Dinner parties are an excellent way to see friends and family, especially now that the colder months are drawing near. You can enjoy fine food, fine booze and great company in the toasty warmth of your own home – wonderful!
The success of programmes like Come Dine With Me has really put dinner parties on the map – although, if you decide to hold your own dinner party, you probably won’t require the services of a sarcastic narrator commenting on your culinary moves!
Dinner parties have a reputation for being costly affairs, but actually this really needn’t be the case. You can definitely hold a dinner party on a budget. Try the following tips for starters:
Care, not cost: spending money on expensive ingredients is not as important as spending time researching recipes and creating and tending for your dishes. Better to buy value cuts of meat and then spend lots of love and attention on them than to splurge on expensive meat and chuck it carelessly in the oven.
Don’t whine over wine: always check out the wine offers in your local shops and grab them while you can. Storing up on good wines on special offer is a great way to secure quality drinks at a lower cost.
Presentation, presentation, presentation: every dish can be beautifully presented, no matter how little it cost to make. That beautiful presentation adds an air of class and luxury, which will make your guests think you spent loads of money even though you haven’t.
Arlene Johnston
I love Elaines article… and intend trying the lovely simple dessert recipe.
thanks
Elaine
The answer to good entertaining is to have a signature dish, one you are comfortable cooking, so that you can cook ahead and relax on the evening. I recently ressurected my old Delia Smith recipe for Coq au vin. It’s simple to make but tastes delicious. I have adjusted the recipe to suit me and so I substitue chicken portions for chicken breasts. I also use the best red wine I can afford to cook it in – a Shiraz is good as it is fruity and not bitter. I make it in the morning and have it ready to simply re heat 20 mins before I serve. I serve it with some green vegetables (try Tesco’s Finest) and some simple, but well cooked creamed potatoes. For dessert I simply slice some grapes in halve and allow them to soak in some dessert wine. Then I put them in an oven proof dish and smother them with a thick layer of double cream stiffly whipped and a carton of Creme Fraiche. I sprinkle a thick layer of brown sugar and blitz with my gas torch. A very simple pudding but one which never fails to delight. A few cheeses with some grapes and a few pears sliced finishes off the meal.
I also use pretty china but I make sure I can put it all in the dishwasher after. Half the pleasure of entertaining for me is presenting the table so that it looks warm and welcoming. I put a bowl of flowers in the centre and make sure they are not obstructing the view of people looking at one another. Then I add a circle of night light candles round the flowers. I never use paper napkins – I have a set of serviettes I bought in Tesco years ago and which launder beautifully. I try to put a tiny flower on top of each one and recently bought a set of napkin rings which go with my table mats. It gives the guests something to talk about as they sit down. In the spring and summer months I like to serve smoked salmon and prawns with a couple of slices of avocado, especially when I know my guests are good with shell fish. I serve the dressing separately, in a pretty bowl. In the autumn and winter I serve soup made with seasonal veg and some good, crusty bread.
I’m ancient now, but I enjoy entertaining more than I ever did as I’ve learnt at last that the secret of success is to relax and enjoy!