A Hassle free dinner party.

This time of year it's hard to see everyone you want to, and not get exhausted.  We had some friends over for a dinner party yesterday and it was hassle free (relatively), most of the work was done before hand.   My instructions assume you can cook, so if you are a novice, this is not for you.

 

 

The menu was:

• Pretzels to nibble
• Oysters 3 ways
• Rainbow trout and prawns with chat potatoes and fennel salad
• Rosewater panna cotta and strawberries.

 

Here is how I did it.

 

1 Day before

1.  Make Panna Cotta, put glad wrap over the top and place in fridge to set overnight.

- panna cotta can be any flavour you like, I used vanilla and rosewater, but I also like lime, coffee or lemon;  I make them in plastic yoghurt containers.

 

2. Cut up strawberries and macerate with rosewater, Grand Marnier and a little sugar, store in fridge. Dessert is DONE!

 

3. Make or buy a GREAT seafood stock.  If you are making it yourself (or don't have one in the freezer ready to go!) try this recipie : TASTE.  Ask your fishmonger for fish heads and bones if you need them (they are usually minimal cost) and DO NOT boil rapidly (simmer!) or cook your stock for more than 30 minutes or it will be horrible.

 

4.  Make the sauce for the main course:  soften one each of onions, carrots, fennel and celery in a pan, add garlic about 1/2 way through,  add some white wine and reduce to almost no liquid, add seafood stock and reduce by 1/2, add 2 cans of tomatoes and a large pinch of saffron, and reduce sauce until it is almost perfectly thick, season with salt, pepper and sugar.  Store in fridge.

 

5. Quarter some lemons, place in glad wrap in the fridge.

 

On the day

1. Buy a fillet of fish for each person and 2-3 green prawns per person, and at least 4 (opened) Sydney Rock Oysters per person. 

- Choose the best and well-priced fish in the market, originally I was intending to use snapper, but there was none, so I bought trout.  It was perfect.

- If you don not like prawns you can use vongale or mussels, whatever is best for you.  (about 500grams of shellfish)

 

2. At home, shell the prawns and put into the fridge with the fish.  (I keep the heads for making another stock).

 

3. Finely slice some fennel and radish (you can substitute snow peas for radish) and place in some water with lemon in it.  Take the rind off an orange and slice it, then cut into small pieces, place this into a small snap lock bag, place on top of the fennel.  Put the lid on the fennel and orange, place in fridge.

 

4. Put chat potatoes into some water with salt in a pot with lid on the stove. 

 

5. Chop some chives and separately chop some parsley, wrap them in gladwrap and place in fridge.

 

6. Make the sauces for the oysters. 

-Take the seeds out of a small cucumber, chop finely, chop some mint, mix.  Place in serving dish and add the juice of one lime. 

-Put some pickled ginger in a bowl. 

-Make an Asian sauce of 1 tblsp each soy sauce, lime juice, water, mirin, add grated ginger, finely chopped chilli, check for seasoning. 

-Cover and store each one in its serving dish.

 

7. Set table, clean kitchen and floors,  and place prezels out to nibble on.

 

8. Place lemons into a couple of small bowls on the table, and a couple of bowls ready for oyster shells.

 

9. Place drinks on ice.  (including water)

 

When everyone arrives

1. Nibble prezels with drinks.  At this point, put your seafood sauce for the main into a large frypan with a lid.  (reheat later)

 

2. Place oysters onto a serving platter, get sauces out of the fridge ADD a little champagne to the mint and cucumber and mix.  Serve - let everyone help themselves.

 

3. At the same time

- put the potatoes on to cook. 

- turn on seafood sauce, on low heat to heat up.

- drain fennel and radish

 

4. 15 minutes or so later, (1/2 way through potatoes cooking) place fish fillets onto the top of the seafood sauce, place shellfish or prawns on top.  (These need no more than 15 minutes to cook on a medium heat).  Turn off when fish is ready.

 

5.  Drain cooked potatoes, place in serving dish, add butter or olive oil, salt and pepper, and chopped chives, toss. Place on table, (these keep hot for quite a while).

 

6. Dry fennel with tea towel an place onto serving dish, add salt and pepper, put orange pieces on top, drizzle with olive oil and lemon.  Place on table.

 

7. Check seasoning of the seafood sauce, add parsley.  Serve fish and seafood sauce on plate for each person, one fillet and a few pieces of seafood per person plus some sauce (which should be reduced and thick by now). 

 

8.  Before you sit down to eat yourself, take the strawberries out of the fridge.

 

9. When ready serve the dessert - one panna cotta with some strawberries per person.

 

10. Coffee and chocolates or small biscuits is a nice way to finish.

 

A few things I have learnt:

1. A cold starter is always easier than a hot one, less work and balances the food tastes.  In winter I would serve a soup, as that can be ready on the stove to heat and serve. 
2. I always make the dessert the day before, a cake, a pavlova, a trifle, panna cotta, sparkling wine jelly, are all good options.  One thing I do not want to be doing, just when the conversation is interesting, is fussing around with a dessert.  The one exception is whipping cream, which has  to be done just before serving, but better yet, buy a thick serving cream, or crème fraiche,   OR buy a great dessert cake from a good pastry chef, nothing wrong with that!
3. I do as much preparation the day before as possible
4. Always serve water at the table, in a nice jug with some mint or lemon slices is nice.
5. Choose a main course that does not need a lot done on the day.  A roasted meat falls into this category, prep the day before, take out of the oven to rest while the vegetables cook.  Carve and serve.
6. If you are serving rice, buy the pre-cooked rice and reheat in the microwave in its serving dish.  Easy.
7. Avoid the temptation to cook a complicated dish - too stressful!
8. Fresh herbs always are impressive.
9. Fruit and cheese is a good alternative to sweet dessert.
10. For a vegetarians, I find fritters made with vegetables and chick pea flour can be made the day before, and everyone loves them, or a vegetarian quiche or lasagne.
11. You can buy store bought pate and put it into tiny pots or bowls for each person, add a little herbs on top and serve with hot toast for an easy entrée.
12. Its always good to give the guests a little to do for the first course, a good example is to serve warm, toasted bread with a variety of bruschetta toppings.  This distracts them from you cooking, and starts the conversation.
13. Enjoy yourself.