Before I had Amelie I used to entertain a lot. I was always having friends over for dinner parties and cooking up a storm, drinking great wine, delicious cocktails and generally having a ball entertaining in my house. I must admit when Amelie was born (although always a little desperate for company) the last thing that I wanted to do was entertain. Now though she is older, 11 months and sleeping through the night I am trying to throw the odd dinner party here and there and get back to being the hostess with the mostest!
In December I had a little pre-Christmas dinner party with my good friend from Australia and number one babysitting extraordinaire, Lauren, my best pal and co-yummy mummy Tara and her two beautiful sisters Laura Jane and Sophie who were visiting from New Zealand and London. So five people and minimal time of course because I have my gorgeous Amelie….What to do… Where to start?
Here is the three course menu that I prepared along with a few tips to getting organised to pull it all together and still manage to take care of my number one girl, Amelie! The girls all said the meal was fabulous but they are my mates so they are biased… I will state right here and now that I have been known to create a few disasters in the kitchen so as much as I would love you to try my recipes I am no master chef… I would love your feedback, tips and ideas too!
Starter - Butternut Squash Soup (Mum’s recipe)
Choosing a Soup as a starter is a great option as it suits the cold Irish weather and most importantly can be prepared a day or two early in no time at all. I did it in Amelie’s morning nap (45min-1hr) put it in a Tupperware container and threw it in the fridge all ready to go for the dinner party.
Ingredients:
1 Onion
1 Clove of garlic
1 Celery Stick
1 Med sized butternut squash
3 Potatoes
Fresh ginger
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Black Pepper
600ml Vegetable Stock
Method:
1 Finely chop the onion and sauté in as little olive oil as possible with the garlic and celery
2 Chop Butternut Squash and the Potatoes into cubes roughly 2x2cm and add to the pot
3 Add a grating of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg… remember you can always add more later so take it easy to start with especially with the ginger, which tends to strengthen the longer it is left before being eaten
4 Cover with Vegetable Stock
5 Simmer until Vegies are cooked
6 Allow to cool and then blend
7 Serve with a dollop of cream and some dense rye bread with lashing of butter
Main – Roast Chicken and all the trimmings
I love to cook a roast and while it takes time to cook, the preparation is pretty straight forward and doesn’t take a lot of time; it can also be done in ahead of time. Now I’ll admit I had help with this one and I didn’t quite pull it off as well as I could have. On the night of my dinner party my friend Lauren came over and bathed Amelie so that I could prepare the chicken and veggies. It takes so little time then all you have to do is get it in the oven and wait! Also I completely forgot the gravy (like I said no master chef.) Tara whipped one up for me in between course and saved the day. I had already chosen not to make a stuffing so I guess it was more like Roast Chicken with some of the trimmings!
Whole Chicken
Butter
Thyme
Rosemary
1 Lemon
¼ Onions
1 Mix the butter with a good squeeze of half a lemon and plenty of thyme and rosemary that has been roughly torn to pieces. (Don't be afraid to over do the herbs the more the better)
2 Using a wooden spoon scoop the butter mix and shove it under the skin of your chicken
3 Put half a lemon and half an onion with sprigs of thyme and rosemary inside the chicken’s bum
4 Roast in the oven until cooked (ask your butcher for cooking times and temps as it will vary on the size of eth chicken you get)
The trimmings
1 Par boil the potatoes (until they are nearly over done) and throw them into an oven tray already smoking with goose fat.
2 Throw in some chunks of carrot and parsnip, a few cloves of garlic and a good amount of salt and pepper
3 Roast everything until the potatoes are golden brown.
4 Steam some beans and peas
There you have it a delicious roast dinner that everyone can drown in gravy and really enjoy… oh yeah don’t forget the gravy!
Dessert – Chocolate Lava Cakes (Rachel Allen)
These are just about the best things I have ever cooked. I discovered the idea at an amazing restaurant called Oliveto, they do an incredible chocolate fondant that really is to die for. Now this recipe was as close as I could find, on one hand they do not compare with the Fondants being far superior but on the other hand I can make them at home in half an hour and they look and taste fabulous!! Also this is another thing that can be prepared a day or two early kept in the fridge then all you need to do on the night of your dinner party is pop them in the oven, dust them with chocolate powder and serve them up with some cream or custard and your guests will be amazed! Thank you Rachel Allen for this tasty recipe just one of many I have found in your baking book.
Ingredients:
150g (2oz) good quality dark chocolate
125g (4½ oz.) butter
3 eggs and 3 egg yolks
75g (3oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) good quality cocoa powder
4 8cm diameter ramekins
Method:
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4
2 Butter the ramekins and place on a baking tray
3 Break or chop the chocolate and melt with the butter in a heat proof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
4 Whisk the eggs and egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until the mixture is pale and fluffy
5 Add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and fold in to the mix
6 Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold in gently until just mixed.
8 Transfer the mixture to the ramekins and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until risen and just firm to the touch. The outer art should be cooked and the inner part liquid.
9 Very carefully run a knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the puddings, then gently turn them out onto individual warmed plates.
10 Dust with chocolate powder and serve with cream and ice cream
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