Help! I'm having a dinner party!?

Question

I am cooking for three friends tomorrow night and need a three course menu which complements each other.

I've tried the internet but it's just coming back with individual recipes not a three course meal.

Thanks x

Answer 1

Stick with Italian... always easy.
Appetizer could be an antipasto platter.... peppercini, pepperoni, prusciuto, olives, cheeses, ect...
You could then do a Salad, get a good salad dressing and add some of the same items as on the plater. You could do a spinach salad with the Kraft Medderteranian crumbles cheese on it... so good.
Dinner could be chicken breast, use frozen spinach, diced tomatoes and mozarella cheese... stuff it inside and bake. Top with extra tomatoes and a bit of garlic.

There you go! One of my favs.

Answer 2

Try this one, very simple:

Serve bruschetta first
Then a light salad with sundried tomatoes and greek olives
Finish with a spinach lasagna or alfredo and brocolli

Make this tasty Crostoli for dessert:

Ingredients:


2 cups flour
1/2 egg yolk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
lemon zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
pinch of baking powder
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
oil to fry

Instructions:


1. Mix all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl.
2. Once the dough takes a form, knead it well for a few minutes.
3. Roll it out a bit at a time until it is about as thin as you can get it. Use a little flour if it is too sticky.
4. Cut the dough with a pasta cutter in parallelogram shaped pieces (), cutting a slice or two in the middle of each piece.
5. Heat the oil for frying, a big pan is better with at least 2 to 3 inches of oil.
6. Add the Crostoli a few at a time.
7. Turn them quickly as they only take a few seconds per side. They should be light golden brown, but not too brown.
8. Place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
9. Dust them with powder sugar and serve.

Notes:


If you don't want to use Marsala you can use milk in its place but changes the flavor. There's no problem if you use Marsala for the kids as the alcohol gets cooked out when they are fried.

Go to the local liquor store and ask them for either a wine to compliment your Italian dish or a good dessert wine.

Answer 3

Its not hard to put those recipes together into one 3 course meal, just think about what each thing is going to taste like and will it be weird sat next to whatever is before/after. For example if you start with chicken you probably wouldn't have a chicken main as well. If you have a very rich sauce with the main, then you probably wouldn't want a heavy dessert. Also if you have something very spicy to start, that could effect how you taste the main course.

I like this as a menu...

Start - mozzarella, basil and tomato salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and crusty bread
Main - Beef wellington with roast veg
Dessert - fruit in champagne jelly

Yum!

Answer 4

I suggest picking a main course you're comfortable making (something that usually turns out well for you) and picking the other courses to complement that. Once you've decided on one thing it's easier to pick the others.

The reason it's hard to find a whole meal by search is there are millions of possibilities.

One good source of ideas, though, is 30-minute meals by Rachael Ray. She usually makes meals that go pretty good together. You can find the recipies from the show at www.foodtv.com .

Answer 5

Menu

Beef Tenderloin

Dinner Party Menu



Eight Course Dinner

1st Course - Appetizers
3 different dips with homemade baguette bread
served on a large platter of fresh parsley





~

2nd Course - Salad
Arugula, Pear, and Asiago cheese salad
served in a martini glass....
pear slice on the rim, add a small bread stick for elegance!



~



3rd Course - Soup
Chilled Sugar Snap Pea soup
vibrant flavorful spring green colored soup served with a Parmesan Crisp



~

4th Course - Seafood
Shrimp Cocktail
served in a martini glass
with tails of the shrimp sitting on the edge of the glass... spectacular!





~


5th Course - Pasta
Linguine Pasta
with Shiitake mushrooms in a cream sauce
drizzled with White Truffle Oil, this is soooooo good!




