The Bonus Entertaining Issue, Part II 🍷
Today we cover the menu...
I’m re-releasing my top entertaining tips for this festive period. They can of course be applied to your main meal on the 25th and to all lunch and dinner parties throughout the year. If you didn’t read Part I yesterday, have a look. It lays out the principles of sweat-free entertaining. Today’s missive gives you some ideas on what dishes can help get you there.
DON’T FORGET THIS MANTRA: REHEAT REHEAT REHEAT
STARTER: Cold food is your friend
There are many starters that don’t need to be hot and can be prepared in advance. Make these in the 60-90 minutes before people arrive and have them ready on the table.
A substantial salad: eg My Brussels sprout salad from last week, Panzanella, Fattoush, Caesar.
💫TOP TIP: put your salad dressing at the bottom of the bowl and toss just before you serve it.
A mozzarella/burrata cheese with a seasonal fruit: eg Mozzarella with pomegranate/mandarin, rocket & extra-virgin olive oil.
Cured meat or paté with pickles: eg Chicken liver paté with cucumber pickles and crackers.
Smoked fish plus salad: eg Smoked mackerel & horseradish mackerel pate with fennel, apple & chicory salad
We can’t miss out soup here, can we? This is a brilliant hot starter as you can just warm it up before serving. I’d suggest something smooth n’silky that’s not too filling.
💫TOP TIP: a little something crunchy such as a garlic or cheese crouton or anchovy breadcrumbs, or a herb or chilli oil on your soup will elevate it both in appearance and taste
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And a type of bread, ALWAYS BREAD. It’s a reassuring presence, needed to mop up sauce and great for those picky eaters (though I hope you don’t have friends like that).
💫TOP TIP: Bread gone stale? Run it under water, then pop into a 180C oven for 6-7 minutes and it’ll be good as new!
MAIN: Reheat Reheat Reheat.
In an ideal world, you would prepare the main course (and dessert) the morning of (or day before) your meal and have it 1) slowly cooking in a low oven or slow-cooker OR 2) pre-prepped ready to bake in the oven for when people arrive.
This means you can go away and do something nice before coming back an hour before people arrive to make the starter. Cooking all day is no fun.
Ideas for this course could be:
Slow-cooking: Coq au vin, slow-cooked beef shin with red wine & herbs, chilli con carne, pork shoulder with fennel & lemon, seven-spice lamb shoulder.
Pre-prepped and ready for the oven: Fish pie, lasagne, chicken and leek pie, Thai green curry, moussaka, aubergine parmigiana.
SIDES: You don’t need too many!
Make these in advance and reheat after the starter is finished. Keep them neutral so the main is the star of the show and you don’t have too many flavours fighting on the plate.
Try one or two of the following:
A braised green
Roast root veg
Interesting salad using leaves such a rocket, watercress or radicchio
A potato dish
Braised pulses such as lentils or white beans
I’m sorry to throw this at you, but roast potatoes and homemade chips are a big NO from me . Roast potatoes really should be served peak crispy and it’s just so tricky to get that when you have a room full of people. Mash? Hell YES! Potato gratin? 100%. Boiled? Please do!
💫TOP TIP: Potato gratin is a winner as it can be be assembled, cook and then briefly re-heated before serving.
My go-to every time is a green (spinach, cavolo nero, spring greens, hispi cabbage, savoy cabbage), garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and olive oil. You can use any leafy green and the combo of flavours works with almost all cuisines.
Here are my thoughts on non-veg sides:
Rice is pretty easy-going as you can make it an hour in advance and keep it warm with a cocked lid on top.
Pasta and noodles are a pain for large numbers (you need big pans and perfect timing).
Grains such as freekeh, couscous and pearled spelt are your friends for same reason as rice.
The most amenable side is the pulse (borlotti, cannellini, chickpeas and lentils as it can be cooked days in advance and re-heated moments before serving.
DESSERT: The easy win.
This is a bit of an easier course to get right as there are so many options. Extravagant and OTT is always fun, especially at this time of year.
Make your dessert in advance and serve it room temperature or from the fridge. eg seasonal fruit tart, trifle, chocolate mousse or lemon posset.
Make a tart, pie or bread and butter pudding in advance and warm it quickly in the oven.
The easiest ideas are chocolate truffles or biscotti and fruit. Chuck ‘em in the middle of the table and keep the fun going!
💫TOP TIP: Dessert accessories such as double cream, crème fraiche or yoghurt, pop into bowls and stick in the fridge for when you’re ready.