta but then the white sauce has milk in.

With so many to cook for I’m trying to find 1
or 2 dishes I can make otherwise I’ll have about 8 on the go!

Any ideas???? DH is baffled too!

I would do a baked salmon then no fussing with sauce or pastry. M and S in thd freezer do a frozen side with a beautiful sauce. You will need two but will have a little left over for cold. Serve with new potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots or a salad.
Puddings trust me with this one! If you use the water from a can of chick peas ( there’s a name for it that everyone will start shouting but I am thick and have forgotten it), whipped up until it looks like egg white, fold in melted milk free chocolate and icing sugar, then add a tablespoon of brandy of whatever liqueur you fancy, chill, it makes a beautiful chocolate mousse
poached pears with a vegan ice cream and optional chocolate sauce makes a quick easy pud. I usually make cardamom biscuits to serve with it gluten free egg and dairy free. I melt a Marx bad got the sauce.
i would not bother with a starter but if you do a beetroot salad with crusty bread goes down well, buy gluten free rolls

Jacket potatoes with a choice of toppings and salad?

Veg curry and rice works for everyone. Coconut milk, veg, etc
Do some grilled chicken on the side to add for the meat eaters
Poppadoms are gluten free as well

You’ve been given some great ideas already but I just wanted to add that oat milk is an easy sub for dairy milk in the white sauce for a lasagne. Good luck whatever you choose!

You can make pavlova with aqua faba instead of egg whites.

@JillMW aquafaba is the word you're looking for!

Mexican could also work
The tortilla chips in m&s are gluten free i think
So nachos for a starter
With salsa, guacamole, cheese etc

Mains could be Barbacoa beef and a Mexican style rice
And Mexican mushrooms and refried beans for the veggies

Pudding I'd probably just do a nice fruit salad.

Haven't read the whole thread so this may have been suggested already but i would do:
big bowl of vegetarian (bean) chilli - lots of veg, beans, spices
Big bowl of meat chilli
Sides that everyone can eat or that those who want to can sample - home made guacamole, salsa (tomatoes, onions), grated cheese, nachos, rice. Maybe green salad?

Dessert - fruit salad with cream, ice cream served on the side. Sorbets for the ones not eating milk.

Thank you! I should get it tattooed on my wrist, I never can remember 😀

We had this last night. We used lamb mince instead of the plant alternative but the recipe is vegan and gluten free if you follow the ingredients. It was absolutely delicious.

Keema hotpot recipe - BBC Food

Just a tip if you do it though - we didn't add any hot water as there was more than enough "juice". We also would do a double layer of potato next time (or maybe mash?)

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! Going to try some “chickpea water” pavlova mix this evening as an experiment! I know it’s aqua faba but chickpea water just makes me smile! @JillMW I had a look for the M&S salmon! Sounds and looks like a winner to me and very simple. Can do lots of great salads with it as im really confident in that. Thank you again everyone!

DH made an amazing slag bol for our last hosting using impossible beef.

We let on to the veggie but no one else even realised it wasn’t meat. So tasty. Garlic bread and salad sides.

Of not then standard spag bol for the meat eaters and an Aubergine parmigiana for the veggies

The answer in all these situations is several curries.

Can be made ahead and reheated.

I have several girlfriends round for supper and it’s a similar dietary mix of intolerances and vegetarian that I cook for.

There’s a brilliant recipe for confit chickpeas from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen that uses several tins of chickpeas that will give you the aqua Faba for your dessert!

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/confit-tandoori-chickpeas

If the aqua faba dessert doesn’t work, I’ve served this in the past. It’s delicious

www.cookfood.net/products/apricot-orange-almond-torte

Can you make a bechamel with a milk substitute

Yes to veggie or seafood curry.

We had https://www.nigella.com/recipes/kerala-fish-curry this at a friend’s and it was lovely.

The ottolenghi chickpeas to provide aquafaba is genius!

Trying to think of gluten free dairy free egg free puds, not easy without using substitutes! Sorbet…? Something coconut milk based (maybe not if doing a coconut milk curry)

If you mean the salmon with soy and ginger glaze there is wheat in the sauce.