~

6th Course - Sorbet
Lemon Sorbet
lemon sorbet is a classic... a refreshing palate cleanser before the main entree



~

7th Course - Main Entree
Beef Tenderloin
stuffed with wild mushrooms and shallot dressing
served on a tomato cut into pedals, a beautiful presentation


~


8th Course - Dessert
Peppermint Ice Cream
serve in a tall goblet stemmed glass
garnish with a maraschino cherry (stem attached)
and a fresh sprig of mint, such an easy dessert and so beautiful

Answer 6

Here is a link to a 4 course meal:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/16/earlyshow/saturday/chef/main1725113.shtml

Here is one for a three course meal:
http://www.tvoneonline.com/shows/recipe.asp?ID=543


Also I would suggest allrecipes.com get a main meal recipe and it will suggest other things to go with it.


If I was doing it, I would start with a salad, probably a Cesar and if you want easy but the kit in the store.

For main course I would do chicken sauteed in garlic and olive oil tossed with some al dente pasta and have some veggies that guest can choose to put in theirs like some lightly steamed broccoli or sauteed mushrooms, I would also serve a warm Al Fredo sauce for those who want more than just garlic and olive oil, again for easy you can buy a jarred sauce

Dessert could be anything from fresh fruit with whipped cream to a brownie with ice cream.

Answer 7

Are some of your guests vegetarian?

It also depends on whether you like puddings or not, and your budget!!

I'd start with a mixed platter of meat (choritzo, pepperoni, etc.) or chopped veg with a dip.

Then, serve a refreshing lemon sorbet (or not if you like your pud!)

Wrap some Parma Ham around chicken fillets and fry until cooked, then put in a casserole dish; add wine, black olives and cherry tomatoes with seasoning (and perhaps some honey or something like Worcestershire sauce if you like) and put in the oven.

For vegetarians you can use veggie sausages and do the same thing.

I personally don't like puddings; I prefer cheese and wine. If you want to do a pud, try a lovely steamed treacle pudding with custard, yummy!

If not, do a cheeseboard with a strong Cheddar, like Lincolnshire Poacher or Keen's, a beautiful soft cheese like a warm Brie or Camembert (or if you're really brave, a stinker like Stinking Bishop or Port Salut!!) and then a blending blue like St. Agur or Roquefort.

Serve the cheese with a fairly robust wine like a Merlot, or if your budget affords, a decent Port.

Enjoy!!

Answer 8

Start off with a side salad

Grill some type of fish (I prefer a white fillet or salmon) - I can provide a recipe for white fish

Risotto & grilled veggies to compliment the fish (Veggies could be Asparagus or zuchnni, yellow sqaush & onions

Grill some fruit for desert & serve with vanilla ice cream
_______________________________________

White fillet of fish (any kind I perfer Haddock because of the thickness)

Season fish on both sides and pan sear them with a little oil. Once fish is brown on both sides - take them out of the pan & onto a baking sheet - put in the oven until done on 350 degrees (DO NOT OVER COOK)

DO NOT wash out the pan you seared the fish in. In this pan add cherry tomatoes (Red & yellow) if you can not find the yellow that's ok. Put 1/4 of a green. yellow, orange & red pepper into the pan, mushrooms & sautee. Add chicken stock, shrimp, scallops & a little butter to thicken sauce.

After the fish is done put some crab meat on top of fish and pour sauce over fish with all the seafood and peppers, etc.

Serve with white wine

Answer 9

Asparagus and Green Beans with Tarragon Lime Dip

White Bean Soup

Citrus and Rosemary Grilled Pork served with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Potatoes

Answer 10

Whatever you do...start with my BLT soup!

5 slices bacon, finely diced, plus crisp crumbles bacon, for garnish
1/2 cup diced green onions
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups finely sliced iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup instant flour
3 1/2 cups fresh or canned chicken broth, heated to a simmer
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream

In a 3-quart pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the lettuce and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, then stir it in until well blended. Remove the pot from the heat and add the hot chicken broth, tomatoes, nutmeg and pepper. Heat the soup to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the cream and mix well.
Mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of mayonnaise mixture topped with crumbled bacon.