Because "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No", I find myself hosting the dinner portion of a charity progressive dinner next weekend! Seems the organizers found themselves short a host, and somebody said "Oh, let's call Amy."
*gulp*
I'd love some suggestions for impressive, but easy to serve dishes that would appeal to a variety of palates. I usually try to match the tastes of the people I'm feeding, but many of these folks will be new to me. They'll be going to someone else's place for appetizers, then to another house for dessert. I'll be staying away from pork and shellfish; and there will be 8 of us.
Suggestions, menus, tried and true recipes, and handholding greatly appreciated.
Ok, Amy, a couple of questions. Is this a sit-down dinner, or a buffet-type thing? Second, how "fancy" are we talking? And I assume you are thinking, protein, veg, starch..
Stella--For this amount of people, I'll be doing sit-down. (I'm used to feeding 20+ for holiday meals, so this is easy-peasy) That said, I don't want to get too caught up in time-consuming plating. I dunno. Special without being fussy?
I think my basic problem is that I adore preparing appetizers, first courses and desserts---but the main course doesn't feel as enticing to prepare.
I had a question too. Are you going to be going around to the other places for the earlier courses? Or are you staying at home preparing the main course? I guess I'm wondering if you want a major "do-ahead" dish that you can just pop out of the oven when everyone arrives and serve it within 15 minutes...
I like progressive dinners, but this aspect is a complexity if you are one of the hosts!
Amy, I did a horseradish crusted beef tenderloin with garlic roasted potatoes for Christmas Eve that was ridiculously easy to prepare yet elegant. Also served it with a salad of mixed greens, dried cheries, stilton cheese and candied walnuts. Let me know if you want recipes.
Kathy, as much as I'd love to go to the appetizer house, I don't think it'd be workable. We'll be leaving the mess to go on to desserts, you bet!
Kim, I'd love the recipe for the tenderloin. I haven't made one in years! Humn. I do a dynamite potato gratin Dauphinois that would work well with that...and maybe a special vegetable dish or two? A fancy salad or soup to start?
Yeah, main courses suck. And I work in a restaurant. It is always the most difficult for both the cooks the waiters to get enthused about.
Ok, Amy, I am reaching way, way back into my bag of tricks for my favorite Dinner Party dish. It has never failed me; I have never served it without oohs and ahhs. Since I first discovered it, back in the early 80's, I have been to cooking school, traveled, cooked at some top-top restaurants, and I still love this damn recipe.
I caution you. It is not fancy. It is for chicken pieces. But it is terrific for a larger party.
It is from the Silver Palate Cookbook: I am not going to give you the actual recipe in quantities, I can e-mail it to you if you are interested. But I will give you a synopsis.
Chicken Marbella: Chicken, quartered. If you did breasts, I would cook it bone on, then de-bone and slice the breasts. I love using thighs too, and boneless thights will work well.
The chicken is marinated overnight in garlic, oregaano, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, olive oil, along with pitted prunes (yes), spanish green olives, capers and fresh bay leaves.
The day of the dinner party, you lay out the chicken in one or two roasting pans, spooning over all of the marinade and its ingredients. You then sprinkle the top with light brown sugar and add some white wine to the pan and shove it in the oven.
While it bakes, you baste it and the house smells wonderful.
When the chicken is done, you pile it onto a serving platter, and serve the pan juices on the side. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley leaves. It really does look nice, and people gobble it up.
You could serve this with lovely vegetables and roasted potatoes, or maybe orzo pasta cooked risotto-like...
If nothing else, I gave you an idea for party wings (cause this works great for that!)
Bwahaha, Oh Stella, that's my numero uno favorite main course for buffets! I often use apricots instead of the prunes. It was my very first thought, but I feel like I trot it out every damn time I invite people over! (Actually, I served it during Chanukah--strangely, it went well with latkes)
But yeah, it's certainly something to consider--especially once I see the current price of tenderloin.
Well, isn't that a hoot??? I feel somehow linked to you now...forever.
I love that damn chicken.
Anyway, another idea:
You could get a veal breast, boned out by your butcher, stuff it, roll it up, brown it and then braise it with mirepoix, tomato, white wine and chicken stock. It tastes even better the day after, so you could do it ahead of time and then heat is sloooowly in a low oven and slice it. Yum! Great with roasted potatoes, or rice cooked with saffron and some sauteed broccoli raab...
I'm having friends over for dinner next week-- now my menu dilemna is solved! (Though I will also think about the veal!)
Amy, any interest in a beef burgundy... it cooks in the oven for about four hours, great with either wild rice or mashed potatoes or a potato gratin. I can post it if you're interested. It's my "standby" company dinner and can feed a large group. Rave reviews...
It's January and to me that means it's time for Beef Bourguignon. Stewing meat is cheap, but becomes so delicious when cooked in red wine. It takes time to brown the meat, and cut up sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion, but once you stick this in the oven to cook, you're free!
