Planning a Dinner Party Menu
I'm going to be helping my sixteen year old sister throw a Valentine's Day dinner party for her friends. She wants it to be formal and "grown up." However, I'm totally clueless about the progression of the menu. I've heard of things like "cheese course" and "soup course" but I don't know what order they're supposed to be in. It shouldn't be extra
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Soup course: Soups are easy to make and can be made in advance, use a tinned soup if you like, but add fresh herbs and cream/sour cream as garnish.
Main Course: If I am feeling realy slack/easy, I do a roast something, but that's easy to make better with herbs, garlic, oil, salt and love. Also can be done in advance and whacked in the oven when it's the right time. Remember to allow sitting time too, since that gets roasts really juicy. Other plus is baking veg at the same time, also can be prepared in advance. To make baked potatoes look cool, get out two wooden spoons which, when you lay on the table are about the same height. Put the potato between them, and slice down to the spoons, at one millimetre or 1/8th of an inch thickness. So it's like you're slicing it, but just not all the way through. Make sure some of the oil you cook with gets between the slices, and then bake as per normal. They look excellent and I am sure they taste better too! Vegetable dishes can go into the oven too, I am sure you have heaps of those sorts of recipes already.
Gravies are also easy to make more impressive - just make as per usual, and then add things to it. Make sure you use the oil from the roast you've just made, but then add a little alcohol - white wine for chicken, marsala for beef or veal, or even lamb, or a small amount of brandy is nice too. Fresh herbs can go well in gravy too. Or else buy a special gravy that just needs heating up!
Desserts... that depends on what you feel like cooking. Biscotten torte is very rich and made a few days in advance (eggs, almonds, biscuits, cream, and rum), pavlovas are easy to make in advance and take 5 seconds to put together with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Chocolate mousse can be made in advance or else purchased and be easy to make. If I am feeling enthused, I think of a flavour - ie, berries, and then purchase berry instant pudding, berry jelly, frozen berries, and then take all day and make layered parfaits. Top them off with icecream and whipped cream, and if you balance them in the fridge you can get some cool diagonal layers.
Good luck, and above all have fun! Don't worry about using preprepared produce, but put the effort into the little things that impress. If you wanted to go from three courses to five easily, just add dip and bikkies/crudites at the beginning (put the dip into your favourite bowl, and sprinkle with paprika or fresh chopped herbs) and for cheese course, I usually do the cheese at the end of the meal, with port and coffee, two or three types of cheese, equal numbers of knives, some dried fruit and crackers, and if you're feeling enthused, some cut up fresh fruit too.
I'm working on a six course meal for some friends at the moment.
:-)
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and ask her what flavors she is looking for....not all 16 year olds have a froi gras pallette
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