Dinner party menus - mains w/ minimal a la minute work

[robie]

I've been following eGullet for awhile and I don't recall a similar thread but, if this has been discussed, please excuse me and please refer me to the thread.

 

I have been struggling for menus for 2 couples (my wife, another couple, and me) because when the number of guests is small, it is undesirable to be gone for long periods to do a la minute cooking.  I have several really good stews/braised recipes which are good for quick plating and service.  However, I am looking to expand my repertoire and include a hot entree more suitable for warm or even hot weather (would be served indoors in A/C).  I'm really looking for something that can be quickly plated during a dinner party that is not stewed/braised.

 

HELP!!!

[curls]

Do you want to avoid bringing platters of food to the table and letting everyone serve themselves?

[chefmd]

Shellfish takes minutes to cook.  You can quickly saute shrimp or saute scallops and bring that to the table.  Especially if you have side dish ready and warm.

[Shalmanese]

Soups and salads are classic prep and serve dishes but I'm guessing you don't feel like they are mains-like enough to count. In that case, the oven is your friend. Things can go from oven to plate with relatively little fuss. So think about roasts, casseroles, baked potatoes, etc. You can also utilize the oven as a warmer. For example, sear off some steaks but keep the insides raw just before the guests arrive. Then, 20 minutes before the mains should be served, put the steaks in the oven and let them cook to temp.

[Shelby]

Lasagna.  

 

Any kind of SV meats.....hold them in the water bath and sear last minute.

[Darienne]

Lasagna and other such dishes, eg, Moussaka, Bobotie, Impossible Pie, are our favored ones.  Ploughman's meal would be another...all laid out ahead of time.  Roast turkey is a familiar one for visitors at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.  Never make last minute stuff...can't do it with grace.

[Deryn]

Veal (or chicken) piccata/scallopini is a last minute dish but it is really fast if you have the meat already pounded thin and the lemon slices cut up, etc. If you have a rolling cart (or kitchen island open to the dining area) and a plug in griddle you could even make it a la minute at the table for a bit of a show - and, I think it is also light enough for a summer indoor dinner. Likewise a shrimp scampi meal can be thrown together a la minute. Pre-boil (slightly under) some egg noodles and dip into a pot of boiling water for a few seconds (use a slotted scoop so you are not fishing for the strays). Add a salad for garnish/the vegetable component.

 

If you are looking for something a bit more ethnic and oven-centric but a bit different than just your basic stew, perhaps a tagine of some kind might fit the bill.

 

ETA: Fondue, hotpot, hot stone cooking is a great way to prep ahead and enjoy all your time with your guests over a good long dinner. Everyone just cooks their own dinner - and it can be done winter or summer.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Deryn (log)

[ElainaA]

I'd second the suggestions of shrimp. Marinated and on skewers, they take only minutes on the grill or under the broiler. You could accompany them with a rice or pasta based salad and good bread. 

Another thing we like in the summer is a marinated chicken and roast pepper dish that is served at room temperature. The peppers are roasted and the chicken (breasts) poached and sliced in advance,  everything is arranged on a platter (I put the chicken on top of the peppers) , add some olives and a good vinaigrette. You can do a similar thing with steak. Everything can be done in advance - then refrigerate it. It is best served close to room temperature but should not sit out long for food safety - I give it about half an hour out of the fridge. 

Edited February 15, 2016 by ElainaA (log)

[robie]

Thanks all.  Many great ideas here!

[robie]

I guess a non-lasagne pasta could work too?  2-10 minutes of semi-attended boiling followed by saucing?

[Thanks for the Crepes]

My go to for minimal last-minute work for a small summer dinner party is outdoor grilled beef steaks, fish or shrimp with twice baked potatoes and salad with a ready-to-serve dessert. In summer the dessert would be a refrigerated one. Ice cream is great too. Homemade popsicles, like the ones some of our members make with natural juices, fruit and sometimes booze, would be divine and impressive. Before the guests arrive, I make the salad and refrigerate. It's dressed at the last minute. Baked potatoes are super easy, but twice-baked are more festive. If I make those, I do the first bake and scoop out the insides, mash and stuff the night before, then refrigerate overnight. For me, some good cheese slices (not grated bits) is a must in them, preferably hoop.

 

All the meats I mentioned cook quickly on the grill, and at least my crowd likes to hang out at the grill with me quaffing an ice-cold personal beverage. Ribs can work here too. If you precook them low and slow beforehand, they don't take long to crisp up and brown on the grill. Before anyone can get too hot or bored, the meat is done, and we head inside to the A/C for dinner.

 

Oyster roasts on the grill can be a lot of fun too, but I like to do that in weather cool enough to keep the dining outdoors because it's so messy. Everyone shucks their own, and it's ultra casual, so not for everyone. Grilled corn on the cob, red peppers, zucchini and onion are great sides for this, along with some nice bread, which you might like to grill as well. I might take a boom box out on the deck, but other than that, the entertainment is the conversation and interaction of the diners, and the cooking of the food.

