Need a Menu, 10 points guaranteed?

Question

Does anyone have any ideas for a dinner i'm hosting in two days? Must serve 14 with no fish or pork. I'd prefer the recipes but am an experienced cook and can probably figure it out if the dishes are adequately described. Mostly i'm looking for a cohesive three to five course meal and i will give points based on that quality. Desert is a three layer, raspberry and dark chocolate, red velvet cake with white chocolate, cream cheese frosting. I am not afraid of complicated dishes and am looking to impress some worldly guests. Thanks for your help!!!

I went with bishop as the best answer but thanks as well to both katies.
The Menu:
+Greek salad in raspberry vinegrette
- Red hot pomegranate percolator punch -
+Steamed then pecan roasted brussel sprouts
+Butternut squash ravioli in a light sage butter reduction
+Grilled, balsamic marinated london broil with red onions
+Flowerpot baked apple bread
-Spiced pineapple percolator punch -
+ Big O Cake (see above) with ice wine or capuccino as an appertif.

Answer 1

A good beef roast that you cook in a slow cooker all day (I use ginger ale) or a really good slow cooker meal is beef rib tips slow cooked in a brown beer (budwiser) with Lipton onion soup, some twice baked potatoes and a broccolli/shrimp rice pilaf. A greek salad with some raspberry vinagret to carry the theme. Soup could be something like a creamy pumpkin. As for the bread find yourself a reciepe for claypot loafs where you cook them in a ceramic flower pot...great for presentation. Good Luck.

Answer 2

Depending on what you're willing to spend, Rock Cornish Game Hens are quite impressive non-objectionable. For 14 people, buy 7 hens, cover and slow roast (I recommend about 6 hours at 180 degrees to keep them moist and tender) At the end of 6 hours, check the temperature and make sure they have reached at least 180 degrees in the thickest area, then stuff with a prepared blend of long-grain wild rice, baby spinach and feta cheese and broil on high, uncovered until skin on top is crisp and light brown. Serve half a bird to each guest.

As a salad course, I'd do a spinach salad with champagne vinegrette, blanched almonds and mandarin oranges


As far as soup, a nice tomato basil bisque is always neutral and appreciated, and light enough not to fill you up before the main course.


Don't forget a small ramiken of lemon sorbet to cleanse the pallette between courses, and possibly offer guests a cordial serving on limoncello between the main course and dessert (Must be well-chilled)

Answer 3

I'd consider getting a whole beef tenderloin and doing a Beef Wellington, stuffed with duxelle and wrapped in puff pastry. Quite delicious and something out of the ordinary. A gorgeous Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan cheese on top as your salad course would be nice. I'd serve some steamed pencil asparagus and parslied buttered red potatoes with the entree. I would be wary of serving a 5 course with the dessert you described, as I'd want room for a piece of that cake. If 5 courses are a must, I'd add a simple creamy tomato soup before the salad with some crusty bread and a cheese course after the entree. There are some great American made cheeses that pair well with fruit. Bleu cheese and pears, apples and sharp cheddar, a soft brie with grapes are all favs at my dinner parties.

Answer 4

Well.. it depends on your budget and your tastes....


some things that pop in my head:
Tequila Marinated London Broil
Oven Bar B Cue Beef Brisket
Prime Rib... Tri Tip?
Chicken Parmesan

if you want a theme, you could do Italian with a nice lasagna with some good italian sides. Or mexican I usually do some kind of Mexican dinner when we have guests over and its always a hit. You could do a Chinese theme with chicken chow mein, home made egg rolls, fried rice.

What do you like to cook.. and eat?

again i guess id need to know more ;) Theres a ton of options. 3-5 courses I'd start out with a nice salad (BLT salad is a great pleaser) a couple sides perhaps starch and a veggie.. depends on what you are eating as your main course but you could do cracked Yukon gold potatoes or just a nice mashed potato or a pasta. Round it out with a good veggie like asparagus or broccoli casserole.

Answer 5

I'm not going to try to assemble a complete menu, especially an impressive one, but I've made Beef ribeye roast studded with garlic cloves for three parties so far this month. Guests seem to like it, even if it has cooked too long. I also make mashed potatoes with sautee'd onions diced to 1/2", which people seem to wolf down. (Saute' 3 diced onions in 3 Tbsp. butter for 6 minutes.)Add a nice salad and perhaps asparagus or a squash casserole, rolls and au jus, and that's a perfect dinner for me.

Answer 6

Sometimes, we can impress worldly guests with simplicity rather than complications. How about a freshly dressed Caesar salad, a marvelous pot of homemade French onion soup, super crispy bread with butter and a good bottle of wine. This delightful combination will leave room for your dessert, which sounds marvelous, by the way!

Answer 7

Something that alot of people have never had the pleasure of eating and can be made about a million different ways...

Gnocchi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnocchi
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-gnocchi
http://italianfood.about.com/od/gnocchi/a/aa010298.htm

I like to make it with a mushroom, ham, and pea - alfredo cream sauce with sundried tomato and fresh chopped basil on top. However, like I said previously....this is an italian dumpling that can be made with virtually any combination of flavor or sauce that is to your likeing (substitute chicken for ham since pork is out of the question..or just omit the ham entirely). I've actually seen this served as a desert, once....it had a rasberry dressing atop, with a mint leaf.

I believe, since you are a chef, you would have no problem putting your own spin on a Gnocchi dish...maybe a red sauce...or a simple garlic butter cream sauce.... you would certainly impress the most heiness food critic with the sheer element of surprise provided everything goes well..

Since we started out Italiano for the main dish....I would keep it that way... starting your guest out with a homemade italian soup of your choice and salad. I preffer italian wedding soup, but that calls for pork...so how about Fava bean soup... here's one > http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14468.asp
Or...a simple broth veggie soup with italian seasoning would do just fine. Or how about Gorgonzola ? >http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45419.asp

Salad - simple w/oil vinegrette dressing and shredded parmesan.....served with bruschetta. >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruschetta
>http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001321bruschetta_with_tomato_and_basil.php

The Gnocchi is somewhat challenging to make on your first try, but the sauce or flavoring you combine it with can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Since it is the main dish and you want to impress..., I would go all out. Sometimes simplicity is good, but it's not impressive...nobody is impressed by a grilled cheese sandwich.

Once the gnocchi is prepared, you could also make two seperate sauces, red or white or other, and let your guests choose for themselves which they prefer. In this case you would also want a red and white wine for them to choose from as well. You should make a test batch...and experiment with different flavors of sauce seasoning, and pick a meat if you want it to have meat... lamb, beef, chicken, mussels...your choice, your creation, go nuts.

Answer 8

Potato Leek Soup
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_81575,00.html

Tomato Salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_66688,00.html

Hasselback Potatoes
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_90083,00.html

Grilled Lamb Chops or Rack of Lamb
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_90077,00.html

Answer 9

* Brie wrapped in a puff pastry, served over lingonberries
*Individual tarts topped with a slice of roasted heirloom tomato, olive tapenade, and finished with basil vinaigrette
*Filet oscar- filet mignon with potato-cauliflower mash, balsamic roasted asparagus, napped with bernaise sauce
*Soup of pureed blueberries and yogurt
I can write out the recipes if you need

Answer 10

Arugula salad
Braised Lamb shank

I'm stuck from there but hopes you think of something..