Top ten tips and recipes for cooking for a crowd
Always consider carefully tried and tested recipes that appeal to every taste and not necessarily your own private preference.
If you follow these tips then you will be well on the way to creating the best party for your gang.
The good news, according to Sarah Carberry at ilovecooking, is that with a little creativity you can create a real ‘wow’ factor with a modest budget.
TOP TEN TIPS ON COOKING FOR A CROWD:
Stick to recipes you know and have tried before. If you do decide to try something new, experiment before the big day and make sure you are happy with it in advance.
Opt for a buffet style format. It’s easier, more social and allows people to mix more.
When deciding on the dishes to cook, keep it simple and make sure it appeals to a wide range of tastes. Make sure to include a vegetarian dish to cater for everyone. One-pot dishes always go down well. One pot dishes also allow for extra room in the oven but this will save on washing up.
Choose dishes you can cook in advance to save time and ease stress on the day.
Cook for approximately five extra people than you are catering for. So if you are cooking for 10, then prepare for 15.
Once you have selected the dishes, write your shopping list. This is really important because the more time you spend time preparing your list, the more confident you are that you will not leave anything out. This will save on money, time and food waste.
Clear our your fridge and freezer a few days beforehand to allow for extra storage space and prepare your ice (if not buy two large bags from your supermarket the day before).
Plan your serving area. Place tables close to the wall so you create mingling space. If you haven’t enough table-space, dress up a portable table.While paper plates may be more practical, always try to serve food using standard plates. But remember, stick to medium sized plates as opposed to larger ones or you could run out of food fast! Also, make sure you have plenty of colourful paper napkins at hand.
When displaying your dishes, try to create different levels and spaces on your table ie desserts at a higher level possibly on cake stands, salads at one end, hot dishes grouped together at the opposite end.
Finally do not forget the music. Play a mix of tracks to suit the ages of the guests and include new releases for balance. Music is a great mood lifter. Most of all have fun!
For similar recipes visit www.ilovecooking.ie
RECIPES
CAMEMBERT & CRANBERRY PARCELS
1 Camembert wheel 6 (270g) filo pastry sheets 50g butter, melted 100g cranberry sauce
Preheat oven to 190ËšC/375ËšF/gas 5.
Use a sharp knife to cut the wheel of Camembert in half across the equator of the cheese so that you have two wheels. Cut each wheel into 8 equal sized wedges. Set aside
Lay the pastry sheets flat and use scissors or a sharp knife to cut sheets into 8 equal squares.
Take three single squares and lay them on top of each other at angles so that it looks like a 12 pointed star. Brush the top square with a little bit of melted butter, then place a wedge of Camembert in the centre of the filo then top off with a generous teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Gather up the filo pastry to form a parcel, pinching the pastry together to secure it. Set aside and continue until you’ve made 16 parcels in total.
Arrange parcels on a baking sheet and brush each with a little bit of the melted butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve immediately.
Parcels can be made ahead of time and frozen before baking. Simply follow steps to create the parcels and brush them with butter, then arrange on a baking sheet and freeze for about an hour. Gently remove parcels from the baking sheet and place in a freezer bag.
When ready to bake, arrange frozen parcels on a baking sheet and bake at the temperature above for 13-15 minutes.
SAUSAGE ROLLS
1 (500g) block puff pastry 8 sausages 1 egg, beaten
Roll out puff pastry into a large rectangle just longer than the length of four of your sausages on a well floured surface. Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut the pastry in half lengthways.
Remove the casings from the sausages by running a sharp knife along the length of each sausage then simply peel the casing away. Lay 4 sausages lengthways and touching one another down the middle of each puff pastry strip. Brush each along one edge with beaten egg then fold pastry over the meat.
Use a fork to press along the edge to make sure the pastry is sealed. Trim the pastry with a sharp knife or pizza wheel to neaten the edge, making sure to leave a pastry seam of at least 1cm. Brush tops of each roll with remaining egg, then score pastry with a sharp knife.
You can score at a diagonal or straight to indicate different sausage fillings. Use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry from the ends then cut each roll into about 10 small sausage rolls.
At this point you can freeze the sausage rolls to bake at a later stage, simply place them on a flat baking sheet and cover with clingfilm. Once frozen, you can remove them from the baking sheet and put them in a freezer bag to help save space.
To bake from frozen, preheat oven to 200ËšC/375ËšF/gas 5, arrange sausage rolls on a baking tray and bake for 35 minutes until sausage is cooked and pastry is golden.
If baking from fresh, simple bake for 10 minutes less at the same temperature.
BEEF SLIDERS
500g beef mince 1 egg 2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 10 mini burger buns Olive oil for cooking To serve Tomato sauce 10 gem lettuce leaves 10 tomato slices 5 slices cheddar, quartered Combine beef mince, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Mix ingredients together with clean hands until thoroughly mixed. Divide meat equally into 10 round balls, 50g/2oz per portion. Flatten each ball to form a patty. Place patties on a tray and cover with clingfilm, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
Preheat grill to highest setting. Meanwhile, cut mini burger buns in half. Spread about a teaspoon of tomato sauce on the bottom half of each bun, then top each one with a lettuce leaf and slice of tomato.
To cook the slider patties, lightly drizzle an oven tray with olive oil. Arrange beef patties on oven tray and brush the tops of each with more olive oil. Cook patties under the grill for 5 minutes. Flip patties over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven.
