Try these short cuts to make a simple supper into a special three-course meal.
Day to day, a family dinner rarely entails more than a good main meal and something light for dessert, but for special occasions like Christmas lunch we usually like to put on a big show.
But what if we have guests or we want to throw a birthday supper midweek? There’s rarely the time to spend all day rolling pastry and creating fancy puddings, but there are a few quick fixes for tasty starters and delicious puddings which can top and tail your main meal and turn it into an impressive treat.
First things first
Whether you have time to make all three courses or not, one thing is certain – you need to serve a main dish, so get this out of the way first.
As you will be making two other courses, pick a main dish that doesn’t require lots of fiddly side dishes. A casserole takes care of this because all your accompanying vegetables are included in the pot. Or opt for a big pan of ragout or goulash, where you only have to cook up a large bowl of rice to go on the table alongside your main dish.
Get your pudding in order
If you’re all sitting down for a family gathering or you’re enjoying dinner conversation with friends, the last thing you want to do is get up and leave everyone else to spend 20 minutes in the kitchen preparing the dessert. Instead, make a dessert that can either sit in the fridge or in the kitchen until you’re ready.
Mini pavlovas look dramatic and taste fabulous. Get shop bought mini meringue cases rather than spending time striving for the perfect oven temperature to get your own meringues to rise. Then the only prep time you will have to allow for is beating a bowl of double cream and washing the raspberries. If you do this an hour or so in advance, keep the three different ingredients ready but separate until just before dinner. The bowl of cream might need a couple more whisks again just before you arrange it on the meringues, and if you want to, you can wait until you’re ready to serve pudding before topping off with the raspberries, as this only takes two minutes.
If your guests prefer something more hearty, make a lemon or chocolate sponge in advance (if you do this the night before, let it cool and then keep it in a tin until you need it, to keep it moist). To turn this into a tasty winter pudding, either whisk up a bowl of cream and add the juice of half a freshly squeezed orange, or mix the juice into a pot of mascarpone. This only takes five minutes but adds a fresh touch to the dish. Or buy fresh custard to warm in a minute or so just before serving, if your family prefer it.
Starters at the ready
Although you will serve this dish first, it can often take longer to get ready and if it all goes wrong, you will at least know you already have your main course and dessert sorted!
Homemade soup is a wonderful starter any time of the year but does involve planning ahead. It’s a good choice if you have time to get it done before you go out in the morning or if you have energy the night before. If this is the case, keep it straightforward – something like a leek and potato soup where you just have to steep the veg in stock for an hour or so and then add a little milk or cream to thicken.
Easier starters just combine a couple of ingredients. The secret is to source something simple but of good quality. In summer choose slices of ripe pear and leaves like rocket, baby spinach or lamb’s lettuce, then cut thin slices of parmesan or smoked cheddar to top it off. You can mix a small jug of olive oil and balsamic for those who want a dressing. In colder months, steam fresh asparagus for five minutes then top with the grated parmesan and drizzle with lemon olive oil.
For something more hearty, mix a pan of risotto (proportions for two main meal servings will make enough to fill six to eight small ramekins as a starter). It’ll take quite a bit of stirring as you gradually add the stock, but if you buy risotto rice and stick to simple additions like an onion, garlic and cheese, it should only take 25 minutes to get ready and gives the impression that your three-course feast has taken days of loving preparation!