Dinner... FDM any suggestions?

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

Have to cook for a gathering tommorrow night.

Attendees....wife and friends... and her boss & his partner (foodie, wine buff, gay couple) - 10 in total. (Before anyone burns me... I cook, not the wife, because I get to decide what I eat and if you had to eat what my missus is capable of serving up...nuff said).

In need of inspiration...

PS KTF We've seen worse starts to a season and we've survived!

 

[Knightsworld]

Get a take away, SAFE option

 

[dunno]

You want FDM to give you some suggestions?? - he's rather busy at the moment packing for Boston

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Throw a few snags on the barbie and open a few tinnies mate , should be a bonzer do.

 

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

Is that Boston Mass a Chew sets?

 

[dunno]

no the Boston tea party

 

[clapham_gull]

Filet Mignon aux Oignons

and

Gratin Dauphinois

 

[Easy 10]

Chicken taco shells.
Just fry some chicken breast in a wok, chuck in the El Paso sauce, chop in some onion/red & green peppers/whatever you can find ni the back of the fridge. Bung it in a big bowl in the the middle of the table, give everyone some shells, leave out some lettuce and grated cheese, and let everyone dig in and make up their own tacos.

Snorted.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Starters
some sort of salad (avacado & crispy bacon on bed of mixed leaves) - prepare in advance, chuck a bit of dressing over and serve

Main
Knock up a pepper sauce - only thing that needs attention
Simple fillet steak - few mins in pan
Potato Dauphinoise - prepare stick in oven, forget
Red Cabbage - prepare stick in oven, forget

Desert
Creme brulee - prepare in advance, torch for couple of mins


I make the total to do on the night, chuck dressing over salad, make pepper sauce, slap steaks in pan , torch pudding


..... sorted

 

[CHAPPERS]

Chicken Nuggets and chips.

 

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

Get a take away, SAFE option

No decent Tandoori's in Perth

 

[Barrel of Fun]

DUCK

 

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

Chicken Nuggets and chips.

Ah... single bloke hanging onto his childhood

 

[Easy 10]

Phew, cheers Barrel. Just missed me.

 

[Stat Brother]

Do whatever Clapham Gull tells you.
He's never let me down.

 

[Seagullsgonnagetya]

Some promising stuff...maybe an incentive...20 quid for the winning 3 course menu...

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Chicken, garlic, herbs: a simple supper


INGREDIENTS:

free-range chicken – either a small bird, jointed by the butcher, or 2 chicken pieces per person, skin and bones to remain in place
olive oil
butter – a thick slice
garlic – 6 large, sweet cloves
herbs – a small bunch of parsley, plus tarragon, thyme or chervil
wine – a large glass of white wine or dry vermouth





PREPARATION:

1. Rub the chicken all over with a little oil and some black pepper. In a large pan – it can be high-sided or shallow but it must have a lid – warm enough olive oil to give a small puddle at the bottom, then add the butter. Once the butter starts to froth, put in the chicken pieces and keep the heat moderately high while they colour. A pale and relatively even gold is what you're after.
2. Meanwhile, put the whole unpeeled garlic cloves on a board and, with the flat blade of a knife, squash them so that they flatten but remain fairly intact. Throw them in with the chicken.
3. Turn down the heat so that the fat under the chicken is gently fizzing, then add a little sea salt, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook over a low to moderate heat. The time it takes to cook will depend on the thickness of your chicken joints, but you should expect them to need about 40 minutes. You'll have to turn them during cooking so that they colour on all sides.
4. While this is happening, pluck the leaves from the herbs and chop them roughly. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish or warm plates, then fish out the garlic (although the garlic has done its work, it may be sweet and tender and is worth adding to the plate, though the skin should be discarded at some point).
5. Tip most of the fat from the pan – what you're after is the golden, caramelised juice stuck to the bottom – then turn up the heat, pour in the wine and add the herbs and let it all bubble. Scrape away any stuck bits in the pan, encouraging them to dissolve into the wine with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble away for a minute or two until you have a thin liquor. It should be pale and interesting.
6. Now taste the juice for seasoning – it may need salt, pepper or a squeeze of lemon juice – and spoon it over the chicken.