Posted by: John Oxton on 27 Mar 2007
You finish work at 5pm your friends are due at 7pm how the hell are you going to get a dinner party ready in time?
There are four options, as I understand it:
- Go to the supermarket and grab some ready meals.
- Run round like a headless chicken, panicking, and produce something crap.
- Prepare it all the day before and reheat.
I often resort to the first option; Tesco’s Finest range is wonderful, and Marks and Spencer do a simply fantastic range of ready meals… and of course because I am an ex-chef everyone just assumes I knocked it together.
The last option is also a good one and bar souffle (which you could always do twice baked) and fresh fish, there isn’t much you can’t make ready and reheat.
During my time as a chef working in restaurants turning over 100-200 covers a night I became a master re-heater, and it is a fine art (NO MICROWAVES THANK YOU). Once you get it right, though, no one will be able tell.
For our particular situation, the after work dinner party, I would recommend meat that enjoys being overcooked, mashed potatoes, braised vegetables and stuff that just needs to be dunked in rapidly boiling water for a few minutes to cook (I am thinking noodles and green beans). Risotto also lends itself well to being partially cooked and then reheated with some water, butter and a touch of mascarpone (Now everyone who knows me understands why I always cook risotto ;))
As for Harry who inspired this post I would recommend the slow-braised belly pork from Roast Chicken and other stories it is a simply stunning dish; go to a good butcher though!
But wait, the fourth option! The fourth is my favourite but you need the kitchen to do it. You get all your friends round and get them to help cook their own dinner. This is my favourite option by far and fantastic fun… I just wish I had the kitchen to allow me to do this more often.
Comments
# on the Sunday April 1, 2007 Rachel Andrew added:
For fast and yummy food which looks like you spent ages on it Chinese food is good – most of the time is spent on the preparation – chopping up all the bits (ex-chefs are no doubt faster choppers than I am!) I do lots of stir fry and noodle dishes here for guests and just for us – fast and healthy food. If you have all the trimmings to hand, prawn crackers and some store bought spring rolls 30 minutes of cooking can look quite impressive.
# on the Sunday April 1, 2007 Graham Bancroft added:
If I was able to share my top tip it would be freshly prepared Minestrone soup with some posh bread and a hot chocolate fondant for a pud.
# on the Monday April 2, 2007 Harry added:
This Wednesday I will mostly be doing Nigel Slater’s leg of lamb roasted over sliced potatoes so the fat drips down to cook them. Looks good and is surprisingly labour free if you slice the pots the day before (and you get to go all hammer house of horror stabbing a big chunk of meat and stuffing garlic in it).
A little later I will be asking the assembled crowd if they know what an angry pirate is.
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