A make-ahead dinner party

A Happy New Year to you all (even though it's February!) I wanted to share with you a dinner party that we gave for friends a few weeks ago. January can be a bit dull after the buzz of Christmas so this was a great opportunity to relax and socialise with close friends.

The menu consisted of some new dishes that I want to share with you. Most of them can be made ahead so stress levels for the host are kept to a minimum. Click on the name of the dish to see the recipe.

We started by sharing a magnum of Prosecco served with the marinated feta canapes that were featured a while ago on this blog. My friend made these and although there were a lot of them they all vanished very rapidly!

The table was laid in quite a formal way.  I love this way of displaying napkins - it's so simple but looks very elegant I think.

A new acquisition is this stag candle holder from culinary concepts which I adore.

The starter was a mushroom and port 'faux gras' with chestnuts and tarragon. This delicious pate was served with lightly baked baguette toasts on the side. It is better made at least a day ahead and I served it in these individual lidded ramekins which make a lovely presentation I think (below).

The pate looked very pretty in these dishes. Bring them to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. I let people take any pate they hadn't eaten home for lunch the next day on the condition that I got the pots back!

The main course was panko-crusted salmon with warm French lentils and green beans. Ina Garten provides two star recipes here that go together so well. The salmon is prepared several hours in advance and kept in the fridge, requiring only 15 minutes cooking in the oven. I don't pan sear it and it turns out beautifully - much less mess too! I serve the lentils in shallow wide bowls, topped with a piece of salmon and a lemon wedge on the side. I prepare the whole lentil recipe in advance then gently warm it through in the pan before serving, adding a little more liquid and seasoning as required. I serve the green beans in a bowl so people can help themselves.

Here is the panko-crusted salmon prepared in the dish it will be roasted in, ready to store in the fridge.

The base of the lentil recipe is carrots, leeks and garlic.

The magic ingredients are an onion studded with cloves and a sliced turnip which flavour the water the puy lentils then simmer in. It really does impart a fantastic flavour.

I wanted a colourful, cheery dessert so I made slut-red raspberries in Chardonnay jelly. Yes, it's better suited to a summer lunch but with a drizzle of double cream on top they were sublime and not a mouthful was left! A cheese board followed with port and then coffee and delicious petits fours provided by one of our guests. Great conversation and company made it a fun evening. I hope you try out some of these recipes as I think they are sensational for a make-ahead dinner party.

Believe me these are so easy and so delicious. Real grown up jelly!