Appetizers:

Fire feta with pita triangles

Bacon jam crostini with brie (like these)

Main course:

Moroccan meatball tangine with cilantro garlic cous cous

Dessert:

White chocolate nutmeg pot de creme  with chocolate whipped cream

Drinks:

2 bottles red wine

My thoughts:

These appetizers were fun. Why are appetizers always the most fun? Fire feta is super easy but still interesting and unexpected. The bacon jam was a huge hit (obviously!) and I loved it on crostini with brie. Mini grilled cheese might work well, too!

The meatball tangine was something very new for me, and I think it turned out well. Very complex flavor but not necessarily spicy or overpowering. I hope I still think its good today, because I have a lot leftover. I was able to prep the stew and brown the meatballs, and then just throw the whole thing in the oven when people arrived. Perfect! A few edits I made to the recipe:

• halved the amount of tomatoes
• substituted half dried apricots and half regular raisins for golden raisins
• used 1 cup onion (3 1/2 cups seemed like a LOT)
• added 1 cup chickpeas
• brown meatballs before adding to stew

I loved the white chocolate pots de creme. I have been looking for white chocolate recipes (tarts, pot de cremes, mousses, etc) so I´m happy to have at least this one under my belt. I got a little heavy-handed with the nutmeg, though, so I would try to exercise more restraint with the microplane next time.

All in all, it was a good dinner! Plenty of food but not too much, and the timeline worked out perfectly. I´m usually a bigger fan of weekend dinners, but it was nice to have something special happening on a Monday. Perhaps more weekday dinner parties are in the future!

despite being an irish farm girl, mum’s cooking repertoire tends to be influenced mostly by her 15 years in canada. any canadian child of the 80s will be very familiar with the best of bridge cookbook series. my mother has every single edition, and the majority of our family favourites come from within their pages. brandied peaches is one of them.

you could also use fresh peaches when they’re in season – leave the skins on, washed, and the peaches will get a delicious rosy tinge to them as they bake. gorgeous! but what i love about this recipe is that it’s so simple, with ingredients you can pick up anytime of year at the corner store, let alone the supermarket.

as usual, i couldn’t help tweaking the classic recipe just a little (sorry mum) to create lots of sauce and a more caramelised peach.

for three people you will need:

• one can of peach halves (six peach halves)
• one knob of butter per peach half (approx 55g total)
• 2/3 cup, plus one tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of brandy
• one tsp of cinnamon
• good quality vanilla ice cream

pre-heat the oven to 175c/ 350f. place the peach halves in a dish and retain the syrup (you’ll want about 1/4 cup worth). top each peach half with a knob of butter. combine the syrup, brandy, brown sugar (minus the extra tbsp), and half the cinnamon and pour over the peaches into the dish. sprinkle the remaining cinnamon over the top.

don’t forget to do the haagen dazs squeeze

bake for 25 mins, basting occasionally. once the peaches are done, turn on the grill (broiler), sprinkle the peaches with the extra brown sugar and move them up to the top shelf for five minutes. this gives them an extra glazed, caramel-y cheek.

to serve, add two peaches per person to a big dollop of ice cream and drizzle with a generous serving of syrup. the hot peaches and sauce melt the ice cream, creating a syrupy vanilla soup. absolutely delicious i tells ya. once the peaches are gobbled up, you should have some extra sauce left over for second helpings.

we’d love to hear from you – tweet us at @peanut_buttered or @andreamagrath or you can follow us on facebook here

recipe adapted from best of bridge

Appetizer:
Hummus with Peppers and Pita Chips

Meal:
Niman Ranch Burgers with Cheddar, Tomato, Caramelized Onion, and Spicy Mayo
Orzo and Zucchini Salad
Grilled Corn

Dessert:
Ice Cream Cones

The hummus, pita chips, ice cream, and ice cream cones are all store-bought, which saves some time and prep work.  Here’s the prep schedule I followed for a 6 p.m. dinner party on a Friday:

