I’m throwing a tiny (4-6 people) dinner party for my closest friends, who have not properly experienced my cooking. Now, I’m a bit out of practice, but on a good day and when I’m paying attention, I can turn out some pretty tasty food.
Mostly, my big productions have been limited to desserts. I plan on making dessert, of course, but what should I cook for the rest of the meal? I want to do a few courses - perhaps even a semi-full-scale Soup - Fish - Joint - Salad kind of thing. (No, not that kind of joint, silly.) I’m flexible; I’m prepared to knock myself out a bit and hope to truly impress, but I don’t want to get too pretentious about it.
(However, there is this fish souffle recipe in Julia Child … I’m so tempted …)
For the main course, I think I will do some kind of chicken - maybe coq au vin, maybe just a saute. I find a lot of beef dishes kind of boring … anybody know any interesting, elegant, delicious recipes for beef (or pork, or veal, or whatever)?
I realize chicken isn’t actually the most elegant thing in the world, but I happen to like it a lot; that’s why I’m leaning towards it. Oh, and by the way, I am not planning on making hors d’ouevres. Enough is enough already.
So help me plan my meal. My guests will thank you (and I do too).
Mods, please move this to IMHO as appropriate. I’m never quite sure where to put my threads…
Salad: Make a whole leaf Caesar Salad at the table, good opening act.
Fish: A whole fish, poached in white wine. (One small fish per diner or one big one served at the table.) (With or without head, as you prefer.) Serve this with a squash medley, lightly buttered with herbs.
Fowl: Chicken Kiev. Deceptively simple, but dramatic. With french cut green beans, cooked, and cooled in light vinaigrette.
Joint: Boneless Pork Tenderloin, dry rubbed, and spit roasted. With a shredded potato and onion cake, fried crisp.
Dessert: Bubbling hot Cherry Tarts, a la mode. (Show off your timing.)
Nuts: Whole ones, in the shell, with nutcrackers and picks for everyone. Get a good variety. People will actually eat them, too. Serve with baskets for the shells.
If you’ve got your heart set on chicken, best of luck to ya (I suck at cooking chicken, as I tend to fear raw chicken and overcook it every time). However, my current favorite is seafood. I have two scrumptious salmon dishes (one is a weird but yummy citrus/barbeque and the other is covered with fresh spinach and mushrooms) and a shrimp pasta dish that I could share, that are relatively light but flavorful! For sides on the salmon I usually do twice-baked potatoes and a side of asparagus. I’m a wuss on the salads - I usually just throw together some mixed baby greens, lightly (very VERY lightly) toss with a mild dressing, and throw in some blue cheese crumbles. Oh, and if you’re looking for a dessert, I used to make a mocha fudge brownie pie that everyone used to rave over.
Hmmm…I’d forgotten about the mocha fudge pie. I may have to make it this weekend.
This is my favorite chicken recipe. It’s easy to make, healthy, delicious, elegant, and a real guest-pleaser. It goes best with an Italian/Mediterranean-themed dinner, but could meld itself into a few other types of meals.
Chicken with Chianti
From The Italian Cooking Encylopedia Lorenz Books, 1999
3 t olive oil
4 part chicken breasts (recipe calls for part-boned, I use boneless)
1 med red onion
2 T red pesto
1.25 C Chianti or other red wine
1.25 C water
4 oz red grapes, halved
salt and pepper
fresh basil and rocket for garnish
Brown the breasts in a pan with the oil, set aside. Cut the onions into thin wedges, heat in pan with olive oil and red pesto, until onions have softened. Add water and wine, bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts back in, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Add grapes, and allow them to heat through, and the dish is ready to serve.
How about some kind of fish en papillote , which means baked in parchment paper. You put in herbs, lemon juice, wine etc., with individual packets for each guest. Bring them to the table straight out of the oven, and open. The steam is supposed to smell incredible (sorry, I haven’t tried it myself yet, but it is supposed to be very easy and quite impressive). Good luck!