Yay, I get to have a dinner party!

17 years ago

I am so happy to finally be able to have friends over for dinner. This will be my first dinner gathering since the virtual summer picnic last JULY! (I was on the road from then until thru Mar.) I would love to toss some ideas around here for planning help.

I have the ingredients to make either a butternut squash gratin, (from the Mark Bitterman "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook that I got for Christmas--thanks mom!), or the Butternut squash and macaronni recipe that khandi posted a while back (with marscapone cheese). I am going to make a chopped salad with balsamic vinagrette and either asparagus or braised cabbage as a side. Since the butternut dish is very starchy, dairyful and rich, I want to keep the rest of the meal light. I am stumped for dessert. I am also waivering on appetizers. I am making sangria or mulled wine (depending on the weather) to serve when guests arrive. It will only be two couples.

For appetizers, I'm thinking some type of antipasta--right now I'm thinking roasted eggplant dip, with pita, tuna-cannelli bean salad and marinated mushrooms. But, I could also do a spinach/white bean/artichoke dip I have a recipe for. These are all lowish in fat. I have another recipe for something called "white bean dip with seven savories" where you make a basic white bean dip and then set out a lot of condiments to mix with it, like olives, capers, chopped harboiled eggs, etc. I'm not sure if that would be impressive or ridiculously fru fru. I have a marinated asparagus salad with leeks and cherry tomatoes recipe I could do if I do the braised cabbage with dinner. I have never made braised cabbage, although I eat coleslaw all the time!

Dessert has me totally stumped. I'd love to do my cherry cranberry cobbler, but I can't find any cranberries, frozen or otherwise. Apple strudel with philo is one option, or pears belle helene? Or maybe pear cobbler. I'd love to do pear/rhubarb cobbler, but it is a tad early for rhubarb and I can never even find it when it is in season. I want something light and not too starchy. But also not too mushy, as the pasta will be pretty mushy.

Also, anyone have a good recipe for marinated mushrooms? Mine is just OK.

Any ideas or recipes or thoughts appreciated. I'm going to try and stick pretty much to vegetarian stuff though, although I don't mind a little pancetta.

Lpink

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Comments (6)

Lars
17 years ago
Here's my vinaigrette recipe, which has an adaptation (see bottom of page) for use as a marinade for mushrooms. It helps if you have fresh herbs to use, especially fresh basil, although it works well with just thyme. I use large button mushrooms and cut them in half (sometimes in quarters, for skewers) and grill them briefly after marinating. That gets rid of the raw flavor from the garlic and helps infuse the flavors into the mushrooms. I cool them first if I'm using them on a salad - otherwise I serve them warm, right after grilling. They're good cold, however. I generally let them marinate 30 minutes to an hour before grilling.

Lars
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canarybird01
17 years ago
Lpink....
Just this evening I was browsing channels and on a travel channel came across an episode in a series on Scandinavian cooking. A young lady was cooking some wonderful food on the deck of a yacht moored in a Swedish harbour and apart from the delicious vegetables she cooked topped with a piece of cod, the dessert she made really caught my eye.

She said it was something her mother used to make and it goes like this:

nectarines....1 per person (she used 4 for 4 people)
butter - about 1 heaping TBS
sugar - about 2 TBS
almonds - one handful of thin flat slices
lemon juice - squeeze of half a lemon
whipped cream - 1 dollop per person

1. Slice nectarines - each one into 8 wedges

2. Put butter and sugar in a large non-stick frying pan or wok, stir gently over heat until well blended and a bit bubbly.

3. Add nectarine slices, turning gently in the sauce and let cook for a minute or two. Add almonds and squeeze half a lemon over the pan, and stir.