Anytime Thursday:
Chill beverages
Wash and iron napkins (unless you’re using disposables)
Make caramelized onions (part of Niman Ranch Burgers recipe) and refrigerate
Make spicy mayo (combine light mayo and Chalula or other hot sauce to taste) and refrigerate

Friday morning or afternoon (work takes 60 – 90 minutes):
Slice peppers for hummus (I usually do a very large dice instead of strips because bigger pieces are better for dipping) and refrigerate
Slice zucchini for orzo salad and refrigerate
Wash, dry, and tear basil for orzo salad and refrigerate
Make corn packets (recipe follows) and refrigerate
Make burger patties (place squares of wax paper between each patty for easy use later; store on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container) and refrigerate
Set table (unless you’re serving buffet-style)
Set serving dishes aside (this prevents me from having to root around for dishes and ask my guests to move while they’re enjoying appetizers at my kitchen island)

5:00 p.m.: Make Orzo and Zucchini Salad (zucchini is already sliced and basil is ready to go).  Cover and set aside until dinnertime.  (For best flavor, do not refrigerate.)

5:45 p.m.: Set out hummus, peppers, and pita chips.

6:00 p.m.: Guests arrive!  Make sure everyone has a beverage.

6:15 p.m.: Pre-heat grill on high.

6:30 p.m.: Scrub grill with wire brush.  Lower heat to medium-high.  Cook corn packets according to recipe.  While corn is cooking, slice tomato for burgers and set out caramelized onions, spicy mayo, and any other desired burger condiments. Slice hamburger buns (if they aren’t pre-sliced).  These are good tasks for guests if you want help!

6:50 p.m.: Remove corn packets from grill and set aside.  Lightly oil grill and cook burgers according to recipe (about 4:30 per side).  Place cheddar cheese slices on burgers during last minute of cooking.

7:00 p.m.: Dinner is served!  Let guests assemble their own burgers, and serve with orzo salad and corn.

Once everyone’s food has settled, set store-bought ice cream on the counter for 10 minutes to soften.  Scoop ice cream into store-bought cones to serve. (Or, if you want to put in a little more effort, set up an ice cream bar with bowls, sprinkles, and other toppings.)

Here’s my corn recipe for anyone who wants to give it a try:

Jenny’s Grilled Corn
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 ears sweet corn
Olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Method:
Remove the husks and silk from the corn.  Place each ear of corn on a large piece of foil.  Brush each ear with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Fold in the sides of the foil and roll around each ear to completely enclose the corn in foil. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Heat grill to medium-high.  Place corn on grill and cook for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.  Remove foil and serve.

This meal was seriously fantastic.  My friend Christopher equated it to restaurant food, which is a wonderful compliment.  The burgers were juicy and deliciously sloppy (have lots of napkins!), the corn was tender and smoky, and the orzo salad was bright and fresh.  I love that the appetizer and dessert courses were so easy thanks to store-bought elements, and the rest of the meal really did require minimal work while my guests were present.  Perfection!  I’ll definitely use this menu again.

TIPS:  Have a vegetarian guest?  Add Balsamic Portobello Burgers with Red Pepper and Goat Cheese or store-bought veggie burgers to the menu.  Also, I feel like a key element of a good burger (meat or veggie) is that the bread doesn’t overwhelm the patty.  I love, love, love SuperTarget’s mini Kaiser rolls (available in the deli section) for this reason; they’re the perfect size.

Recipe links: Niman Ranch Burgers and Orzo and Zucchini Salad

I actually made the pie twice; I experimented on my family when they came to dinner two Sundays ago (I’m glad they welcome my tests!), and then I served it at the dinner party mentioned above.  I got fantastic results both times, but I have to admit I made a significant substitution.  Knowing that there are 50 calories and 5 grams of fat per tablespoon of heavy cream, I just couldn’t pile 32 tablespoons worth onto my pie.  Couldn’t do it.  I used an 8-ounce container of Cool Whip Lite instead and saved 37 Weight Watchers PointsPlus points for the entire pie.  I would probably dig out the cream if I planned to serve the pie to hardcore foodies, but my guests certainly didn’t have any complaints.  Here’s the recipe:

Easy Press-In Pie Crust
Prep time: 10 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes plus cooling | Yield: One nine-inch pie crust

Ingredients:
6 ounces cookies (about 12 graham crackers, 46 vanilla wafers, or 30 chocolate wafers, such as Famous)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups).  Add sugar, salt, and butter and pulse until combined.

Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  (If using a springform pan, press crumbs halfway up sides.)  Bake until crust is dry and set, about 12 minutes.  Let cool completely in plate on a wire rack before filling.

Coconut-Key Lime Pie
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice
7 large egg yolks
1 Easy Press-In Pie Crust, made with graham crackers
2 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, coconut milk, lime juice, and egg yolks until smooth.  Pour into crust and bake until set but still slightly wobbly in center, 40 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, then refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 1 day).

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.  To serve, top pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Source: Everyday Food, November 2010

My notes:

• When making the crust, I would recommend adding the salt while you’re grinding the graham crackers for the best distribution.  I often enjoy being able to taste the salt in sweet things, but you might want to cut the salt to 1/8 teaspoon if salt isn’t your thing.
• Beware the unsweetened coconut milk!  I’m used to using sweetened coconut milk, which is pretty smooth and creamy.  The unsweetened, first press stuff is basically chunks and water; I still haven’t figured out how to successfully get it all out of the can without splashing coconut water somewhere.  Also, I would recommend whisking it separately until smooth before adding it to the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, and egg yolks.  My filling came together much more easily when I did this.
• I’m usually a from-scratch-all-the-way kind of gal, but when the two grocery stores I visited didn’t have key limes, I just went with the bottled stuff (although it was specifically key lime juice, not just lime juice).  One of my guests commented that he wasn’t usually into citrus desserts because the flavor is typically too intense, but he liked the mellow flavor of this pie.  The coconut probably helped as well.
• My pie needed 45 minutes (instead of 40) at 325 degrees to be reasonably set with a wobbly center.
• I already mentioned the heavy cream swap.

This pie is seriously yummy.  The graham cracker crust is divine – sweet, buttery, salty, crunchy – and I love the bright but mellow citrus-coconut filling.  The cream (real or not!) and toasted coconut on top are great textural elements.  This recipe is perfect for summer, for Southwestern or tropical menus, or for any time you need a little sunshine in the form of dessert.  I’ll be making this one again for sure.

Recipe links: Easy Press-In Pie Crust and Coconut Key-Lime Pie

It occurred to me today that I might be able to save time for some of you by posting the menus I’ve put together for dinner parties at my house.  I try to plan things that go together nicely and that will allow me to do as much work as possible before my guests arrive.  (We usually have cocktails and apps around my kitchen island, so the last thing I want my guests to see is me frantically trying to put a meal on the table.)  Saving time and lessening stress is always a good thing, right?

Last night, Dr. O and I hosted a typical fall dinner party with one exception: we had a vegetarian guest.  Now, vegetarians certainly aren’t unusual and I’ve worked with more challenging diets, but I came to realize that I didn’t have many recipes in my entertaining arsenal that didn’t include meat.  I first experimented with Hearty Root Vegetable and Mushroom Stew from my copy of The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010.  While it certainly wasn’t bad, it wasn’t dinner party food; my friend Christopher suggested that I was expecting a miracle out of a vegetable stew.  After some discussion, we came up with the menu below for six guests.

Appetizers:
Spinach dip and lemon artichoke dip from Whole Foods (I’ll take help where I can get it!)
Crackers
Cucumber slices (as a dipping alternative)
Mixed olives
Roasted, salted almonds (from Whole Foods bulk section – fantastic!)

Meal:
Perfect Macaroni and Cheese
Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
Simple Roasted Tomatoes (Just toss any quantity of cherry tomatoes in a roasting pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper; roast for 15 to 20 minutes towards the end of the macaroni and cheese baking time.)

Dessert:
Pear and Berry Crisp

Here’s the preparation schedule I followed for a 7 p.m. dinner party.  (Yes, I am one of those people.  Having a schedule totally reduces stress and the likelihood that I’ll forget something, though.)

