Come and criticise my menu for tomorrow night

[Quattrocento]

Dinner for 10 adults - just friends so not trying to impress - children will all have been fed earlier.

Nibbly bits and champagne

The nibbly bits are blinis with taramasalata or hummous, french bread with mozzarella and tomato, king prawns in chilli with mayo. This is in lieu of a starter because frankly I can't be arsed.

Main course

Lamb slow roasted with garlic and beaujolais
Gratin dauphinois (am I overdoing the garlic here)
Fine beans with pancetta
Cauliflower (cheese sauce or not? Is this all a bit rich?)
Beaujolais

Puddings
Fruit salad (melon, pineapple, apple and grapes)
Creme brulee
Chocolate cake
No pudding wine because I can't stand it

I was wondering about doing a sorbet before the main course. I dunno. Is it too rich?

Can I come too please? No cheese sauce on the cauli, you don't need it.

I don't think you need a sorbet because its main purpose is to cleanse the palate and you won't need that after nibbly starters.
Agree that you don't need the cheese sauce with the caulliflower.

Sounds delicious!

Mmmm my mouth is watering! No cheese sauce on the cauli though... and you may want to swap that for a different veg that doesn't stink of farts when it's cooking? I cooked some the other day and the whole house stank!

I'd forgo the sorbet too, just for simplicity, and if you're trying not to impress, it will seem less formal.

Sounds delightful!! Hope you have fun.

my main criticism of your menu is that you haven't invited me...

Sounds fantastic but I wouldn't put cheese sauce on the cauli.

And why are you doing three puddings?

I'd have liked a pudding wine. But I'd just be so pleased that I was invited I'd let you off

and, while I'm here...

nibbly bits sound great. Main course great, but do you really need pancetta with the beans? You already have a very rich meat dish and a rich potato dish (no, it is impossible to overdo garlic) I would prefer a lighter vegetable dish to go with it. Green beans with lemon, olive oil and parsley or mint? bit of black pepper and rub garlic round serving dish. Don't see the need for cauliflower and definitely not with cheese sauce. If I were going to do another veg I might do spinach or something tomatoey/courgetty. But really I think green beans alone fine.

no need for sobert. Not sure about apple in fruit salad. How about mango, kiwi or papaya?

'twas all going swimmingly until you mentioned cauliflower............

WTF, it serves no real purpose in real life, truly it doesn't.

Agree with harpomarx, defintely only need green beans with the rest of the main. I did something similar last week and was glad I kept the veg quite simple.

Apart from that, sounds lovely.

Thanks all

Good point Harpo. I'll avoid the pancetta and do the lemon and olive oil thing with the beans. Fantastic suggestion.

None of you are very keen on the cauli and I agree that the cheese sauce would be OTT particularly as the gratin dauphinois will be cheeay.

What about peas instead of cauli then?

Will avoid the sorbet. Three puddings is because fruit salad really isn't a pudding but nice and refreshing. Not everyone likes brulee.

Wow, sounds fantastic, but I agree about simpler veg if you have rich creamy potatoes. I know it's easier to do veg that go in the oevn (cauli cheese etc), but I woulnd't want cheesy veg with cheesy potatoes.

hmmm.

change blini's for thick tortilla chips perhaps? only coz i'm sick of getting blinis everywhere.

no cheese or cauli (ditto stinky cooking)

agree with beans with lemon/oil,

perhaps change cauli for
broccoli or spinich or brussells with pancetta.

my absolute fav this time of year is brussels,chestnuts and pancetta (perhaps better for xmas dinner)

i also wondering if you need so many choices for dessert. surely since you have fruit then you would be fine with just chocolate cake OR brulee??

oooooooooooh and i like to cometimes do the dessert pudding.

then we have the fruit with cheese and biscuits after with the coffee.

but
tbh i'd eat what you were preparing anyway without a wimper as it sounds lush

glad you liked, Quattro... don't suppose I'm near enough for an invite then?

How about little roast carrots with honey and cumin seeds? Nice bright orange against the green beans.

Yes I have carrots!

Okay revised menu

Nibbly bits and champagne

The nibbly bits are blinis with taramasalata or hummous, french bread with mozzarella and tomato, king prawns in chilli with mayo. (I did take on board the suggestion of tortilla chips rather than blinis but all the nibbly bits are warm, and there are two alternatives to blinis)

Main course

Lamb slow roasted with garlic and beaujolais
Gratin dauphinois (am I overdoing the garlic here)
Fine beans with lemon and olive oil
Carrots with honey and cumin seeds
Beaujolais

Puddings
Fruit salad (melon, pineapple, apple and grapes)
Creme brulee
Chocolate cake
Pudding wine (I gave in because one of my friends loves it)

Wow!!!! What would you serve if you were trying to impress?? Can I come?!!!

yes, keep the blinis. Mostly because I am at ELM being 'sick of getting blinis everywhere'.

quattro,

menu sounds fab,

the revised one even better,

can i just question the contents of the fruit salad...

i am not sure why i am saying this,

maybe the apple,

i love grape and pineapple,

not totally sure about the melon (love cantalope not water)and the apple, soz,

hows about blueberry?

or raspberry?

You're the second person to question the apple. Hmmm. The thing about apple is that it is lovely and crisp and light which I thought might take away the richness of the main course. I'll think about raspberry instead.

On the melon - deffo canteloupe, don't like watermelon much. Too watery

I think the reason apple is a bit iffy Quattro is that it's kind of hard work to eat after a big meal. And its texture doesn't sit very well with other fruit in a salad.

What I would do would be to get the best quality pineapple, mango, watermelon or piel de sapo melon I could get (plus grapes, kiwi, papaya but don't bother with raspberries, they are just way too expensive at the mo to be able to buy a decent quantity). Slice it all beautifully and lay it out on a big serving plate like a buffet. Drizzle some lime on the pineapple and papaya, it tastes gorgeous. And, imo, a great watermelon is fantastic after a meal, looks great on a plate and very popular.

Sounds lovely. Can you please post teh recipe for the slow roasted lamb?

sounds great, makes me hungry!

how did it go?

Suggested changes good
Don't like idea of hummus and taramasalata with blinis though. Don't go together and they are too studenty and 70s.

Only thing god on blinis is salmon and sour cream

Hummus, i can agree with. Taramasala ta ta ta? Acquired imho. Blinis, wtf r they, whats wrong with Ryvitas>? Otherwise, ok, enjoy.

And the wine of choice to accompany the meal is ... Blue Nun , u may be missing a good point here!