Menu Planning
Here because I need to store it somewhere I can keep referring to it.
For D's birthday next weekend I'm organising a dinner party and blind(fold) wine-tasting. I'm not going to list the wines here, partly because I haven't bought them yet but mostly because they are Top Secret and thus not to be listed anywhere except in my head. There are going to be 7 people altogether and, apart from veggie, no one has any dietary requirements. Obviously the food has to be food that goes with wine well, since it's a vehicle for the wine-tasting. But because people are going to be trying to guess the wines, I don't want to give too many clues in the food and I also want food that will go equally well with all colours of wine, so we can try a variety, both of which probably means not too much cheese. Two of the guests are serious foodies (they run the local deli) so I want to impress but with apparent effortless ease... Seasonal food I think is probably the way to go.
Fixed point:
Quinces stewed with vanilla, lemon, calvados and bay leaves + cream + H's shortbread biscuits (she's bringing these, so I don't need to worry about these)
I am almost certain that the quinces in our garden will be ripe and sufficient by next weekend. But if not, Waitrose usually sells them at this time of year.
This I can make in advance because you serve it cold. Either on Thursday evening or Friday after school.
Main course ideas:
I'm inclining towards Stuffed (Topped?!) Baked Portobello mushrooms. I usually do these with sundried tomato paste, sunflower seeds and smoked cheddar stuff. But I'm wondering whether the tomato paste might be a bit assertive to be okay with white or rose wine. Also, the cheese comes from the local farmers' market and there isn't one between now and then, so I'd have to substitute a different cheese. If D weren't the guest of honour, I'd use parmesan but he's not keen on it, so that seems a bit unfair.
This does need to be cooked at the last minute, which I generally try to avoid when doing posh cooking cos it's stressful, but I think I can cope if the rest is pretty much in advance, especially as they are forgiving if you accidentally do them for an extra 10 mins or so.
Mashed potato with lots of butter and possibly cream
This is a good choice because you can do it in advance and just reheat it in the microwave.
Some sort of dark green cabbage-y thing. Ideally cavolo nero but kale would be okay, or Savoy at a pinch.
Not sure how to cook this. Normally we just do it lightly boiled in water, but that's another last minute thing and I'm aware that some people don't like anything at all resembling boiled cabbage. Could do a kind of braised cabbage with some onion and ?cumin seeds.
Another vegetable?
And/or some apple sauce (if we get lots of free apples today)
Starter:
Pate-ish kind of things to eat with oatcakes and other savoury biscuits. Two or three of the below.
These are good because make-in-advance. Also very easy but tasty
Cob nuts from garden
Pistachios
Shopping list
Quinces if not enough in garden
2x unwaxed lemons
1 pkt vanilla pods
10? Portobello mushrooms
Whatever cheese I'm Topping them with
An alternative to the tomato paste
Lots of floury potatoes
**Not complete yet
For D's birthday next weekend I'm organising a dinner party and blind(fold) wine-tasting. I'm not going to list the wines here, partly because I haven't bought them yet but mostly because they are Top Secret and thus not to be listed anywhere except in my head. There are going to be 7 people altogether and, apart from veggie, no one has any dietary requirements. Obviously the food has to be food that goes with wine well, since it's a vehicle for the wine-tasting. But because people are going to be trying to guess the wines, I don't want to give too many clues in the food and I also want food that will go equally well with all colours of wine, so we can try a variety, both of which probably means not too much cheese. Two of the guests are serious foodies (they run the local deli) so I want to impress but with apparent effortless ease... Seasonal food I think is probably the way to go.
Fixed point:
Quinces stewed with vanilla, lemon, calvados and bay leaves + cream + H's shortbread biscuits (she's bringing these, so I don't need to worry about these)
I am almost certain that the quinces in our garden will be ripe and sufficient by next weekend. But if not, Waitrose usually sells them at this time of year.
This I can make in advance because you serve it cold. Either on Thursday evening or Friday after school.
Main course ideas:
I'm inclining towards Stuffed (Topped?!) Baked Portobello mushrooms. I usually do these with sundried tomato paste, sunflower seeds and smoked cheddar stuff. But I'm wondering whether the tomato paste might be a bit assertive to be okay with white or rose wine. Also, the cheese comes from the local farmers' market and there isn't one between now and then, so I'd have to substitute a different cheese. If D weren't the guest of honour, I'd use parmesan but he's not keen on it, so that seems a bit unfair.
This does need to be cooked at the last minute, which I generally try to avoid when doing posh cooking cos it's stressful, but I think I can cope if the rest is pretty much in advance, especially as they are forgiving if you accidentally do them for an extra 10 mins or so.
Mashed potato with lots of butter and possibly cream
This is a good choice because you can do it in advance and just reheat it in the microwave.
Some sort of dark green cabbage-y thing. Ideally cavolo nero but kale would be okay, or Savoy at a pinch.
Not sure how to cook this. Normally we just do it lightly boiled in water, but that's another last minute thing and I'm aware that some people don't like anything at all resembling boiled cabbage. Could do a kind of braised cabbage with some onion and ?cumin seeds.
Another vegetable?
And/or some apple sauce (if we get lots of free apples today)
Starter:
Pate-ish kind of things to eat with oatcakes and other savoury biscuits. Two or three of the below.
These are good because make-in-advance. Also very easy but tasty
- Butterbean and mint one, if mint still growing in garden. One guest I know doesn't like butterbeans but she can have the the other one. Or I could maybe make it some other bean that goes with mint, like canellini?
- Maybe aubergine caviar? I have some in the freezer that I made last year, but that may taste freezer-y
- There's still lots of sorrel growing in the garden - it would be nice to do something with that, but I'm not sure what. It's very lemony so I worry about it being too strongly flavoured to eat raw for people who aren't used to it, but if you cook it it goes horrible. Some kind of shredding it up and mixing it with something more bland. Cream cheese? Walnuts?
- Walnut pesto?
- Something else in that line?
- D has requested something lentil-ish. Not 'and mushroom' because of the mushrooms in the main course. Maybe 'and cumin and onion and garlic' or 'and sundried tomato paste'.
- Could always do boughten hummous, although that makes for three beany things, which might be overkill.
Cob nuts from garden
Pistachios
Shopping list
Quinces if not enough in garden
2x unwaxed lemons
1 pkt vanilla pods
10? Portobello mushrooms
Whatever cheese I'm Topping them with
An alternative to the tomato paste
Lots of floury potatoes
**Not complete yet