Any suggestions for an apprehensive host, please?

Forums: Food And Drink, Bbq, Barbeque, Bbq Dinner
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This would be no big deal to most of you, I'm certain, but I'm not the most confident in these situations, so I'm asking for advice.

Next Wednesday I'm having 5 other people over for a BBQ dinner ... to do a trial run on my new BBQ griller-thing I recently bought. Normally I only cook for one other person at a time, so catering for more will be a bit more of a challenge.

OK, so there'll be steak. (Which I hardly eat at all, usually, but this being a BBQ ......)

And salads. Any suggestions for slightly different ones? (Remember it's summer in Oz, so think summer vegetables)

Then I'm thinking of a baby potato/garlicky dish cooked in a little olive oil in the microwave. (A yummy, easy dish I picked up from Barbara Kafka's Microwave Gourmet, ages ago.)

Any suggestions for another vegetable dish that might go down well with this lot?

OH, & dessert! Any tried & true EASY recipes that can be made before-hand? I'm not much of a dessert person, normally .... usually just fruit, or yoghurt, etc ... This time I'd like something nice. Very Happy

BIG CONSTRAINT!: I have a tiny kitchen (where most of the stuff, apart from the BBQ meat will be prepared.) So I can't use lots of pots, pans, utensils without creating utter havoc! Shocked

It's the quantity of food, for this number of people, to be produced in a small space that will be the biggest challenge.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated! Very Happy

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I am thinking of trying this dessert next time I throw a party - very very simple...

1 small ripe banana per person
Sugar
Rum

Slit the banana skin lengthwise, exposing the fruit.
Douse liberally with sugar
Bake in an oven till the sugar has caramelized and the banana has become soft and slightly mushy
Douse liberally with rum, light it with a long matchstick and serve flaming...

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I like that, G!
Just a wee bit worried about carrying the burning offering outside to the decking! It could turn into a moment of disgrace! Laughing

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msolga, I would say the lighter the better, Auzzie. I had a great rib eye last evening, and with it a tossed salad. I haven't eaten any red meat in quite a while and it was delicious. The crab cakes were good, too.

How about caesar salad, (with anchovies, of course), your potatoes, the prince's desert, and that's it--uncomplicated and yummy.

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Hmmm...summer fruit salad is made special by raspberry coulis and really good quality ice cream (BOUUGHT!) and/or great cream.

I often also serve a fruit platter with really nice chocolate truffles....arranged on a nice dish they look great, and are so simple...

Green bean salad is lovely....

Chicken or fish shishkebab are nice (to make a break from the damned steak) and can be bought ready made (from good shops they are fantastic)/

Chicken pandan can also be bought ready made, and other chicken dishes suitable for barbecues.

Rice makes a nice salad.

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Thank you, Letty & Deb!

Lots of ideas pinging around in my little head now! Very Happy

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here are some salad recipes:

http://search.able2know.com/Home___Garden/Food___Drink/Recipes/Salads/index.html

And barbeque:

http://www.barbecue-online.co.uk/bbq_recipes.htm

From the portal!!!!!

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Ah, thank you, Deb! Very Happy

My goodness, BBB is certainly a fund of food information!

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I'd normally cook something like a curry, probably vegetarian, some dal & rice. Pastas with yummy sauces, that sort of thing. One pot wonders. Baked, or roasted goodies. So this is a slightly different sort of thing for me: al fresco AND more guests than usual!

(is it al fresco or el fresco? Confused

)

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msolga wrote:

I like that, G!
Just a wee bit worried about carrying the burning offering outside to the decking! It could turn into a moment of disgrace!

You can carry it outside and then light it !! Laughing

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the prince wrote:

msolga wrote:
I like that, G!
Just a wee bit worried about carrying the burning offering outside to the decking! It could turn into a moment of disgrace!

You can carry it outside and then light it !!

