Fancy Dinner Party
 

I'm having 2 other couples over on Sunday evening for dinner. Both of the males in the couples are VP/C-level people in big companies, who I may some day want to work with. In other words, I need to impress!

What do you make for dinner when you need to impress someone? Do you have a fancy recipe that you dust off? Something that always works?

Can you please clue me in? :spin:

Thanks for any help.

Any chance there will be couples sex? :lol:

<----still obsessed.

But seriously, I believe a really good meal says it all. Everything just so and clean as a whistle is a great way to go.

I would suggest a light meat like fish or chicken and plenty of veges. Also, fresh fruit adds a real exotic feel to a formal dinner.

Hope that helps a bit. :ewe:

I love to cook but have not really had any formal dinner parties. This is also based on what would be available to me.

my suggestions:
hor dourves
blue cheese stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms
gorgonzola and carmelized onion bruschetta

salad
spinach with fresh oranges, dried cranberries, green onions and raw sunflower seeds ( candied walnuts are good too)
baby greens or torn romaine, finely chopped artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, black olives, fresh thick shavings of good romano

main course
dilled salmon

orange glazed pork loin

horseradish encrusted beef tenderloin

starches
cous cous with peas and sherry

roasted sweet potatoes

herbed new potatoes roasted with a balsamic glaze

veggies
asparagus

veggie stuffed baked patty pan squashes

green beans or carrots with slivered almonds

Dessert
I'd pick up some specialty desserts (like fancy cookies or pastries) and a great dessert wine or I make a great strawberry cake but it's too casual for this I think.

Good heavens!

Anything I follow that up with will look like the omelettes, blue soup & marmelade Bridget Jones served!

My only suggestion is to verify particular eating preferences. Vegetarian vs carnivore? Wife's allergic to shellfish?

Pasta is difficult to fuck up, if you aren't the world's best chef...similar to yours truly.

cocktails and a platter of finger sized pastry hor'dourves, or just a few upscale cheeses, olives, crackers, etc. on a board, for an appetite teaser. (i always prefer appetizers that you don't have to sit and eat. just something that can be nibbled while everyone chit chats and i can munch while i finish preparing dinner)

veal (or chicken if you are worried about the baby cow thing:p) marsala or a francaise with a nice lemon sauce and capers, asparagus with hollandaise and lump crab meat, spring baby greens with a raspberry vinaigrette (or just o and v) and roasted red potatoes with herbs and parm cheese.

key lime pie with a chocolate crust, topped off with freshly whipped cream for dessert


good god that ^^^ sounds fattening. and i'm hungry.

You are all great! Thanks for the wonderful ideas.

Now I need to make a trip to the store and see what looks fresh...veggies are hit or miss this time of year as the crops down here finish up early.

I'm making chicken marsala tonight! It's tradition...I always make it for myself the first night Mrs. WI is away. lmao

Can I have your recipe for chicken marsala? I am looking for something different to add into my repertoire!

Does this mean 'brats and brew' are not on the list? :confused:





:D

Naah....just some Schlitz. ;) Or some Boone's Farm. Both will be the highlight of the party. :D

Chicken Marsala is such an easy meal to make.

I usually use dark meat because it's more moist, but you can use boneless & skinless breast as well.

Pound it to about a half inch thick & slice into manageable pieces. Nothing less glamorous than trying to maneuver a giangantic slab of meat. Uh...so I hear. :D

Once pounded, dredge your breasts in flour (both sides, of course). Then dredge the chicken.

Sautee the chicken in a combo of a tsp each of EVOO & butter, until slightly browned & crunchy, then remove from pan & set to drain on a warm dish (so they don't cool off, or they'll get rubbery when reheated)

Please use fresh mushrooms, and when doing so...slice them thin & put them in the pan now. Sautee until they start to get tender.

Now add some Marsala wine to the pan and deglaze the carmelization. Put the chicken pieces back in & simmer about five minutes.

Some people prefer to thicken the sauce but I prefer it a little runny.

I also serve it over steamed brown rice.

Simple and delish.

Why am I not surprised...

I' assuming you were asking WI, osuche, and my recipe is similar but i'll share my variation anyway. :p

i dredge the chicken/veal in flour (that has s&p in it), then dip it in beaten egg, then dredge it in flour again.

i've also been known to add cream of tartar to the sauce if i have no wine. i know it sounds weird, but i accidentally added it to some chicken broth while deglazing a pan once and it gave the dish a yummy tangy flavor.

then again, it is a by product of wine making so maybe not so weird after all.:shrug:

I've done the egg & second flour dredging but found that I like the taste of the carmelized chicken a little better. Believe me though...the battered version wouldn't go untouched! :D

You both are great. You're also making me hungry. :D

Glad to help anytime. :D

You can help me eat it. :D :nana: :thumbs:

yeah...i guess it's more of a francaise marsala thingy. :D

i should clarify that the egg is combined with a bit of water and only slightly beaten, and the first coating of flour is very light...it only helps the egg stick better. you could skip the last flour coating and you'll get less of a batter-like crust and more of an egg like crust.

So, what did you make? How did the dinner go?

It's supposed to happen tonight, but we may go out to dinner. It's supposed to get to 99F tonight here, and I have no AC. Somehow slaving over a hot oven, and eating hot food, sounds like a bad idea.

<sigh>

I'll let you know what happens. Best laid plans and all that.

I would definitely opt for going out. Nothing zaps the appetite like heat.

I absolutely agree... :)

that means we should have sex, right? :D

We went out. But I didn't get sex, either. No fair!! :(

That's ok...I don't get lucky when I make marsala.



Then again, it's to be expected. I only make it when Mrs. WI is not home. ha ha

I could fix that ;)

Hmmmm... osuche, WI, Lil, and myself all together here...

Why does party mix come to mind? ;)

You guys should come here. We have central AC. Sweaty naked writhing calls for AC.

I can be on the 11 pm flight. :D

*grabs a sketchpad* ;)

would that be 11 eastern or pacific?

:D

Mine's at 10:57pm. :D

Too bad it's not the same flight...we could get an early start. ;)


wyndhy...PST, and it's a redeye flight. :) Thatway we have the entire day to test Lil's AC. :D

That is too bad... I've always wanted to join the Mile High Club. :hot:

wyndhy I'll set a plate/ pillow for you too ;)

*strolls in to see what's good to eat*

OMG! Late as usual...aren't I? *stomps foot* Damnitalltohell!

Lixy I am sure you are in time to eat the cold leftovers :D








To this day I think of you everytime I heat something up :D