Single hen

[Jillus]

I am having a 'dinner party' on Friday and am at a loss as to what to do for a really nice, stunning starter, that looks good and is vegetarian and will impress. I have sorted the main course and puds but have failed miserably at the starter. I have got some of those cooking rings but have never used them!

[..lay a little egg for me]

Hmm, don't know if this is impressive enough but it is very tasty and easy to do:

 

Goat's cheese and cherry tomato squares

 

1 packet ready made puff pastry

3 packets of soft goat's cheese (the kind that comes in little round containers)

18-ish cherry tomatoes

1 jar pesto

black pepper

olive oil

1 small egg

 

1. heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius

2. roll out the puff pastry to about 1ft square

3. cut into 9 squares/oblongs depending on the shape of your rolled out pastry

within each square score a smaller square into the top layers of pastry creating a border about half an inch wide (this will allow the outer layers to rise up around the filling you have just put in, so make sure the scoring lines meet at the corners or the border won't rise up)

4. place the squares on a greased baking tray

5. slice each of the goat's cheeses into 3 and put a round on each puff pastry square

6. put a dollop of pesto on top of the goat's cheese

7. slice each cherry tomato in half and place 2 or 3 halves on each pastry square

8. grind some black pepper over the tomatoes and drizzle some olive oil

9. whisk up the egg and brush on the borders of each pastry square

10. bake in oven for about 15 mins or until risen and golden

 

They can be served as finger food or on a plate with a nice green salad

 

the recipe is pretty adaptable, you can make the squares smaller to get more or larger to make a more substantial tart. I find the goat's cheese and pesto are salty enough but you may want to add a pinch of salt if you like fairly salty food

Edited October 7, 2008 by Guest

[Lydia]

How about roasted red peppers?

 

Take 1 red pepper per person, halve it and scoop out the seeds and bits. Into each pepper half put a couple of k"Ooops, word censored!"s of butter, some torn basil leaves and I put in 1 anchovy halved too, however, if you want to be really veggie, you don't have to.

 

Slice a ttomato or two into reasonably thick slices and use 1 slice to put a 'lid' on each pepper half. Put in a baking tray, season well and drizzle with olive oil. Cook at about 180-200 degrees (depending on your oven) for half an hour.

[Sunshine]

My mum did a very similar starter to the one posted by '..lay a little egg for me' but used mozzarella cheese. We all thought they were lovely and so have puff pastry in the freezer at all times now as they are really quick and easy to make.

[jackiepoppies]

 

I make a blue cheese panna cotta with a small green salad and cherry tomato garnish.

 

People find this very unusual 'cos they're more used to it as a sweet desert.

 

It is really easy to make and can be prepared well in advance.

You can also make it with mascarpone or goats cheese. They will ask for the recipe

 

Jackiex

[Jillus]

 

I make a blue cheese panna cotta with a small green salad and cherry tomato garnish.

 

People find this very unusual 'cos they're more used to it as a sweet desert.

 

It is really easy to make and can be prepared well in advance.

You can also make it with mascarpone or goats cheese. They will ask for the recipe

 

Jackiex

 

 

That sounds fabulous but how do I make a blue cheese panna cotta

[AnnieP]

I have moved this to All Things Nice, where our fab foodies look, but left a shadow in the Nesting Box in the hope that more people will hop on too. Good luck with the dinner party. My advice is to ply everyone with plenty of alcohol: The food then ALWAYS tastes wonderful!

[jackiepoppies]

sorry Jilius [it's my age1]

 

600ml double cream

150ml milk

3 gelatine sheets

250 grms blue cheese I use a Bleu d'Auvergne 'cos it's mild and creamy. You can also

use Roquefort which is a bit stronger or goats cheese. It need to

be a cheese that will melt.

 

 

TO MAKE....Put the cream and milk in a saucepan on a medium heat. Meanwhile soak the gelatine sheets in ashallow dish of cold water for a few minutes.

When the cream and milk starts to bubble up the sides of the pan, take the pan off the heat, stir in the [crumbled] cheese and keep stirring until the cheese has melted. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and add to the warm mixture and stir until they have dissolved.

THATS IT

 

All you have to do now is por the mixture into individual moulds, I have used tea cups, glasses, ramekins etc. Pop the moulds on a tray in the 'fridge for a few hours [even overnight] until set. They should still have a slight wobble when ready.

 

Make any side salad etc. etc. Turn panna cotta out on to plates, decorate and ENJOY

 

Jackiex

[Jillus]

That looks brilliant and easy too. There are so many fabulous suggestions but I think I really like the sound of this one, will let you know how it goes

 

I like the idea that I can make it the day before too.

