For my dinner party I'd make three of my favourite meals, starting with a lentil soup garnished with parsley. My main course will be a chicken dish called 'summer in winter chicken with salad and lastely my desert will be a chocolate and raspberry roulade.
My starter;
lentil soup garnished with parsley
Ingredients
1/2 cup red or brown lentils
2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
1 onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 pint single cream
salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin seeds crushed
2 potatoes
Method
1. Peel and finely chop the onion and soften it in the olive oil over a low heat.
2. Add the lentils, the peeled and chopped potatoes and the cumin seeds.
3. Cook for a few minutes but do not allow to brown.
4. Add the stock and bring to the boil.
5. Cook gently for about 40 minutes.
6. The mixture should reduce to a nice soupy consistency.
7. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
8. Blend well and season.
9. Stir in the cream and return to a gentle heat.
10. Do not allow to boil.
11. Serve hot sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.
My main course will be;
Summer in winter chicken
ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
200g pack cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp pesto
3 tbsp crème fraîche (half fat is fine)
fresh basil
Method
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, preferably non-stick. Add the chicken and fry without moving it until it takes on a bit of colour. Turn the chicken and cook on the other side. Continue cooking for 12-15 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Season all over with a little salt and pepper.
2. Halve the tomatoes and throw them into the pan, stirring them around for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Reduce the heat and stir in the pesto and crème fraîche until it makes a sauce. Scatter with a few basil leaves.
My dessert;
Chocolate and raspberry roulade
ingredients
200g- plain chocolate, broken into pieces
150g- caster sugar
5 medium eggs seperated
100g white chocolate broken into pieces
284ml carton double cream
2tbsp icing sugar
to dust white chocolate curls and fresh raspberries to decorate
Method
1. Preheat oven to Gas 4/180°C/350°F. Line a 33 x 23cm (13 x 9in) swiss-roll tin with baking parchment. Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl for 3-4 mins until very thick. Fold in chocolate. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites until stiff.
2. Beat 2tbsp of egg whites into the chocolate mixture then fold in remainder. Pour mixture into tin. Bake for 15-20 mins until risen and just firm to the touch. Sift icing sugar on to a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Turn out the roulade on to the paper and cover with a clean, damp teatowel. Leave to cool.
3. Melt white chocolate in a pan over simmering water. Cool for 5 mins. Whip cream until peaking then fold in the melted chocolate. Remove the baking parchment from roulade. Spread over chocolate cream. Using the paper as a guide, roll up roulade from one short end. Decorate with chocolate curls and raspberries.
I have picked these meals because they are three of my favourite foods and i would like to try and impress my guests with the skills that are involved in doing these dishes.
I would hold my party on Sydney Harbours dinner cruise, because i have always wanted to move to Australia and i like the idea of dining on a boat with a vast amount of entertainment.
The six guests that i' invite to my dinner party would be;
JESSE LACEY- He is the lead singer of my favourite band 'BrandgreaT stories. He is my idle and i'd love to have a conversation with him and find out for myself what he is realy like.
JOHNNY IUZZINI- He's the reason i want to become a pastry chef, i've seen him make so many talented and amazingly astonishing deserts. I want to be a pastry chef more than anything in the world and he inspires me more than anyone else. Having him there to taste my food would be amazing and he could give me tips on how to improve.
ADAM SANDLER- He is my favourite actor ever and he is also a great comedian so he would be great company for the rest of my guests and his stories would be awesome.
KURT COBAIN- He was a great musician and wrote alot of amazing songs also would love to find out if he killed himself or if he got murdered...
NEIL PATTRICK HARRIS(BARNEY STINSON)- He is my favourite character in my favourite tv-show 'how i met your mother', also because he is awesome! true story.