Anytime Friday:
Chill wine
Wash and iron napkins
Make and store crisp topping

Saturday morning or afternoon (work takes approximately 1 hour):
Slice and store shallots for green beans (refrigerator)
Rinse, trim, and store green beans (refrigerator)
Wash and dry cherry tomatoes, place them in roasting pan, and store (counter)
Wash, slice, and store cucumbers (refrigerator)
Thaw berries for crisp
Wash and slice pears for crisp
Assemble fruit portion of crisp and store (refrigerator)
Set table

5:45 p.m.: Make macaroni and cheese (hold at room temperature until baking time)

6:30 p.m.:
Put out appetizers
Put pot of water for green beans on stove (no heat yet)
Put pot for cooking shallots on stove with shallot butter inside (no heat yet)
Preheat oven for macaroni and cheese

7:00 p.m.: Guests arrive!

7:15 p.m.:
Put macaroni and cheese in oven
Start boiling bean water

7:30 p.m.:
Put tomatoes in oven (beneath macaroni)
Start cooking shallots

7:45 p.m.:
Remove macaroni from oven
Add green beans to boiling water

7:50 p.m.:
Remove tomatoes from oven
Drain green beans and toss with butter, salt, and pepper
Combine green beans with caramelized shallots
Change oven temperature to 400°F for crisp
Serve dinner

8:30 p.m.: Put crisp in oven

9:15 p.m.: Remove crisp from oven

9:35 p.m.: Serve warm crisp with vanilla ice cream

It seems like a lot of steps, but since I did things like put the bean water and shallot butter on the stove ahead of time, I’d say the actual amount of hands-on work that needs to be done while guests are standing around takes fewer than 10 minutes. Consequently, I can actually interact with and enjoy my guests (the point) instead of working myself into a frenzy (so not the point!).

The food turned out really well.  I’ve made Perfect Macaroni and Cheese (here’s a link to my post) and Pear and Berry Crisp (my post) before; both are absolutely to die for.  The tomatoes and the green beans were perfect complements to the macaroni.  I would normally serve a buttery chardonnay (like La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay) with this dinner, but my friend brought a red (2005 La Baronne Alaric) with the dish in mind; it paired beautifully.

So that’s my dinner party…  What do you think?  Do you consider this type of post helpful, or not so much?  I’d love to hear from you!

I’ll be sharing recipes and tips on Caribbean food and cooking.  My tips will be based on real questions I’ve been asked by clients, journalists and friends over the years.  In fact, my best friend who is a fabulous cook, but unfamiliar with Caribbean cooking, has given me quite challenging list to get cracking on!  This will range from how to use various ingredients such as coconut cream and coconut milk to where to buy pimento berries and whether you should eat them (don’t!).

Over the years I’ve served Caribbean dishes to non-Caribbean friends at dinner parties and have been chuffed that the food has gone down so well and with their eagerness to know more about the food and how it’s prepared.

Caribbean cuisine conjures up ‘the exotic’ and in many people’s minds that equals complicated cooking, but that couldn’t be further from the truth – having cooked dishes from countries around the globe, I can honestly say that Caribbean cooking is one of the easier ones.   It’s not a restrictive form of cooking – you can use your creative flair to adapt recipes to your taste.  Each Caribbean island cooks dishes of the same name in different ways and they all taste divine.

I’ve been cooking Caribbean food since I was a youngster (observing my parents cooking, was all it took to learn – my mother still does the best Macaroni Cheese; a big favourite of Caribbeans).   Since becoming a personal chef, I’ve learned to adapt my menu to the English palate.  It’s a myth that English people don’t like spicy food – they certainly do – but there are definitely preferred dishes, for example, Escoveitch Fish, Coconut Prawns, Ackee Fried Rice, Ackee & Salt Fish Vole-au-Vents. My menu is constantly being refined to reflect these tastes.   I’ll be sharing these favourite recipes and look forward to hearing your experiences with Caribbean food.

