planning dinner party, suggestions welcomed.

[norksinmywaistband]

Planning my first dinner party in about 2 years( NY resolution 6 friends meet once a month each cooks 2x during the year)
I am first, so all recipes are ok as nothing to avoid from previous dinner parties.

One guest does not eat fish

I am a competant cook, and would like to ry one dish I haven't done before....

quick fry scallops - (4 per person)

serve with thai sweet chilli sauce and creme fraiche and salad...

(do a quorn thing for non fish eating guest?)

Delia Smiths Chocolate Bread and butter pudding is a good winter warmer

possibly lamb shanks

garlic king prawns with some nice crusty bread

Baked camembert.

Blackberries in muscat jelly.

Can post recipes later if you're interested in either.

or mushrooms cooked in cream , garlic and a touch of wrocestershire sauce also with crusty bread.

Or a to share starter, get a couple of camembert in the wooden boxes, take of all warpping and put back in the box, stick some rosemary in and possibly garlic and bake until gooey.

Stuffed flat mushrooms.

Rack of lamb with a herb crust

Liking the rack of lamb idea.

Forgot to say DH is teetotal, and doesn't like alcohol in food either

how about for starters:
these lovely goatscheese and tomatoe tarts

Fillet with pepper stuffing for mains

pecan pie for dessert

nigella's lamb tagine with pomegranate - made it for NYD and was lovely, and very easy. I like the fact you can make ahead and reheat so less faff on the day.

great NY resolution btw!

Thanks Panda, we all thought so, since we have all got DC under 4 babysitters are hard to come by, but have decided that if we are going to one anothers houses then we can pay out for them 2x in 3 months IYSWIM.

Are Nigellas recipes online?

lamb tag recipe here

she suggests it with a red onion relish in 'Christmas' I made that too and was very good - can post recipe if liked?

we often take our children with us when going out for a meal at friends - NYE 8 children and 6 adults all stayed over at our friends! babysitters can be expensive and difficult to source I agree

FivegoMad - Agree that choc brean and butter pudding is great. Easy and lovely.

I love to make stews, such as lamb shanks and tagines at this time of year. Delicious.

Also, a 'posh' sausage casserole would be lovely, think Delia does one with shallots, red wine etc. Yummy!

Have definately decided on a slow cook, casserole style main.
Think the tagine is a fab idea.

What will go well as a starter, obviously nothing too heavy, fishy or alcoholic

I made a nigella recipe over Christmas, her rib of beef with port and stilton gravy, the gravy was to die for.

Will see if I can get the resipe online,

how about canapes rather than starter - you could then do one prawn/salmon one and a couple not?

Delia's Bloody Mary toms are fab (but alcoholic) and again are made 2 days in advance

goats cheese and red onion chutney

smoked salmon on horseradish cream (another Nigella recipe)

can post recipes of you like this idea?

here is the beef recipe

One of my guests took some gravy home with her!

this lamb tagine recipeis amazing, serve with this which is much tastier than normal couscous.

Or salmon en croute/beef wellington?

Starter:
if you are going for a rich stew/tagine, perhaps some sort of salad?
Otherwise a soup (I wouldn't serve soup and stew, personally)

Dessert:
depends what you serve for the other courses. If very rich, something fruity (grilled pineapple with rum is lovely, served with home made lemon meringue ice-cream?)

sorry, just read you are definitely going with stew....

I once "made up" a salad of mixed salad leaves, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, then warm mushrooms and bacon bits & croutons plus a dressing.

Had parma ham and fig on salad leaves at a friend's recently, it was simple but really light and lovely. Not everyone likes figs tho.

these ideas are great, thanks,
ideas for light but indulgent puds needed( if they exist)

hmm...do you like lemon cheesecake? If so, I have a lovely Slimming World recipe...but you honestly would never guess it was a SW recipe....our W leader did it for a taster session and it is utterly delicious!

ooh yes please

well, the original recipe is actually for lemon mousse terrine...but SW leader made it into cheesecake...so, will give you the original recipe and tell you what she did...iykwim

1 lemon
1 sachet sugar free lemon jelly
4tsp powdered Gelatine
2 x 200g pots Vanilla Muellerlight Yoghurt
7oz/198g Quark
4-5 tbsp artificial sweetener (or to taste)
1 large egg

for teh crystalized lemon zest slivers:
2 lemons1tbsp artifical sweetener

1. Finely grate the lemon zest. Make up the jelly with 1/4pt/142ml boiling water and stir in the gelatine. When cool pour the jelly mixture into the food processor. Add the lemonzest, yoghurt, quark and sweetener. Blend until smooth.

2. Whisk the eggwhite until stiff in a large bowl and slowly fold in the jelly and yoghurt mixture. Mix well and pour into a non stick loaf tin. chill overnight.

3)To make the crystalized lemon slivers, finely grate the lemonzest and place in a saucepan with the artificial sweetener and 4fl oz/113ml water. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 min., or cook until most of the water is evaporated. Remove the slivers and place on a baking sheet lined w. non-stick baking parchment.

4. Remove the terrine by dipping the tin into hot water for 30sec. and carefully turning out to a serving platter. Garnish with teh sliver, slice and serve.

THe only changes she made were, using total 0% yoghurt (that greek style one) instead of Quark, because her dh doesn't like Quark and she made a "typical" cheesecake biskuits/butter (low fat marge in her case) base...and put it in one of those round tins, you can remove the side from, iykwim...

hth

Thanks FLRAL, will use that for the spring one I think.

I have now decided on this chicken dish with wild and basmati rice and french beans

And chocolate fondants with vanilla icecream for dessert.

Really need a starter to go with this that does not have booze, fish, raw tomatoes, or goats cheese.

Please help starters are my weakness

ah, my ideas for canapes really were useless then!

your list of banned ingredients practically rules out all the starters I have ever done!

I know fussy buggers, oh and offal is out as well!!!
thanks for suggestions though

how about somehting simple like
Carrot and Coriander soup

or Wild mushroom and walnut soup