Dinner party recipe ideas from Michelle Darmody

Sharing a meal with friends around candle lit table is a nice way to while away a long evening. 

I love having people around to our house for dinner on a blustery Saturday evening and enjoy spending time deciding what to cook.

There is the impression, and sometimes rightly so, that having guests can be stressful and there is always the clean up, which I have to say I shirk away from. But if you are prepared in advance it becomes easier. Having worked in professional kitchens for much of my adult life I have realised that the key to any smooth service is this preparation that goes in beforehand.

In a restaurant or cafe environment you have to have your vegetables chopped, your deserts almost ready to plate up, and your glasses polished before the madness begins. It is good to think of a dinner party the same way, so that you can relax with your friends once they arrive.

I usually pick up some nice Irish cheeses and cold meats and sit them on the table for people to nibble on while they wait for dinner, so even if it does take longer than you hoped to get organised, you can not be accused of starving people.

This earthy lamb stew takes a bit of time but it is worth the wait. It can be made in advance or the lamb can be marinaded overnight to shorten the time on the day of cooking. This recipes serves about four but you could double or triple the recipe and save some for friends arriving another evening.

This is a rich dense chocolate cake that is always well received. I like pairing coffee and chocolate and I use a strong espresso coffee in this recipe. Many people have machines at home that make espresso but I use an old fashioned mocha pot that sits on the stove and bubbles away.

Any very strong coffee will do if you do not have an espresso maker. You generally want about 30 mls.

Ham croquettes with an almond salad

Traditionally this dish was created to use up left over ham and bread. You can also make the croquettes with smoked fish or chicken instead of the ham. These can be preprepared and kept in the fridge and then cooked off as needed.

For a midweek dinner they are good served as a larger portion with some salad on the side or as a starter if you have friends around for dinner.

25g of butter

1 small onion very finely chopped

40g of flour

350g of milk

1 tsp of ground nutmeg

200g of chopped ham

1 egg beaten

100g bread crumbs liquidised very finely

Almond and fennel salad

½ tsp of Dijon mustard

½ tbsp of cider vinegar

2 tbsp of olive oil

The zest of an orange and 2 tsp of the juice

Green leaves for four a small bulb of fallen,

Handful of thinly sliced almonds, toasted then chopped

Whisk mustard, cider vinegar and oil until they form a emulsion, add in the orange juice and zest and continue whisking until they are combined. Toss the other ingredients in the dressing.

Melt the butter and add onion. Fry until the onion is translucent then add the flour and cook for about one minute stirring continuously. Add milk and cook for a further four to five minutes. You do not want the sauce to be too runny as it needs to be shaped into croquettes, cook until it thickens.

Stir in the cooked ham and nutmeg and season to taste. Shape the croquettes into bite size oblong shapes, you may need to put some flour on your hands to stop the mixture sticking.

Beat an egg and dip each croquette into the egg then roll your croquette in the finely liquidised breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.

Heat a pan with enough oil to cover the croquettes completely. The oil must be quite hot to create the crisp outer texture, the croquettes should be golden in colour and heated right through the centre.

Slow cook lamb stew

2 tbsp of mixed spice, such as the one mentioned last week

600g of diced lamb

A dash of rapeseed oil

2 small carrots, diced

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

15g piece root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped

1.2 litres of vegetable stock

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

50ml of honey, or to taste

150g prunes

Juice and zest of a lime, to taste

A large handful of coriander, finely chopped

4 spoons of natural yoghurt

Marinate the lamb in half the spice blend and set aside for at least two hours (or overnight may be easier).

Heat some oil in a large pan and brown the pieces of lamb then set aside.

Sauté the onions until they are turning translucent, add the ginger, garlic, chilli, and the other half of the spice mix, and keep stirring over a medium heat for a further five minutes.

Add the stock, increase the heat a little and bring to the boil. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and cinnamon and bring back to the boil. Add the vegetables and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the meat back to the pan and allow to simmer gently with a lid on for five minutes. Gently stir it once or twice.

Add the, honey, prunes and lime zest and allow to bubble away for another 30 minutes. Add the lime juice and seasoning to taste. You can add a little more spice mix at this stage if you like as well.

Serve with a generous sprinkling of coriander and a dollop of natural yogurt.

This can be served either with rice or a nice mash.

Chocolate cake with espresso buttercream centre

200g of chocolate, broken into pieces

200g of butter, cut into cubes

1 shot of coffee - 30 mls

95 mls of water

85g of plain flour

85g of self-raising flour

200g of soft brown sugar

200g of caster sugar

25g of coco powder

75 mls of buttermilk

1/2 tsp of baking powder

3 eggs

Melt the chocolate, butter, coffee and water over heat and set aside.

Mix together the flours, sugars and coco powder and stir in the chocolate mix.

Lightly beat the buttermilk with the baking soda and eggs and mix it into the other ingredients.

Place into a lined 9 inch tin and bake at 160 degrees for an hour and 20 minutes. Test it five or 10 minutes before if you are unsure of your oven.

Allow to cool in the tin for half an hour and then gently place onto a wire rack.

Once cool, slice in half across the centre and fill with the coffee buttercream. Put the two halves back taught and cover with ganache.

Coffee butter cream

150g of softened butter

300g of icing sugar a drop of milk as needed

1 shot of espresso - about 30mls of very strong coffee

Beat all the ingredients in the mixer with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy. The milk just loosens the mixture slightly and makes it easier to spread.

Chocolate ganache

150g of chocolate, broken into small even pieces

150 mls of cream

Heat the cream until it is wobbling on top but not quite boiling and add the chocolate.

Turn off the heat and stir until the chocolate has melted.