One of my New Year’s resolutions was to be more social. I’m perfectly happy at home with all my toys, books, and Mr. Athena, but I realize that sometimes socializing with people can give one added perspectives on life. Plus, Mr. Athena’s been bugging me about it.
In this light, we’ve invited some friends over for dinner on Saturday. I’ve already decided on the main dish - Beef Burgundy - but I’m having trouble coming up with appropriate side dishes. I make a mean Beef Burgundy, but Mr. Athena and I tend to just scarf it up in a bowl. I want to be more fancy-like for the Big Dinner Party.
So whadaya serve with a main dish stew/soup kinda think like BB? I’m going to have some bread, and probably a salad. I’m thinking of Lemon Mousse for dessert. I want to have at least a couple side dishes with the BB, though, probably a veggie and a starch. Also, the salad is up for grabs. I know I want at least one course before the BB, but it doesn’t have to be salad.
Serve it with (or ona a bed of) wild rice and steamed (read that right: STEAMED, and for no more than five minutes to keep it relatively crisp… not limp and flavourless) broccoli in butter or lightly drizzled with cheese sauce on the side (adds colour).
Cheeze sauce?
Heat up 1/4 cup milk to steaming (not boiling), stir, then put in slices or small cubes of fresh (not processed) cheddar or mozzarella and keep stirring until you get a relatively thick (but still liquid) consistency. This should only take about four minutes, so you can prep it just before you serve dinner. Add butter or flour in small doses for taste and consistency.
For a starter, try a salad (easier prep than soup):
The simplest salad I’ve ever made is sliced tomatoes with slices of mozza in between drizzled with ceasar salad dressing.
Otherwise a Ceasar salad would also do (leave out the anchovies unless you’re feeling particularly daring), you should be able to find a relatively simple recipe on the net.
The lemon mousse sounds great… can I have some?
Since this is your first one, try and keep things simple. Once you get used to company and preparing for them, you can move onto more adventurous things… then you’ll sway back to the simple once you become a pro.
BTW, did you ask your guests about allergies or food preferances? I had a little boo boo at a party I hosted where I made a huge pot of Jambalaya and didn’t consider the vegetarian that was showing up.
Vegetarians are relatively easy to please as well, though, if that need arises.
Serve it with (or ona a bed of) wild rice and steamed (read that right: STEAMED, and for no more than five minutes to keep it relatively crisp… not limp and flavourless) broccoli in butter or lightly drizzled with cheese sauce on the side (adds colour).
Cheeze sauce?
Heat up 1/4 cup milk to steaming (not boiling), stir, then put in slices or small cubes of fresh (not processed) cheddar or mozzarella and keep stirring until you get a relatively thick (but still liquid) consistency. This should only take about four minutes, so you can prep it just before you serve dinner. Add butter or flour in small doses for taste and consistency.
For a starter, try a salad (easier prep than soup):
The simplest salad I’ve ever made is sliced tomatoes with slices of mozza in between drizzled with ceasar salad dressing.
Otherwise a Ceasar salad would also do (leave out the anchovies unless you’re feeling particularly daring), you should be able to find a relatively simple recipe on the net.
The lemon mousse sounds great… can I have some?
Since this is your first one, try and keep things simple. Once you get used to company and preparing for them, you can move onto more adventurous things… then you’ll sway back to the simple once you become a pro.
BTW, did you ask your guests about allergies or food preferances? I had a little boo boo at a party I hosted where I made a huge pot of Jambalaya and didn’t consider the vegetarian that was showing up.
Vegetarians are relatively easy to please as well, though, if that need arises.
Serve it with (or ona a bed of) wild rice and steamed (read that right: STEAMED, and for no more than five minutes to keep it relatively crisp… not limp and flavourless) broccoli in butter or lightly drizzled with cheese sauce on the side (adds colour).
Cheeze sauce?
Heat up 1/4 cup milk to steaming (not boiling), stir, then put in slices or small cubes of fresh (not processed) cheddar or mozzarella and keep stirring until you get a relatively thick (but still liquid) consistency. This should only take about four minutes, so you can prep it just before you serve dinner. Add butter or flour in small doses for taste and consistency.
For a starter, try a salad (easier prep than soup):
The simplest salad I’ve ever made is sliced tomatoes with slices of mozza in between drizzled with ceasar salad dressing.
Otherwise a Ceasar salad would also do (leave out the anchovies unless you’re feeling particularly daring), you should be able to find a relatively simple recipe on the net.
The lemon mousse sounds great… can I have some?
Since this is your first one, try and keep things simple. Once you get used to company and preparing for them, you can move onto more adventurous things… then you’ll sway back to the simple once you become a pro.
BTW, did you ask your guests about allergies or food preferances? I had a little boo boo at a party I hosted where I made a huge pot of Jambalaya and didn’t consider the vegetarian that was showing up.
Vegetarians are relatively easy to please as well, though, if that need arises.
Beef burgundy sounds terrific for guests. Not a lot of last-minute preparation, and if you are able to do it a day ahead of time, it’s that much better for being served the next day.
I like my BB with simple buttered noodles, the way I saw them serving it in Burgundy, in France. As Darqangelle observes, the BB is good and filling, so perhaps a very light salad like butter lettuce with a simple mustardy vinaigrette would go well. As for a good side vegetable, I’m thinking fresh asparagus or peas (rather than a richer, filling vegie like carrots or beets or cabbage). BB is the star, and if it’s as good as you say, it doesn’t need competition from its costars.
That lemon mousse idea sounds like a good one – again, something you can make ahead of time, and it’s light after your guests stoke up on the main course. Hmmmm – another idea might be high-quality fruit sorbets from your local gourmet grocery store. Another good lemon dessert is to do a lemon “jelly” roll – bake a simple spongecake in one of those flat sheet pans, and make a lemony custard to spread on it, and then roll it up and sift powdered sugar over it. It’s showy, absolutely delicious, and again you could make it earlier that day and chill it in the fridge.
Buttered noodles, eh? Like fettucine? Hmmm… maybe I’ll get the ol’ pasta maker out. I also like the wild rice idea, but I tend towards wanting to stick to the classics, so buttered noodles it is.
I don’t think I’ll do a caesar salad for the reason Darqangelle mentions - a lot of people might get turned off at the thought of anchovies and raw eggs, and if I’m going to make a Caesar salad I’m going to make it right. I’m thinking something like mixed greens (Curly Endive would be good) with Roquefort and bacon, with a light Balsmanic Vinegrette.
Darqangelle, this isn’t really my first dinner party, it’s just that I usually have close friends and/or family over, and these people are more in the acquaintance stage. Plus, we’ve been to their house for dinner, and she’s a great cook who obviously put some thought into the meal, so I want to respond in kind.
I’d do broccoli, but one of the key people at the dinner party (me) hates the stuff. So that’s out.
OK, so what we have so far is:
Cheese/olive plate for nibbling
Some sort of composed salad, made with what looks fresh at the grocery store
Beef Burgundy, served over buttered noodles
Veggy side - Asparagus? Buttered peas?
Lemon Mousse (I have a killer recipe)
So far, most stuff can be made in advance. Yippee!
Fettucine would work, but I think the sort of noodle you really want here is the broad, flat, wide egg noodle.
An oddball variation which I’ve found works quite well with stew of this sort is gnocchi. You got the pasta thing and the potato thing working together.
