3 course meal for 8 people

AstonMartin

If you only have the standard kitchen appliances available to you and want to cook a 3 course meal for 8 people what would you cook? It doesnt have to be too fancy but a nice fairly healthy meal would be expected.

Lornen

Hmmm.. Nothing fancy. Considerably healthy..

Are they your friends or are you trying to impress alot of people you don't know, Come Dine With Me style? :P

If it was a few friends around, I'd go Mexican.
Loads of spices and it doesn't have to get too unhealthy as long as you watch the cheese!

I'd probably have tortillas with a few homemade salsa's and dips for starters, chicken enchiladas for mains with some mexican rice and for dessert I'd have some fresh fruit with this sticky cinnamon sauce.

Most Mexican desserts are caramel/chocolate/fried with lots of butter, so a simple fruit salad of strawberries, grapes, apples, bananas, papaya and peaches would be gorgeous. You could even omit the caramel cinnamon sauce if you wanted to up the health metre.


I love Mexican food. Those Old El Paso kits aren't exactly traditional Mexican, but they are decent. The packet says to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, cook, then put the sauce in. I'd recommend you boil the chicken in some water spiked with cayenne pepper and garlic, wait til it's cool and then shred it with a jagged knife or by hand (I do it by hand but it can be quite time consuming, worth it though!!) I think when you seal the chicken and then introduce the sauce, the majority of the chicken isn't exposed and the flavour cannot penetrate the chicken. If you shred it finely, then the sauce coats alot more of the chicken and you aren't getting big nasty hunks of chicken through the enchiladas. After I've shredded the chicken, I then I mix the tomato and spice mix, chop a good handful of jalapeño's and throw it into the tomato mix before adding the chicken. Don't forget to keep some of this tomato sauce aside for over the top of the enchiladas, although if you forget, they do an Enchiladas sauce in a jar you could always pick up

Rant, rant, rant :pac:

Even if I haven't swayed you on Mexican, hopefully I've given you an idea anyway All the best!

bmarley

Just wondering too if you are participating in Come Dine With Me. Love this show and great for getting ideas about menu's etc.

I would start with something like caesar salad or home made garlic mushrooms. Both easy to make. Lasagne is an easy dish to make for a large group and could be served with baked potatoes/cuts and home made coleslaw/salad. My dessert would be banoffee pie with a selection of ice-cream.

Good luck:)

AstonMartin

Just family and friends. Thanks for the ideas.

neuro-praxis

Very simple options:

Starters that take minutes to prepare:
Melon and parma ham
Smoked salmon with cream cheese and brown bread
Smoked salmon pate, with crusty bread

Simple main courses:
A piece of fish or chicken per person, seasoned well and baked, with a selection of fresh steamed or roasted veg, and an appropriate sauce or gravy to go
or
A large pot of slow-cooked stew, or curry, served with crusty bread or rice/naan etc.

Healthy desserts:
As suggested above, fresh fruits with a sauce, or cream or ice cream
Fruit crumble with oaty topping, with custard or ice cream
Fresh fruit sorbet

rgiller

This is a great, very easy main course:

Chicken and chorizo bake

arknine

Difficulty for 8 people is managing portions etc .... for example, one chicken will not really be enough.


One-Pot ideas are great and simple.... and can be scaled up for portion sizes and made a day in advance - leaving them overnight REALLY helps the flavour

Coq au Vin.
Beef in Guinness
Boeuf Bourguignon

Served with a Gratin or Pommes Dauphinoise.. (basically some root vegetables roasted in the oven with milk/cream/& cheese)

If you go for a main course like one of those, you need a starter to balance it. Something light.

How about Baked Herbed Goats Cheese (squash your own herbs into cheese before baking) with a Rocket Salad with Pomegranate Seeds with a drizzle of honey?
Or Chicory salad with apples and toasted pine nuts? You could add some bacon bits to the salads or some smoked chicken breast..

And for Desert you can make an eton mess using pre-made meringue bought from a supermarket. Super simple and tasty..