I'd make a double recipe for 8 so that you can have leftovers another night, and then just freeze the rest to quickly heat up in February. It's one of those "nice to have around" winter dishes.
I'll go ahead and post my "Beef Burgundy Bake" recipe:
3 lbs sirloin, cut into bite size pieces 2 cans golden mushroom soup 1 pkg onion soup mix 1 lbs fresh mushrooms, quartered 1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained) 1 cup or more of burgundy wine Salt & pepper (Sometimes I omit the water chestnuts and use baby carrots instead... or I serve with some kind of carrot side dish)
Stir together everything but the musrooms in a big covered casserole or dutch oven. Bake about four hours at 300 to 325 degrees. (The longer the better-- can also cook all day in a slow cooker.) Add the mushrooms about 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with wild rice or (better) mashed potatoes. Even better as leftovers!
Stella, the minute you said this, I knew it was Chicken Marbella - a favorite in our home too!
Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish-and-Roasted Garlic Crust
1 whole garlic head Olive oil-flavored cooking spray 1/3 cup prepared horseradish 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 (3-pound) beef tenderloin
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Coat with cooking spray; wrap in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Mash garlic pulp, horseradish, salt, basil, thyme, and pepper with a fork until blended.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Trim fat from tenderloin; fold under 3 inches of small end. Rub garlic mixture over roast. Place tenderloin on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert meat thermometer into thickest portion of tenderloin. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium).
Place tenderloin on a platter. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Yield: 9 servings
I ended up making 2 3-pound tenderloins and doubled the crust recipe worked great. My only suggestion might be to make a horseradish sauce on the side.
That is so funny about the Chicken Marbella - I knew it, too, the minute I read Silver Palate cookbook. Kathy, you're going to love it. I've even made it once with Turkey for some fussy eaters that wouldn't eat chicken.
Kim's Beef Terderloin recipe looks perfect. But, Stella, if beef tenderloin ends up being too pricey, another option would be stuffed chicken breasts. I used to work for woman who entertained all the time and all she ever did was this one fabulous meal of stuffed chicken breasts served with stuffed tomatoes and wild rice. It was easy to make and even more importantly, easy to plate up.
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
Originally posted by kaydee: I'll go ahead and post my "Beef Burgundy Bake" recipe:
3 lbs sirloin, cut into bite size pieces 2 cans golden mushroom soup 1 pkg onion soup mix 1 lbs fresh mushrooms, quartered 1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained) 1 cup or more of burgundy wine Salt & pepper (Sometimes I omit the water chestnuts and use baby carrots instead... or I serve with some kind of carrot side dish)
Stir together everything but the musrooms in a big covered casserole or dutch oven. Bake about four hours at 300 to 325 degrees. (The longer the better-- can also cook all day in a slow cooker.) Add the mushrooms about 30 minutes before serving.
Serve with wild rice or (better) mashed potatoes. Even better as leftovers!
Kathy
Wow this sounds to simple for words! So you don't add any garlic or anything else? You don't brown the meat first? Ok I am doing it this weekend, anything I can throw in a pot and leave, I'm on it! Thanks!
Posts: 1375 | Location: Seattle - next is Isla Mujeres,MX in December, then its Paris in March, then hopefully England! | Registered: 02 May 2005
Wow this sounds to simple for words! So you don't add any garlic or anything else? You don't brown the meat first? Ok I am doing it this weekend, anything I can throw in a pot and leave, I'm on it! Thanks!
That is absolutely it! Simple and extremely tasty. I'm sure you could do more to it or season it up, but I've never felt the need! Hope this is a winner for you, lesfaye!
Thanks to you all, I got out my old Silver Palate Cookbook and made the chicken marbella, well actually it's just marinating 'til tonight.
I really had totally forgotten about Silver Palate; at one time it was my main cookbook!
Now I find I mostly use "Best Recipeis", the one from Cooks Illustrated magazine. I really like best to read several recipies for something and just go and cook it myself.
Jan, I love my old falling apart Silver Palate Cookbook (the white one/first one). It was the first cookbook I bought and has influenced my cooking ever since.
Maybe I'll look through it today and see if I can rediscover something that I haven't made in a while...
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
The Silver Palate!! I used to have that one!! It got lent out somewhere in Germany and I never got it back! THat was where I first learned about strawberries and balsamic vinegar back in the 80's!!!
A good old staple, that one. Now, I use my Julia Child bible for all my "fancy Sunday Supper" type recipes!
Hee. I'm going to start a "Favorites from the Silver Palate" thread.
I'm doing a dry run of Kim's horseradish-garlic tenderloin. I may be going straight to that condo in Hell, but Costco's tenderloin was almost half the price of Whole Food's.
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but Costco's tenderloin was almost half the price of Whole Food's.