[jackiepoppies]

Hi Jillus,

 

Glad you like it! It really is sooooo easy and if you dress it up smartly it's good enough for the Ritz

 

Don't forget to warm the mould ever so slightly to turn them out.

 

This recipe makes 6-8 individual portions, but why don't you try it out before, then you can put more/less cheese to suit taste? It really is very versatile

 

Good luck and enjoy. Let us know how it went!

 

Jackiex

[..lay a little egg for me]

Errm...can you get a vegetarian equivalent of gelatine? The blue cheese pannacotta sounds wonderful but I know that my vegetarian friend would never eat anything made with gelatine...

[jackiepoppies]

Yes you can. Any supermarket should have it in their baking section. Otherwise, a health food shop.

 

Jackiex

[..lay a little egg for me]

Gosh, thanks, I didn't know. Hurrah, I can make all kinds of things I thought I couldn't now!!

[jackiepoppies]

 

You can even get vegetarian suet for dumplings

 

Personally, I'm a carnivore......and that's the way it will stay!

 

Don't get me wrong...... the're a lot of veggie dishes I enjoy........e.g. nut roast makes a superb stuffing

 

At the end of the day, it's what suits you

 

Jackiex

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Soft blue cheese, capers, walnuts and grapes sprinkled over a herby leaf selection and drizzled with a dressing made of a spoon of blackcurrant jam, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a splash of lovely extra virgin olive oil, and a bit of sea salt and black pepper. Very flavourful for a salad.

 

Anna x

Edited October 9, 2008 by Guest

[jackiepoppies]

 

Oooooh, I'd love the above , minus the blue cheese, ['cos it's in with my panna cotta ]

 

Sounds like a marriage made in heaven.....put a walnut in the bottom of each mould, so when you turn it out it's pretty

 

Jackiex

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Or, for halloween, a pair of capers for a pair of eyes a third of the way down, and in a domey mould, it would look like a wibbly wobbly person with its walnut brain exposed!

[Jillus]

Well I made the panna cotta this afternoon ( for tomorrow) and we tried the spare one to see how it was. It was brilliant but so rich and I think half sized portions would be fine . I tested it with a salad of rocket and walnuts and a walnut dressing and also some garlicky tomato salad as a garnish. It really was fabulous but too rich, do you think if I unmoulded it and put it into tiny moulds it would work or would they go all floppy, or will I have to get up early, go shopping for evn more cream and cheese and make another batch. Boy this party is going to cost me a fortune!

[jackiepoppies]

Glad you liked it

Smaller moulds are fine 'cos it's only a starter.

If it,s too rich you could try replacing some of the cream with milk or use a less ceamy cheese.

It is so versatile you can mix and match ingredients [The original recipe that I 'adapted' was for a chocolate panna cotta

Now if you want that recipe.......just replace the cheese with 200grms of chocolate and 60 grms of sugar.......easy peasy

 

Jackiex

[jackiepoppies]

Sorry Jillus,

 

Just re read your post. I have no idea if you could warm it up and reset. Personally I wouldn't want to reheat cream/milk and cheese. Maybe someone knows if a 'jelly' can be remoulded sorry not much help

 

Jackiex

[Lesley]

With gelatine it would probably be OK to remould it - with vegetarian versions I'm not so sure.... they set in a differnet way

 

Could you just slice them into two once you'd unmoulded them?

[jackiepoppies]

 

That was going to be my next suggestion.......cut 'em in half and just use the top bit

 

Jackiex

[Jillus]

Thanks for all the suggestions, have decided to serve them as they are and tell everyone that if they find them too rich I will not be offended if they leave half! I am sure we will have a good laugh at all the goings on just for one simple but fabulous starter.

 

Thanks so much to Jackie, International Rescue Omlet style to the fore!

[jackiepoppies]

Good morning Jillus,

 

Just had to ask .....did they like it and just as a matter of interest, what was the rest of

 

'The menu to impress'

 

Hope it all went well.

 

Jackiex

[Jillus]

Dolcelatte Panna Cotta

with Rocket and Walnut salad with a walnut dressing , Garlicky Tomatoes and little garlic bread buns.

 

Beef Wellington ( Leek and Gruyere Filo Parcel for the veggie)

New Potatoes, Chantenay Carrots and Tenderstem Broccoli

 

Profiteroles and Chocolate Sauce and 'Credit' Crunchie Pudding with local Raspberries and Blackeberries pickled in Cassis!

 

Did it impress? They loved it and despite being given dire warnings about how rich the Panna Cotta was everyone finished every last bit, and as you said they all wanted to know how to do it. It was a total success and I think the three Margaritas before dinner also helped jolly things along