I have been wanting to ask this question for a very long time! I'm anxious to see what everyone says. :)

For large parties, I always grill outdoors, and beef and pork are good choices for that, although at my last party I grilled pizza. Weather has been very warm here lately and is supposed to be in the 80s by the end of the week, which is pretty pleasant for cooking outdoors, and since it is already well into the month of March, the weather should be pleasant in most places by now.
If you are open to grilling outdoors, I can give you some recipes.

Lars

Sounds great, publickman! Except, we're in New England and the grill is still buried under 7' of snow. :-(

Chicken Marbella. Everyone I've served it to, just love it.

Whatever your recipes are going to be for the party, pay a little attention to plating.

Good plating = instant "WOW!!!!"

dcarch

Hi, Jasdip - nice to see you here! Do you have your own recipe for Chicken Marbella that you will share? I know how good your recipes are!

Dcarch7, thanks for the reminder. I always forget plating. Any tips?

Suzieque

I use the one from Silver Palate, but cut it down for the 2 of us. I've made it for 4 and 6 people.

I just use however many chicken pieces I want, and the marinade...... garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, olives, prunes (Yum!) etc etc.

The marinade is so delicious, you can never have too much of the liquid, and we like it with basmati rice.

"--Dcarch7, thanks for the reminder. I always forget plating. Any tips?--"

Yes, so simple and so rewarding.

After you have decided on a recipe, Just Google Image the recipe, something like "Roasted Lamb chops plating " or" Lamb chops food design". Many pictures will come up, just pick the one you like and copy. You do it a few times, you will be very good at it.

dcarch

I grill all winter. (but not this year!) ...no photos but i cannot see my grill right now. : (. That puppy is buried in snow.

For a dinner party i just might dig it out for fun. Rotis a couple pork tips and some skewered shrimps for an appitizer...keeps the party in a good fun flow with fire outside and good snacks inside with the kitchen focusing on snacks and apps.

probably could not happen this weekend...that said i would, with good understanding friends, have a charcutterie plate of nice cheeses, olives, meats, for the entry snack prepared the day before.

A veg soup like a chowder, leek, mushroom, garlic, made the day ahead and served in small cups at the table or while wandering if no-one will sit yet...

A cod/fish cake or crab cake over fresh salad greens to get everyone to the table. A nice app. or a cold shrimp salad. Also prepped the day before.

Main meal something like above with roasted root veggies...i also prep those a day ahead tossed in herbs and oil. Roasted easily on a sheet pan.

A good dinner party has a arrival snack. A savory snack, a warm cup of soup in cooler climates. A cool salad on the table that lets the group settle...something that does not need to be super hot but gets everyone to gather finally together...no rush if everyone wanders. (we have too many toys like a pool table, a shooting range, ping pong and even some snow invented sort things DH has invented) ...my eyes roll.

My deserts are minimal. I have two i can pull out of the freezer...a rustic fruit tart from garden blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, some pecans. Always tuck some dark chocolate around the edge of the crust inside...it is a tiny tart desert and just enough and someone is always drunk enough to whip some cream and the only time i but a pint...

Good friends don't mind a few failures. But some simple do-ahead prep dishes that don't stress the host make good fun.

Yum, sleevendog!!! May I come to your house? Thanks so much.

FWIW, I've always understood that if you're trying a new recipe for a party/big event, give it a test drive some time before the big day to avoid last-minute fiascos...

Given a stated preference for beef or pork, I would gravitate towards making pork tenderloins. I usually cover them with a homemade spice rub, pan sear them, and then roast until they reach 140 deg F and often serve them with a apricot/onion/madeira sauce.

Here was an attempt at plating them that might not quite come up to dcarch's high standards

Hi everyone! Love this forum and I've learned a lot from all the great bakers here. For appetizer, you could make some shrimp skewers/kebab. Marinade the shrimp with a quick mix (chili powder, salt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil). Leave the tail intact, marinade and sautee the shrimp in some olive oil and butter. When they cool off, put them in wood or metal skewers (short is better) and add a cherry tomato at the end. You can put 2/3 shrimps per skewer. For the plating, dress them on top of lettuce or salad mix et top them with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.

dcarch7 is so right.....Good plating=instant WOW!!

I google images all the time for plating of food...but thought that was cheating, now I feel so much better knowing that dcarch recommends this technique.

First pick my menu, then decide on table decor, and go from there.

One of my favorites is a 7-8# beef tenderloin, marinated in an Italian rub and roasted in oven........(sometimes have used beef brisket instead) served with hoagie rolls. Hasselback roasted potatoes....scalloped cabbage.....leafy green salad.....and pie ( I am a pie person) and then a kids menu to go with this

I like simple to eat meals with no stains on the front of shirts. Kabobs always spatter somewhere, sawing steaks always spews towards you, and barbeque sauce never stays on the meat and finds its way to sticking on your fingers. I like to start with a little cup of soup, pumpkin and ginger was my latest with tiny rye croutons floating on top, then serve Fish en Papillote (snapper with lemon, capers, fennel), OR (sole, flounder, or other white flesh fish, adding thyme, zuke and carrot with some lemon), and a basket of warmed crusty French bread to sop with. A small pretty veggie tomato cup is an easy plate fancier with a sprinkle of diagonal cut scallions or bits of chive confetti. This allows serving without the cook fussing and everything can be "held" until people are finally seated. For dessert, chilled cheesecake with sour cream walnut topping and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on the edge of the plate. Serve a white wine like Pinot Grigio and ice water in a footed goblet with a lime peel. Looks fancy but, really? This menu has been my staple for eons. No one really does fish in paper for themselves (although it really is terrific) so the party is "fancy" without being overly pretentious.

