Three Course Meal?

Question

If you were having a dinner party for your friends, what would you serve to them as a starter, main course and dessert?

Answer 1

Jumbo Prawns with Aioli to start, with a delicate vegetable Summer Risotto to follow and a luxurious Chocolate and Orange Pavlova to round off a truly scrumptious dinner party menu

Jumbo Prawns with Aioli
Aioli is a garlic mayonnaise from Provence and is a delicious dip for a variety of dishes. If you did not want to make your own mayonnaise you could buy some and add garlic, salt and pepper, little lemon juice and a little crème fraiche.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked jumbo prawns in their shells
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Lemon wedges and flat-leaf parsley to garnish

For the Aioli
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon mustard powder
150ml (1/4 pint) olive oil
About 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method
Make the aioli in a small bowl. Beat the garlic, salt and pepper, egg yolk and mustard powder together and beat well. Whisk in the oil, drop by drop, whisking continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth and all the oil has been incorporated. Beat in the lemon juice to taste and add pepper and salt.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on the boiling plate, add the prawns and toss over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until the shells are bright pink. Remove the prawns from the frying pan and drain on a paper towel.

Arrange the warm prawns on a plate with the aioli, and garnish with wedges of lemon and chopped parsley. Serve with warm bread.

Summer Risotto (v)

This is a vegetarian risotto – if you want a meaty one add 150g (5oz) of bacon lardons that have been fried until crisp, add at the end.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red peppers, cut into 2 cm (1”) cubes
150ml (1/4 pint) white wine
350g (12oz) risotto rice
About 900ml (11/2 pints) hot vegetable stock
350g (12oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 x 5g (2oz) bag rocket, roughly chopped
50g (2oz) Parmesan cheese, shaved

Method
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a deep non-stick frying pan on the boiling plate. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and fry for a few minutes.

Add the wine and boil on the boiling plate until it has evaporated by half. Add the rice and stirring continuously, gradually add the boiling stock. Cover with a lid and transfer to the simmering oven for about 15 minutes or until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is soft and creamy, stir occasionally.

Just before the rice is cooked add the tomatoes, honey, vinegar and rocket and season well.

Serve with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate and Orange Pavlova

A luxury pavlova of light, crisp meringue filled with a rich chocolate and orange mixture.

Ingredients
(Serves 6-8)
For the Pavlova
3 egg whites
6oz (175g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cornflour

For the filling
4oz (100g) Bournville chocolate
2oz (50g) caster sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 egg yolks
Grated rind of 1 small orange
1 tablespoon orange juice
300ml (½ pint) double cream, lightly whipped

A few maltesers and icing sugar to decorate

You will need a 23cm (9”) circle drawn out on a piece of non-stick baking parchment.

Method
Measure the egg whites into a large clean bowl, using an electric beater whisk until stiff, gradually add the sugar a teaspoon at a time, whisk on maximum speed until the sugar is incorporated and the meringue is stiff and shiny. This can also be made in a freestanding mixer (but not a magimix). Slake the vinegar and cornflour together in a small bowl and mix until smooth, stir into the meringue.

Spoon onto the baking parchment, the size of the circle, making the shape slightly hollow in the centre but higher at the sides.

Transfer it to the simmering oven for about 1½ hours or until cooked and the pavlova comes away easily from the paper.

To make the filling break the chocolate into cubes and drop into a processor bowl, whiz for a minute until nearly a powder. Dissolve the sugar in the water on the simmering plate, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Transfer it to boiling plate and boil for a few minutes. Start the processor again, and carefully pour the hot syrup onto the chocolate until smooth (if a little unmelted chocolate remains, add a little boiling water). Add the eggs, orange rind and juice and whiz again for a few seconds.

If you’re not using a processor, grate the chocolate and beat in the remaining ingredients. Fold in the lightly whipped cream. Pile into the cooled pavlova and set aside in the fridge.