Why didn't I think of that! Duh! Laughing

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any suggestions
dlowan mentioned rice salad. Here's what I do:

Cooled cooked white rice - or brown if you prefer
Carrots
Celery

Quantities depend on number of guests, of course; I'd be generous in my estimates.

I dice the celery and carrots fine enough so that they don't overwhelm each other; don't make the carrot pieces too big or people may find them too hard. The veggies are raw, of course.

Either make your own salad dressing or use a commercial one that you like. Let each guest help him/herself to the dressing, but be sure it gets well stirred so that the oil doesn't separate from the other dressing ingredients.

You don't need salt or seasoning for this, because the dressing has enough.

BTW, if you add small pieces of leftover cooked chicken to this, it makes a very fine lunch - or dinner, even, depending on quantity you prepare.

Enjoy.

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Any suggestions
And furthermore, you can make this even the day before. Very Happy

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I BBQ all the time. I can be quite the lazy cook so I like to do it easy when I can.
My favourite is baby zuchini (5-6 inched long) halved lengthwise grilled as they are with a little sea salt and olive oil and/or a dash of some other herbal seasoning.
Second recipe is kinda of like potatoes o'brian.
Take a whole bunch of baby potatoes, (any kind will do actually, but baby ones are my prefrence, I usually get a mix of different types as well, purple, gold, white....) use as many as you think you'll need and slice 'em up, about 1/4 inch think. Dice onions, green and red peppers, mushrooms, carrots whatever,,,, mix in a big bowl with fresh ground pepper, fresh dill, salt ect and a wee bit of flour.
Next take some big rolls of aluminum/tin foil spread two layers out, crossed as in a x.
Add a couple pats of butter, pour out potato mixture, add some chicken stock - a few tablespoons and wrap. It will take approximately 20 minutes to cook. Or you can do this without the potatoes and have just a medley of veggies.

Salad.

Dice Tomatoes - soft and juicy, sweet onion - spanish, avocado, cucumber and mix with feta cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soya sauce and a splash of lemon juice and some herbs - I suggest parsely and dill, fresh basil is nice too. You may have a very wet looking, uninspired salad but the longer it sits the better it tastes.

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Prince - isn't that Bananas Foster?

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Im in the middle of BBQ-ing season at the moment as well...
ok here's one I love which is quick and easy and fail safe and also a nice compliment to your other meats...

1.'Large' Button mushrooms
2.remove the stalks
3.stuff the hollow of the mushroom with marinade feta cheese
4.wrap the whole thing in a strip of bacon and seal with a toothpick
5. put 4 on a kishkebab stick and grill on BBQ until the bacon is cooked
about 5mins

it is sooo yummy you would only need about 2 per person as they are quite filling plus the beauty of it is, is that you can prepare this earlier in the day.

As for salads I just do the old traditional lettuce salad, with pine nuts and sunflower seeds etc with oil, a potato dish and a pasta dish and lots of different shaped breads which I sprinkle olive oil and 'Masterfoods'
Tuscany herbs with sprinkles of Parmesan cheese and grill in the oven.

Before you start cooking- put a plate of different cheeses (I use Brie,Camembert and a Port Salut) crackers and grapes and slices of melon out for your guests, that keeps them nibbling and talking...and will let you get on with the cooking!
Hope you have a nice evening Very Happy

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Is it mango season?

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Oh my goodness yes!

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msolga, if you're grilling steak, how about asparagus, either steamed or grilled, to go along with the garlicky potato dish? Asparagus is wonderful with steak.

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I don't know how you feel about spinach, but one of our favourites in the summer is this spinach salad. It's very refreshing.

For the dressing, combine an egg, about 1/3 cup of sugar, half a cup of vinegar, a little salt and half a tablespoon of bacon fat in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Cool and chill.

For the salad, use 10 ounces of fresh spinach, half a dozen slices of cooked, crumbled bacon, some chopped chives or green onions and orange sections. Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing.

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Any suggestions for an apprehensive host, please?

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