Nancy

FWIW, given the time of year (grill under snow), and you want beef or pork...

My usual winter-time dinner party choice for beef is bourguignon, served with bow-tie noodles and baby peas. If I know they like it, I would opt for sauerbraten w/ noodles, red cabbage, and German potato salad. :) Both meals are so heavy/rich that I would choose light apps and desserts.

For pork in winter, I go with comfort food: roast pork w/ roasted vegetables, and homemade applesauce. Not very exciting but always good. For dessert after pork, I usually make something like lemon-meringue pie or a nice gingerbread cake with lemon curd and fresh whipped cream.

A pork-cider stew is nice, but it's the wrong time of year. :p

For a starter, this ravioli is delicious, very easy to make and you can do much ahead of time. This recipe is deffo a keeper.

Ravioli

For a main that is so easy and make-ahead - beef Bourgignon.

Dessert - this chocolate and pear cake is light and delicious flourless-chocolate-and-pear-cake

I prefer easy-does-it cooking so I can spend more time with guests. For cold weather, I love the cranberry orange pork roast in the crockpot. Only thing you have to watch is that it doesn't get over done and fall apart.

Then go with oven roasted root veggies, or sweet potatoes, rutabaga which I mash with butter and ground nutmeg. Wilted cucumber salad which must have dill makes a great side. Something with apples makes a great dessert, like an apple and raisin galette.

Or you could go Polish with a ham and halushki (I add caraway seeds to mine), a pickled beet salad on the side. Apricot and/or prune kolaches for dessert.

Love bacon stuffed mushroom caps as a hot appetizer.

Large meals at our house are almost always barbecue, but unless you've got a smoker, most of what we would serve is not possible.

That having been said, you want to use either beef or pork and make it finger-food. Okay. Eggrolls are always a crowd pleaser. We normally make them with pulled pork and homemade cole slaw. You can substitute lots of things for pulled pork - chopped ham, thinly sliced pork tenderloin, ground beef, sliced steak - just to name a few. Mix the meat with cole slaw, chopped veggies, grated cheese, whatever, and bake the eggroll rolls in the oven. Be creative with your dipping sauces. - barbecue, duck sauce, hot sauce, mustard - your choice.

AnnieD. thank you for the cranberry orange pork roast. I am having a group of thirteen to dinner next weekend and I think I will make this recipe. One of our friends is so picky that he is difficult to cook for but I would think he could simply scrape the cranberry off the top. Thanks again!

I have a number of favourite "dinner party" recipes. One of my favourites is Chicken Breasts Perigord. They can be prepared earlier in the day and cooked later.

Chicken Breasts Perigord

Source: Lucy Waverman

This flavorful and elegant chicken is stuffed with a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms. Because the breasts are stuffed under the skin, the stuffing moistens the chicken meat and keeps it juicy. Use either dried porcini or dried Chinese mushrooms; they have the most flavor. The sauce can be made ahead of time and the breasts stuffed a few hours before baking.

6 Dried mushrooms

1/2 cup boiling chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

4 shallots

8 ounce fresh mushrooms finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried tarragon or basil

3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup whipping cream

3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

6 single boned chicken breasts, with skin on.

Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup mushroom-soaking liquid

3 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons port or Madeira

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

.

1.

Soak the mushrooms in boiling chicken broth for 20 minutes. Drain the

mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and the mushrooms

separately.Chop the mushrooms.

2.

Preheat the oven to 375°F

3.

Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the

shallots and dried and fresh mushrooms. Saute until all the liquid has

evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil

or tarragon, bread crumbs, cream and parsley. cook until the cream has

reduced and the filling is thick. Season with salt and pepper.

4.

Divide the filling in six portions. with your fingertips, make a

pocket between the skin and the flesh of each chicken breast. Stuff

the filling under the skin of the chicken breasts. Season the breasts

with salt and pepper and place in a buttered baking dish large enough

to hold the breasts in one layer.

5.

Bake for 30 or 40 minutes, basting occasionally, until the juices run

clear.

6.

To make the sauce, in a frying pan, combine the onions and wine. On

high heat, bring to a boil and reduce until you have 1 tablespoon of

liquid.

7.

Pour in the mushroom liquid, reduce to 2 tablespoons and then add the

chicken stock and continue to boil until the stock is reduced by half.

Add the port and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce is

smooth and strongly flavoured.

8.

Combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir into the sauce,

simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season

with salt and pepper and add any juices from the chicken. To serve,

pour the sauce over the chicken breasts.

OPTION: I also add Green Peppercorns to the sauce. I only use dried Green Peppercorns, not brined.