Serve with maltesers and dusting of icing sugar

Answer 2

For a starter I would serve crab stuffed mushrooms. They're easy and quick. Make a crab filling with crab, little mayo, little beadcrumbs, maybe some onion, whatever else you think would be tasty. Spoon into mushroom caps, top with a little square of munster cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15 min until hot through and cheese is melty.

For the main course I'd serve apricot/mustard glazed pork loin. Mix 1/2 c apricot glaze and 1/2 c dijon mustard together. Brush pork loin with the mixture and bake according to instructions on pork loin package. Brush occasionally with mixture. Turn broiler on the last few minutes of baking after the last time you baste it to give it a nice crust. Serve with extra sauce.

For desert I'd serve strawberry shortcake.

Answer 3

Starter - Beef Empanadas with Chimichurri


Main Course - Arrachera Beef with Poblano strips


Dessert - Tres Leches Cake

and a delicious frozen margarita!

Answer 4

First Course - A slice of melon with a small strip of Italian ham across the melon.
Main course - Vegetable lasagna - (can be frozen) with Foccia bread ( Can be bought in supermarket or made with pizza dough and chopped vegetables) and a small tossed salad(can be bought in a bag.
Dessert - Angle food cake with chopped strawberries and whip cream or Ice cream (Cake can be bought at supermarket)
** If you buy all premade and pick up at Waldbaums or equilavent Super market the meal will be around $30.00/for 6 people // I Mellon, 2 slices Ham, Stoffers Lasgna (Frozen), Foccia Bread( By deli), 1 bag premade salad, 1 Angle food cake (In bakery by deli), Strawerries or Ice cream & 1 small tub Coolwhip.

Answer 5

Starter: Some soup of any kind with a crusty bread
Main Course: Home-made spaghetti (everyone loves spaghetti!) and iced lemon tea to drink
Desert: Some fresh Italian Gelato (it's still summer for a few more weeks!!)

Answer 6

Starter would have to be char -grilled tiger prawns with a thai dipping sauce.

Main course I would do either pork fillet on a bed of nutmeg mash (just normal mash pots, with a dash ov ground nutmeg, don't go heavy on it) served with fresh local veg (presentation is the key...think CHEF and present the meal how you would expect to receive it at a top French restaurant. Or I would do a fillet of beef stuffed with either a nice blue cheese or chopped parma ham & mushrooms on a bed ov chopped parsley mash and served with fresh local vegetables.

Finally my desert would HAVE to be fresh raspberry crepes, you can make the crepes earlier in the day and store them in the fridge just make sure you put greasproof paper between each one to stop them sticking, then when you need them just micro for a few seconds and fill with the raspberries and serve with cream or creme fraishe. Depending on what you decide on, go to your local wine merchants and they will advise you on the wine to go with your meal.....Happy eating Honey

Answer 7

I'm having a party on Sat. We're having
-- parsley crab cakes on fresh greens for a starter
--then a mandarine and almond salad
--Our main dish is boursin stuffed chiken with potato cups (soooo easy!) and asparagus wrapped in carrot rings.
--For dessert, chocolate peanut butter cookie pie with ice cream and chocolate dipped strawberries

It's all about presentation, really, though!

Answer 8

Starter... bread
Main course... Roasted chicken and mashed potatoes with a veggie!
Dessert... Strawberry shortcake

sounds good.

Answer 9

At this time of year I would start with fresh fruit - you could make fruit kabobs ahead - and cheese. The main course would be something grilled. And for dessert cake and ice cream.

Answer 10

Salad course: Mixed greens topped with thinly sliced Bosc pears, cayenne-spiced pecans, and bits of goat cheese, dressed with a blue cheese vinaigrette

Main course: Baked chicken breasts (topped with Knorr Bearnaise sauce – made from the dry envelope mix. It's incredible!), steamed broccoli, and roasted red new potatoes

Dessert: Tiramisu and coffee