 

A similar outdoor casual and fun summer dinner is the Carolina Low Country Boil. That's peel-and-eat shrimp, corn on the cob, smoked sausage, potatoes, onions and crab if you got it, all boiled together in the same pot. This can be done on the side burner of your gas grill or on your turkey fryer, if you have one outdoors. If not, you can do it on a smaller scale indoors on the stove top in a big pot, and then bring the food outside. Again good bread is a nice accompaniment. If you're lucky enough to source crayfish, it can be turned into a Cajun crawdad boil. Some pour the entire pot without draining onto newspaper on the picnic table. I prefer to scoop out the food onto large tray/s or bowl/s and place that on the table.

 

A roll of paper towels is the centerpiece of the picnic table for both an oyster roast and a low country or crayfish boil. 

 

Winter is lasagna with the trusty salad and garlic bread. I usually like garlic bread made on the grill or stove top, but when minimizing last-minute work, it's very tasty from the oven, and can be assembled and foil-wrapped the night before, then refrigerated. I like a hot dessert in winter, and I'm especially fond of baking a pie while we eat the main meal. Pre-assembled, of course.

[Jaymes]

8 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

A similar outdoor casual and fun summer dinner is the Carolina Low Country Boil.

 

Which makes me think of one of my favorite wintertime dinner party meals - New England Boiled Dinner.

 

Everything is in that pot - corned beef, vegetables, etc.  I have an assortment of sauces ready - horseradish, assorted mustards - and some really good breads.  That's it, and you're off to the table.

 

Here's Emeril's recipe, which is basically exactly how everybody makes it, although there's not really much to it, if you buy one of the already-corned beef products.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/new-england-boiled-dinner-recipe.html

 

If you corn your own beef, that's done way ahead of time, so nothing last-minute to take you away from your guests.

 

For more casual winter dinner parties, you can't go wrong with a big pot of chili, and some cornbread. 

 

My best advice for hot weather entertaining is to divide and conquer.  You say you're part of a couple.  Can't one of you be outside with the cooker/grill/smoker while the other is finishing up the salad, bread, sides, inside?

 

Also, when we're entertaining in the summer, we often come up with sides that can also be grilled outdoors - veggie k-bobs with squash, peppers, onions.  And, at Thanksgiving, when turkeys are a loss-leader, I always bought a couple extra and asked the butcher to cut them in half.  Entertaining in the summer was a breeze with one of those turkey halves smoked out on the grill.  And I served it with some of those veggie skewers and a congealed cranberry and apple salad.

 

Fish on the grill is quick and easy. 

 

In addition to veggie skewers cooked at the same time as the main, think in terms of veggie/side casseroles.  Wonderful squash casseroles, and rice and broccoli, and other dishes that can be baked ahead of time.

 

For salads, I usually put the dressing into the big salad bowl first, then onions and sliced fresh mushrooms, or anything else that I want to marinate for a while.  Stick that whole bowl into your fridge, with everything else - lettuce, etc. - waiting all prepped and ready to go in plastic bags.  Last minute - pull out bowl with dressing and onions and mushrooms, add greens, toss.

 

I've lived in several really warm climates and really hated being stuck in a hot kitchen, so I know what you're going through.  Not only is it unpleasant, but a hot oven can heat up the rest of your house.  I often would bake a large ham the day before, then just heat up the individual slices to serve - either on grill outside, or in frypan, or under broiler.   

 

In keeping with summertime dinner party cook-it-in-the-backyard advice, I remember my number-one, very favorite "fancy" dinner party dish.  Butterflied leg of lamb.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2016 by Jaymes (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I completely forgot about potato salad, which can be completely made the night before, and refrigerated overnight. It's an excellent side dish for many grilled meats. I like mine chunky with some firmness left in the potato with eggs, celery with leaves, white onion, parsley, mustard and mayo. Paprika on top is pretty. There are a gazillion recipes, and a lot of them are good. Talk about no-fuss last minute plating for a hot summer day's party!

 

Pasta salad is good too, but maybe not as popular as potato, with again, myriad recipes.

[Lisa Shock]

If the weather isn't too warm, you could make a large roast, or roast a duck or turkey. In some cases, you'd be wanting to rest the meat for 30-45 minutes, so, it would effectively be done and waiting for you as guests arrive. (I recall seeing a recipe for turkey that called for resting it for the same number of hours it got roasted!) Sides, could be held warm in the oven: dressing, roasted mixed vegetables, etc. Instead of salads, you could start the meal with an antipasti platter which could be assembled hours in advance and simply kept cold. Terrines and galantines could be another starter option, with maybe a relish tray.

 

Of course, lots of great desserts can be made in advance, from easy things like pots d'creme or pound cake, to more complex items like charlottes.

[robie]

Many thanks to all the Egulleteers.  I have a goodly number of ideas here and will try them all.