4. Scoop out onto dessert plates and top with a dollop of whipped cream.

SharonCb
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It sounds like you already have some ideas. I think there are so many different things you can make with just the veggie and sea food ingredients that both you and your guest enjoy. I think a Thai style menu would work well I also think an Indian style menu would work If you don't consider it too exotic for your palate give it a try. You don't need oven or microwave to make either of these cuisines and a rice can be cooked in your rice cooker in no time. Thai Menu: Some type of soup or your salad would be fine but dress it with a soy peanut and lime dressing. Use lettuce, bean sprouts, scallions and grated carrots to give it an asian feel. Instead of croutons sprinkle some toasted peanuts to finish it off. For the main course make a thai style shrimp curry. You can make your own curry or buy a store bought (Any Asian market will sell it). Mix the curry with couple of cans of coconut milk. Let it simmer until it's thick, add the shrimps to it, squeeze of lime and garnish with cilantro. Serve it with rice. You can also make a vegetarian pad thai as yet another dish if you'd like to go elaborate. All you need are some rice noodles that you soak in hot water and then stir fry them with veggies of your choice (even frozen oriental mix will work). Ensure you use garlic and ginger as you stir fry it and add some soy, sugar, lime juice and scramble eggs. Finally add the noodles. Garnish with lime quarters and cilantro Dessert - Mango Icecream or Sorbet. Hagan Daz makes many exotic versions of this. It's a fitting end to a Thai meal. Indian Menu Salad - You can use whatever salad you planned to. Try to find some pappadums that you can fry up (available at Indian stores). Also buy a few dipping sauces (green and red also available at Indian store, known as chutneys). Pappadums can be served with a salad and some dipping sauces as a starter Main - Make a shrimp curry. Again coconut milk cans and perhaps Patak or any other ready to make curry mix. It's easy and results are very good. Add shrimps, garnish with cilantro Spicy Potatoes and cautliflower - Make this Indian style. Chop an onion and fry it in oil. Add curry powder to it along with some freshly grated ginger and garlic. Add the potatoes and cauliflower. Cover and cook it until tender. Garnish with cilantro. Dessert - Mango Icecream will work well with this too.
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Love the retro idea Stacy..... Stuffed mushrooms are perfect as an appetizer before dinner so are bacon wrapped water chestnuts or ...are you ready...Wendy's olive cheddar nipples! Pate is great too and should be very easy to find. We like the herbed pate or the peppered pate. Cheese ball is also perfect. Oh and don;t foregt chips and dip...using sour cream and French onion soup mix with a shot of Worcestershire's as the dip! As a first course escargot is very retro and perfect with your entree. Then again and old fashioned shrimp cocktail would be perfect too. Hang the shrimp off a glass filled with the shrimp sauce! French Onion soup is very retro too but may be too filling....but sooooo good with something like Wellington! Make small bowls! Bonus you get to use your brown sauce! LOL One of the sides with Wellington would have to be twice baked potatoes. I'd do asparagus as the other. PS: for real fun have Harvey Wallbangers or Singapore Slings for drinks before! LOL Here is my recipe for stuffed mushrooms. Can't recall if I served them to you. Stuffed Mushrooms 20 large white mushrooms 1/3 Cup butter (maybe a bit more) 4 or 5 green onions chopped fine 2-2 1/2 cups grated cheddar 1/3 Cup bread crumbs salt Clean mushrooms and carefully remove stems. Chop stems finely (I use the food processor). Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute mushroom stems and onions over medium heat until soft but not browned and the stems have given up their juices. Mixture should be quite moist. Add the bread crumbs, only enough to absorb the liquid. Add the grated cheese and stir just until it has melted. Don't worry if the oil separates from the cheese.Stuff the mixture into the caps and sprinkle with a bit of salt (or you can salt after they come out of the oven...which is what I usually do). Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until the caps are nice and soft.
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I agree with Tamara, you don't need a souffle dish, a large enough casserole will work fine and like Lpink, I think the dish might even benefit from the rest time, allowing the flavors to mix. The rice sounds delicious, BTW, so I'll be looking forward to seeing how it goes. I also like the asparagus and proscuitto appetizer, it's spring-y and impressive but hummus would be easier to make ahead of time, I think. Or, some nice crusty bread and cheese could make an equally nice and very easy starter. Dessert? Oh yeah, fresh strawberry pie or shortcake would be good but I have to tell you, I've made that raspberry tart of Ann T's and it is to die for. It's easier than you might think, it's impressive served on a footed cake plate and it's just delicious. The menu sounds like something I'd just love, so have a great time. Annie
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lpinkmountain
Original Author
17 years ago
Yeah, I've heard the cooking of Scandanavia is pretty good. I did some investigating two years ago when I got invited to a scandanavian pot luck! I brought blue cheese spread on rye krisp, and potato-beet salad, yum! Those nectarines sound divine. My mom used to make us grilled peaches for dessert when I was a kid, sounds similar. I could even add a sprinkle of cardamom, which I love. Or make this recipe for cardamom cookies that I have and have never tried. Grilled nectarines in a little glass dish with a cardamom cookie on the side, sounds very elegant. I was toying with making the peach-raspberry pie that I love, but that seemed too rich. I love to make it though, I throw together a bag of frozen raspberries, a bag of frozen peaches, a glop of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, dot with butter and then use a pre-made crust. "Homeade pie" that always gets me raves at potlucks, all in about 10 min. to prepare.

Those mushrooms sound awesome Lars, thanks! It will give me a chance to use up some of the basil I froze last summer.
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Terri_PacNW
17 years ago
Pink, I just got the new grocery flyers..someone had rhubarb on sale..so maybe just maybe you can check your local stores online flyers and "see" if they've got it.

I'm not a huge fan of rhubarb..but I love the idea of the cardamom and grilled fruit.
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noodlesportland
17 years ago
Yes! I do have the absolute best Marinated Mushroom recipe!
1 lb mushrooms
3/4 cup salad oil (I use cannola)
1/3 red wine vinegar
3 Tbls chopped green onion
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp dried Tarragon
1 small garlic (1 piece not bulb) finely diced
1 tsp salt
clean mushrooms, mix the rest, pour over and marinate overnight and up to two days.
I put them in a tupperware and ever so often shake it or turn it upside down for a second to keep the mushrooms wet. Serve with toothpicks or little forks. It is a great recipe. I have had it at least 20 years and got it from a friend who got from a friend....
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lpinkmountain
Original Author
17 years ago
I'm rethinking the appetizers because I want to sit in my living room, and there's no room there for anything more than finger food. So I'm thinking about maybe doing the marinated mushrooms mixed with sundried tomatoes and spooned into those filo cups. Maybe those and some deviled eggs and I'll buy stuffed grape leaves at the market. Not very inspired.

I'm going to the farm market Saturday where I can buy these special cookies called "apees" that I can only get at this one booth. They are very, very thin crispy cookies cut in shapes and decorated with colored sugar. As nice as cardamom cookies would be too make, I don't want to spend that much time in the kitchen.

Come to think of it, I can mix the peaches with my homeade strawberry rhubarb sauce from last spring! That's the ticket. I need to use that up anyway. If I was more ambitious I'd make crepes.

It's not a birthday party, it's just some friends coming who I have never had over to my house. I'm going to need to spend the bulk of the day cleaning anyway!
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Yay, I get to have a dinner party!

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Lars

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Yay, I get to have a dinner party!

Comments (6)

Lars

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