What's your favorite dinner party menu?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is the poster who vehemently hates baked ziti? I find her hilarious.

Also the chili poster!

Greek is always a good option too, some grilled or smoked meats and veggies, orzo, spanakopita, pita, dips, cucumber salad. All super easy, too (assuming you buy the premade spanakopita).

You also could do this with the NYT baked shawarma chicken.

[Anonymous]

I like a roasted chicken - the nigella Lawson one is pretty easy and the orzo is baked in, so one pot clean-up! I often serve the chicken with either roasted veggies or a green salad.

For starters I typically do a grazing board with some antipasti/dips, veggies, cheeses, meats, fruits, and nuts.

Dessert is brownie Sundays or fresh cast iron cookie, popped in the oven when I clear the dinner table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really like Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate cookbook for a dinner party. Toss all the ingredients in to marinate, bake in oven, serve with couscous or even polenta. Green beans or asparagus on the plate. Seems retro fancy-ish and most people seem to like it. A soup as starter is perfect. I like not a lot of last minute fussing in the kitchen after the guests arrive.

My favorite!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate cookbook for a dinner party. Toss all the ingredients in to marinate, bake in oven, serve with couscous or even polenta. Green beans or asparagus on the plate. Seems retro fancy-ish and most people seem to like it. A soup as starter is perfect. I like not a lot of last minute fussing in the kitchen after the guests arrive.

My favorite!!!

OP here and also one of my faves! Haven't made it in a while and perhaps it is time for a reboot. I also don't like much fussing in kitchen after guests arrive - or at least fussing where I need to really pay attention (and not make mistakes!).

What about dessert?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like a roasted chicken - the nigella Lawson one is pretty easy and the orzo is baked in, so one pot clean-up! I often serve the chicken with either roasted veggies or a green salad.

For starters I typically do a grazing board with some antipasti/dips, veggies, cheeses, meats, fruits, and nuts.

Dessert is brownie Sundays or fresh cast iron cookie, popped in the oven when I clear the dinner table.

Thanks for your suggestions. Thinking along similar lines for starters and dessert.

[Anonymous]

Chicken marbella is GREAT because you can do it in advance. I also did coq au vin (Melissa Clark has a NYT recipe, or Once Upon a Chef recipe) which you can also do in advance. You could also do Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew (NYT).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad. Italian pastries for dessert.

Omg how overweight are you? Actual Italians would consider this menu of bread/pasta/pastries illegal.

I AM an actual Italian.

Not from Italy you’re not. Italian American maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicken marbella is GREAT because you can do it in advance. I also did coq au vin (Melissa Clark has a NYT recipe, or Once Upon a Chef recipe) which you can also do in advance. You could also do Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew (NYT).

Thanks for suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad. Italian pastries for dessert.

Omg how overweight are you? Actual Italians would consider this menu of bread/pasta/pastries illegal.

I AM an actual Italian.

Not from Italy you’re not. Italian American maybe.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Baked ziti, garlic bread, salad. Italian pastries for dessert.

Omg how overweight are you? Actual Italians would consider this menu of bread/pasta/pastries illegal.

Maybe you, but not my thin Italian male boss!

[Anonymous]

I did a dinner for 8 recently with chicken shawarma, lamb koftas (both prepared the day before and easily cooked on the outdoor grill), a garlic yoghurt sauce, pita bread, charred spiced cauliflower, roast asparagus, caprese salad, green salad.

[Anonymous]

Chicken Marbella has been a dinner party go to for like 30 years.

I like to make a bit of a special effort for dinner parties to do something more impressive / higher presentation than the feed-a-crowd type meals most have offered here.

Parmesan crisps with white wine & cocktails in kitchen before

I’ll do one of these proteins:
Brisket
Whole roasted or poached fish like salmon; or fish en croute
Moroccan tagine
Homemade chicken pot pie if more homey crowd
Something old school like steak Diane flambéd at the table
Duck breast in blackberry reduction
Slow roasted lamb shoulder
Veal medallions with lemon & capers
Lemon tarragon or orange chicken with green olives is a sure / safe one.

Grain:
Farro, pearl couscous or rice; all w copious fresh herbs
Or a starchy vegetable like roasted glazed carrots or puffed tiny potatoes.

Veg:
Sautéed spinach or kale or broccoli with garlic; or blistered French beans (cooked in rendered pancetta) almondine or with seared cherry tomatoes; or Brussels sprouts roasted w bacon

Salad: butter lettuce or baby arugula with toasted nuts, fresh raspberries, homemade lemon vinaigrette

Dessert flourless chocolate cake or caramel apple pie (homemade); berries with fresh whipped cream; homemade ginger snaps with royal icing or homemade meringues.

Box of chocolates and nuts on table during coffee/liqueur/port afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Menu #1:

Mezze Platter with Date Syrup Old-Fashioned or a rosewater gin and tonic

Shrimp Tagine
Couscous
Roasted Carrots with tahini yogurt sauce

Tahini flourless chocolate cake

Menu #2

Homemade Focaccia with pesto and bruschetta and prosciutto
Aperol Spritz

Lemon caper Salmon
Lemon pasta
Arugula salad

Berries and Cream

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a dinner for 8 recently with chicken shawarma, lamb koftas (both prepared the day before and easily cooked on the outdoor grill), a garlic yoghurt sauce, pita bread, charred spiced cauliflower, roast asparagus, caprese salad, green salad.

Sounds very yummy! How do you char the caulifower and what do you use for the spices for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicken Marbella has been a dinner party go to for like 30 years.

I like to make a bit of a special effort for dinner parties to do something more impressive / higher presentation than the feed-a-crowd type meals most have offered here.

Parmesan crisps with white wine & cocktails in kitchen before

I’ll do one of these proteins:
Brisket
Whole roasted or poached fish like salmon; or fish en croute
Moroccan tagine
Homemade chicken pot pie if more homey crowd
Something old school like steak Diane flambéd at the table
Duck breast in blackberry reduction
Slow roasted lamb shoulder
Veal medallions with lemon & capers
Lemon tarragon or orange chicken with green olives is a sure / safe one.

Grain:
Farro, pearl couscous or rice; all w copious fresh herbs
Or a starchy vegetable like roasted glazed carrots or puffed tiny potatoes.

Veg:
Sautéed spinach or kale or broccoli with garlic; or blistered French beans (cooked in rendered pancetta) almondine or with seared cherry tomatoes; or Brussels sprouts roasted w bacon

Salad: butter lettuce or baby arugula with toasted nuts, fresh raspberries, homemade lemon vinaigrette

Dessert flourless chocolate cake or caramel apple pie (homemade); berries with fresh whipped cream; homemade ginger snaps with royal icing or homemade meringues.

Box of chocolates and nuts on table during coffee/liqueur/port afterwards.

Love your list. Some won't work for DH, but again, love it.

So you think Marbella is passé or you would include it on your entrée list? I haven't made it in about five or six years, so am thinking of making that or something similar, such as a tagine. What's great about the Marbella is I can get so much done in advance.

I usually go for a little more robust spread for cocktails in case the guest arrival times end up staggered.

Thanks - appreciate.