1830 Breakfast
Gin, Apricot, Rock Candy, Bacon and Cinnamon Chocolate

Pigs Ear and Split Pea Soup
Smoked Ham Hock, Onion

Ramps “Pata Negra”
Garlic, Prosciutto, Poached Egg

Roasted Pig’s Heart with Spätzel
Thyme, Butter, Brussel Sprout Leaves, St. John’s “Green Sauce”

Tongue-in-Cheek
English Cider, Crackling, Risotto “Rumbledethumps”

Exploding Pig
Apple, Graham Crackers, Pop Rocks, Vanilla Meringue Dusting

Pig Heart

Ramps “Pata Negra”

“The tomato trilogy”

• “White Beauty” pale gazpacho amuse

• “Black Prince” tomatoes with burrata, balsamic reduction

• “Striped German” tomato panzanella

Amuse-Gueule - Gazpacho

First course – Sauteed scallops with pea puree and Sauternes sauce

Main course – Vegatable moussaka

Desert – Apple and calvados suffles

Wines served:

• Madeira (Henriques & Henriques single harvest 1995)
• Sauvignon blanc (Sileni estate 2007, New Zealand)
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape (2003 Clefs des Papes)
• Sauternes
• Taylors ruby port

At this point, you are ready to prepare a standard meal, but now you have been able to prepare food in a kitchen scene that is unknown and probably a bit intimidated, at least a little unsure of what to do. Endless complications and culinary deadlocks are running through your Noggin. You’re probably thinking, “What can I enforce my clients vegetarian and carnivore not scare my guests away … what can I do to fix this problem?” This’ problem ‘is actually more of a challenge. To vegetarian cooking is not a nuisance, either, nor is it difficult to resolve.

There are simple ways to ensure your party is a success and goes well with all your guests. Consider some of the following suggestions:

Consult a Vegetarian Recipe:

There is an abundance of resources available in the recipe-book form and format of the Internet is available before starting to cook for his party. Easy recipe range of levels involved. What you should try a beginner or intermediate of the recipe, and less inconvenience and assure that the basic preparation vegetarian.

Be sure to use a strictly vegetarian specific recipe instead of modifying a standard recipe to be vegetarian. Doing this just to avoid cooking with ingredients that are hostile vegetarians. Ingredients not included in many vegetarian recipes can include additives for animal feed and for vegetarians, who are trying to avoid.

Even when reading a vegetarian recipe, be aware of all the ingredients to be used. Research each one, the fact none of the animals or products of add-ons.

Not stress about the business:

Vegetarian friendly grocers are almost everywhere. In its current form, each store has a section of products, some more diverse than others, but still, vegetables and fruit are many and not difficult to achieve. And if the practice were not what you’re looking for grocery stores can be visited. Farmer’s markets and organic grocers can provide a wide range of quality fresh produce.

If you are interested in place of meat, a vegetarian section in any grocery store is your best bet. Any type of meat has some sort of vegetarian option. Forms vegetarian lunch meat, chicken, pork, etc. are available in frozen packages that can be prepared to your taste in food or specifications.

Separate the meat of vegetarian dishes:

When all of his party and cooked foods ready to serve, make sure that the meat dishes and vegetarian dishes are served in separate dishes. Even considering visibly marked dishes including meat and non-labeled cards they folded.

This might be a bit silly, but also be aware of serving utensils to keep separate. Assign each dish its own service and fork or spoon. Do this to avoid mixing with meat dishes vegetarian dishes by sharing utensils. Even if a utensil used to serve a dish of meat touches the wrong dish, especially vegetarians, vegetarian could easily be invited to agree not to eat the dish.

Therefore, it is finally here and feast, guests are about to arrive. You continued to think through some recipes, shop for the best vegetarian food and products, and even the flesh of his jacket to the test methods and serve. When the time comes to leave your guests in your party, it is hoped. They do it because you have taken important steps to be a gracious and welcoming host. This presents, as your guests are comfortable, whether vegetarian or not. Enjoy your party and the company knowing everything is ok.