Hosting a dinner party can be hard work as it is, but when you introduce the complexities that come with entertaining outside, you want to make your menu as stress-free as possible.
We enlisted the help of The Devilled Egg’s Barbora Ormerod to give us their top tips on how to host without the heat of the kitchen.
“Canapés are a terrific way to boost a dinner party. These little bites feature intense, pleasing flavours and textures to stimulate both the appetite and pre-dinner drinking, raising spirits all around. Two or three different choices will usually suffice unless it’s a drinks party with no other food, in which case six to ten types of canapé is more like it.
The problem is that, although we enjoy canapés, we often can’t be bothered to make them ourselves. The trick, as with most home cooking, is to simplify the work and maximise the fun. Here are some basic tips:
- Complex is not necessarily better. In fact, the simplest combinations are often the most effective. Use quality, in season ingredients and make them centre stage.
- Make use of fillers. Pimped-up popcorn, for instance, is extremely easy to make. Pop the kernels in a closed pan with flavoured oil and dried herbs or spices. Once it’s done you can toss them in melted butter or finely grated cheese. For a summery version, get hold of freeze-dried berries and add to buttered popcorn.
- Technically, there should always be some hot canapés but during summer we think this can be ignored. If you do serve a hot one make a big show of it, perhaps with a miniature serving of fish and chips or a tiny beef burger.
- Plan a meat, fish and a vegetarian option. I like to serve soup in shot glasses or espresso cups – gazpacho with a spicy prawn on top is a solid, refreshing option for summer, and you can just leave out the prawn for the vegetarians.
- Toast the bases. Whether you’re using bread, blinis or filo baskets it’s usually well worth toasting them before assembly. It bolsters the flavour and structure, so they don’t disintegrate. Vegetable bases such as carrot or cucumber, perfect with smoked fish, also work well.
- Present with flair. Colourful ingredients are very effective, such as ripe watermelon with feta, olives or even with white crab meat. Green pesto and fresh herbs are extremely useful, adding immediate visual appeal as well as flavour. Ready-made props are also fine. Little bamboo boats, edible spoons or cones are a great way to add a polished look with no extra effort.”
And don’t forget about the bubbles…
…Spruce up familiar classics with a summer twist.
Add frozen grapes to a spritzer, make pink gin by soaking strawberries in the bottle for a few days, or enjoy sparkling wine stirred with fruit purée, Bellini-style. Keep cocktail flavours simple and clean, so they can work harmoniously alongside all the food.
Learn more here; www.thedevilledegg.com