My dear friend, Ozi, asked me to prepare a meal for his birthday party; a dinner party for 12. I kept the cookery simple and focused on quality local ingredients.
Smoked salmon torte
Coopers Stout crepes layered with Paris Creek quark with foraged black dill and capers. Served with a pickled fennel slaw.
Moroccan spiced chicken
Braised slow-grow chicken crusted with Moroccan spice. Served with a saffron pilaf and buttered beans. Harissa on the side.
Lemon delicious
Classic fluffy pudding with its own lemony custard sauce. Served with double cream.
The event went really well - everyone had a great time. I made a couple of errors with the menu, but no-one noticed. The worst was that I overdid the quantities - in some cases by double.
I had a few days to work with, so I did the shopping and as much preparation as I could the day before. I prepared the entree entirely the day before. On the day, I just had to dress the salad, slice the torte and serve.
On the day, I prepared the main. I made my spice mix by roasting a grinding spices. I cooked the chicken in the morning and reheated it just before serving. I cooked the pilaf just in time. The great thing about a pilaf is that once you have brought the rice to the boil, you can finish it in the oven. I timed this to go into the oven just as everyone sat down to their entree.
Dessert was, of course, freshly made. I prepared all the ingredients before the main went to the table. I excused myself early from the table and got the pudding into the oven. That left about 45 mins between main and dessert.
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