haven't had people to dinner for years...so what should I cook ?

[MaryAnnSingleton]

lunch yes, but a dinner party type thing no..
so, if I was having to cater for 6 people - no vegetarians - what do you suggest ? Nice and easy but delicious ! I love making puddings btw - should I do 2 ?

Ahh. Saw thread title and thought "That's me!" but I see there are no suggestions as yet...

I have cooked for friends in the past and had other families over for Sunday Lunch, which works well as everyone knows what they're getting with a roast, trimmings and veg. But have not 'entertained' for years.

Would veer on the side of some sort of luxurious casserole with lots of wine and/or cream in it, with accompanying veg 'dish'. How about antipasti from deli counter etc for a starter - more assembley than anything else.

Nigella's chocolate orange cake is easy and v moist (lost of ground almonds) so keeps well and can be made well in advance - nice with creme fraiche. But then you are good at making puddings so actually, I'll wait for your suggestions!

mmm, sounds good - I love the idea of antipasti from deli - olives, artichoke heartsm, bits of saucisson,nice bread...that's easy too ! I do make a v nice lime cheesecake,very citrussy and sharp on a stem ginger biscuit base...but then again,Nigella's choc cake sounds delicious...there is so much you could make, it's trying to decide what to do !

MAS - I had you down as an experienced dinner party hoster! You always talk so knowledgeably and deliciously about food

My usual dinner party concoction is chicken stuffed with mozzarella and basil, and wrapped in bacon on a bed of roasted tomatoes. Always disappears in the hotcross house!

I seem to 'know' about food but so seldom put it into practice - dh does all the cooking,except for puddings or cakes !! Lovely chicken idea though - can I trouble you for the recipe ? Dh does often make hippi's Dutch pea soup too !

I don't know how formal you want it but in the summer I often do fajitas (chicken or beef or prawns) with homemade salsa and gaucamole. They always go down a storm when I do them. It is fairly informal though so it might not be the thing you are after.

hotcrossbunny, I do that to but stuffed with Brie and sun dried tomatoes wrapped in parma ham server with minted new pots and roasted asparagus. Hungry now.

Just assembly and put in the oven for about 30 mins.

My rules for dinner parties it to make a starter and dessert that can be made in advance and a main course that doesn't require last minute fiddling as you don't want to be in the kitchen when your guest arrive.

My best main courses have been taken from the Australian Women's Weekly recipe books. I made a lovely chicken tagine the other night from Good Food. I have a very nice and quick Coq au Vin recipe (all quite casserole/stew based recipes).

Starter - a simple soup and some nice bread?

I would probably do a couple of desserts, Banoffee Pie? Pavlova? Cheesecake? Key lime Pie? Chocolate Mousse?

we've just done our first for years...

1. antipasto - had some cold then a few hot
2. salmon with fancy black lentils and roast tomatoes
3. fab hazelnut meringue gateau
4. lots cheese

went very well - first posh one since dd born 7 years ago!

has anyone done the antipasti yet?

AH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they have" ahs anyoen ever worked out how much all that costs?

Lime cheesecake with stem ginger base??? Heaven! Recipe/sample through post gratefully received...

I think the last time I entertained (about 5 years ago) I cooked Delis's fast roast pork -it's cooked with cider vinegar, rosemary and creme fraiche IIRC.

A baked camberbert stuffed with garlic and flooded with white wine for starters works well with crusty bread to dip in it.

Its a sharing thing again though....

oh this is great - thanks ! I just get stuck as there's so much to choose from. I think informal is best !
I always used to make a bagna cauda with olive oil,garlic and anchovies to dip raw veg in - it was a standard of mine until my best friend said 'oh not that anchovy stuff again'...
the lime cheese cake is a Waitrose recipe and quite healthy - I substituted crushed stem ginger biscs instead of their suggested choc chip cookies as it was Lent and I'd given up chocolate...
Zesty Lime cheesecake
serves 8
50g unsalted butter
150g pack stem ginger cookies, crushed
135g pack lime jelly, cut into small pieces
half a 410g can of Carnation light evaporated milk, chilled
200g pack half fat soft cheese
3 limes
.....
Line base of 20cm x 5cm round loose-bottomed sandwich tin with baking parchment
Melt butter in a pan and stir in crushed biscuits. Press mixture into tin and chill.
Dissolve jelly in a bowl with 100 ml boiling water, stir and allow to cool.
Whisk evap. milk in large bowl until light & fluffy and doubled in volume. Whisk in the cream cheese until smooth and well combined.
Take the finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes - finely slice remaining lime and set aside. Add all of juice and half of zest to cream cheese mix then whisk in the jelly - keep the rest of the zest chilled. Pour over biscuit base and chill for 2 hours.Decorate with sliced lime and zest.

Easy peasy and very lovely and refreshingly tart....

do you know, I've had an urge for fondue !

agree about having starters and desserts made ahead, and as much of the main course as poss.
In winter, I would do a casserole, but in summer, more along the stuffed chicken breasts (I like leek, bacon, pine nut stuffing) with a white wine sauce.
Or salmon en croute

Starters - some kind of salad works well, but depends on what you're having as a main.

Dessert: your cheesecake sounds fab. I also like fruity desserts - e.g. grilled pineapple. Nigella's lemon meringue ice-cream is also lovely, simple and can be made ahead.

lol - this is where the antipasti thing comes from

oh I've just found a recipe for lemon curd ice cream...

I have a lovely recipe somewhere for lemon posset. Really simple and fantastically delicious.

From memory it's double cream, with caster sugar and the juice of lemons, brought to the boil and then poured into dishes and left to cool/set. That's it!

my easy ones arealways form delia
cnaapes to start

then a casserole
then makrs lemon curd tart
or stawbs meringues and compote

piece of piss

possett ! they had that on Supersizers this week I think...

a friend of mine made a lemon posset recently (I'd never heard of it) and it was absolutely beautiful. Make that.

Or rhubarb fool? Stew rhubarb and sweeten to taste. Add vanilla extract and Grand Marnier then blend till as smooth as possible. Whip up cream and then fold rhubarb into the cream.

or asparagus to start

thent heir piss will stink

love RF