Place a patty on each prepared slider bun. Arrange 2 quarters of the cheese on top. Place mini burger bun tops on each and secure with a toothpick. Recipe easily doubled or tripled. Patties can be prepared ahead of time and kept chilled in the fridge overnight. Cook just before intending to serve.
CHICKEN BROCCOLI BAKE
3 x Head of broccoli 12 chicken breasts, largely diced Olive oil Onion salt, garlic salt or plain sea salt 3 x (295g) tin condensed cream of chicken soup 3 x (295g) tin condensed cream of mushroom soup 300g grated mozzarella and cheddar mix 300g breadcrumbs 150g parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 190ËšC/375ËšF/gas 5 and bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cut broccoli into small and medium florets and boil in water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat a medium sized pan on medium high heat, then drizzle pan with olive oil. Add chicken pieces and season with salt. Sauté chicken until pieces are just cooked through and browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese. Set aside.
Empty cans of soup into a bowl and mix together. Pour soup into a medium sized oven proof dish. Tip chicken and broccoli into dish and toss to coat with soup. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and cheddar mix, then with breadcrumb and parmesan mix.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and dish is bubbling around the edges.
To re-heat leftovers, simply bake in a preheated 190ËšC/375ËšF/gas 5 oven for 15 minutes. To freeze, assemble dish as directed above, but wrap dish in tinfoil or clingfilm and place straight in the freezer after assembling.
Bake from frozen in a preheated 190ËšC/375ËšF/gas 5 oven for 25-30 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and dish is bubbling around the edges.
BEEF STROGANOFF
120g butter 3 tbsp olive oil 3 onion, finly chopped 600g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1.5kg sirloin steak, thinly sliced ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp of smoked paprika 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped 450ml crème fraiche Salt & pepper To serve Basmati rice Fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish
In a heavy-based frying pan melt the butter and oil over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms and fry for about five minutes, until softened.
Remove the vegetables from the pan and then add the thin slices of steak. Cook for 30 seconds on each side. Add the mushrooms and onions back to the pan and then pour in the crème fraiche along with nutmeg, chopped tarragon, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and bubble for two minutes.
Serve over basmati rice, with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
CARROT AND SESAME SALAD
For the dressing: 6 tsp sesame oil 6 tsp olive oil 6 tsp lemon juice Salt & Pepper 70g raisins 6 medium carrots, grated 2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
First make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pop the raisins in the dressing for a few minutes to plump them up. Mix together the carrots and sesame seeds and stir through the dressing until everything is coated evenly
CLASSIC POTATO SALAD
1kg waxy potatoes, washed 150g mayonnaise 50g cocktail gherkins, roughly chopped 2 spring onions, finely sliced Salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. May take longer if potatoes are large. Drain the potatoes and leave them to cool. Peel them once cool.
Cut the potatoes into bite size cubes and put them in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, gherkins, spring onion and about ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Gently mix together with a large spoon. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving, but best left overnight. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and finely sliced spring onion before serving. Will keep for about 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
MOROCCAN COUSCOUS SALAD
350g couscous 350ml boiling vegetable stock 4 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp chilli powder 150g sultanas Juice from 1 lemon 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1 orange pepper, finely diced 1 red pepper, finely diced Seeds from 1 pomegranate 150g pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped Small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley and coriander, roughly chopped
Combine couscous with boiling water in a heat proof bowl. Give a quick stir to make sure all couscous is wet.
Cover with clingfilm and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Roughly grind cumin and coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar then add to pan along with chilli powder and sultanas. Cook for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Remove from heat and set aside.
Fluff up couscous with a fork and stir in spices with sultanas, lemon juice and vinegar. Add chopped peppers, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and fresh herbs and mix until evenly distributed. Serve on a bed of rocket leaves.
Keeps for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge
PERFECT PAVLOVA WITH PASSIONFRUIT
4 egg whites 225g caster sugar 2 tsp cornflour 2 tsp cider or white wine vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste 300ml double cream 200g Greek yoghurt 2 tbsp icing sugar 8 passionfruit, halved
Preheat the oven to 120ËšC/gas mark 1/2. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Mark two rectangles on the parchment and turn the paper over.
Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until they form stiff peaks. Continue whisking as you add the sugar, a spoonful at a time. The meringue should be shiny and hold its shape when you pull the whisk out of the bowl. Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract and whisk until just mixed in.
Place the mixture in a piping bag and blob on the four corners of the baking parchment to stick it to the baking tray. Then pipe along the rectangles until they are all filled in. If you don’t feel comfortable piping, just spread it along the rectangle with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until the meringue can be lifted off the paper without sticking. Turn off the oven, leave the door open by wedging open with a wooden spoon and leave to cool completely.
To serve, whip the cream with the icing sugar then fold in the Greek yoghurt once cream has reached soft peaks. Carefully remove the meringue from the parchment paper, the easiest way is to slide a large sharp knife underneath the meringue, then spread the cream mixture over the meringue and spoon the passionfruit seeds and pulp over the cream.
Due to cooking and cooling time, plan to make the meringue early in the day. Alternatively, prepare the meringue the night before. Bake for the time stated as above, but then leave the oven door closed and leave meringue in the oven overnight. Then in the morning, remove from oven and store in airtight containers until ready to serve.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
