George
If you have a weber I'd opt for throwing in a whole rump and maybe a leg of lamb, and/ or even grab a leg of ham.... I did this a couple of years ago for a party of 50 and it went down exceptionally well. I chose a selection of salads (recipes below) to accompany the three meats. Started off with a selection of dips & crudites, and my egg ball & Mexican layered dip then the mains were relatively easy to serve - and no great drama if the meat wasn't piping hot for all guests.
Warm Cherry Tomato Salad 2 tblsp oil 2 teas dried Italian herbs 4 spring onions, chopped 2 punnets cherry tomatoes 3 tblsp malt vinegar 2 tblsp sugar 3/4 cup oil Heat 2 tblsp oil and add herbs, onions and tomatoes. Cook over a low heat till warm. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over tomatoes. Serve warm with crispy bread. Serves 4
Spinach and Asparagus Salad 3 bacon rashers, cut into fine strips 1 bunch english spinach 1 bunch asparagus, blanched 2 tblsp toasted pinenuts. Dressing: 1 tblsp white wine vinegar 1 teas mustard 3 tblsp oil 2 boiled eggs, sliced Fry bacon until crisp. When cool, toss with spinach, asparagus and pinenuts. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad before serving. Serves 6
Watercress and Orange Salad 3 cups watercress sprigs 1 small cos lettuce 8 radishes, sliced 1 large orange, peeled and segmented Dressing: 2 tblsp malt vinegar 4 tblsp oil 1 teasp brown sugar 2 teas seeded mustard Combine salad ingredients. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad when serving. Serves 4-6
Potato and Avocado Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing 1kg small red skin potatoes (pontiac), cooked and chilled 2 avocadoes, peeled 1/4 cup malt vinegar 2 teasp mustard powder 3/4 cup oil 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1/3 cup chopped chives Slice potatoes and avocadoes. Arrange on a serving platter. Pour combined remaining ingredients over salad. Serves 8
Best Frozen PizzaYes, extra cheese is a good idea. Here is a recipe for mozzarella in case you need one. 2 gallons Milk 7 tb Cultured buttermilk 6 tb Yogurt Rennet to coagulate 2...
Tossed Green Salad 250g fresh asparagus spears 200g snow peas 1 mignonette lettuce 1 butter lettuce 1bunch rocket 80g snow pea sprouts 2 medium avocadoes, sliced Dressing: 3/4 cup oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 tsp castor sugar 1 tblsp djion 1 clove, crushed
Cut asparagus into 8cm lengths. Add asparagus and peas to boiling water. Simmer, uncovered for 1 minute. Drain, rinse well in cold water to stop cooking. Tear lettuce and rocket into bite sized pieces. Combine asparagus, peas, lettuce, rocket, sprouts and avocadoes in bowl. Drizzle dressing and toss. To make dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in shaker and shake vigorously. Serves 10
Spinach and Red Cabbage Salad 1/4 red cabbage, finely shredded 2 leaves spinach, finely shredded 1/4 cup pepitos 1/4 cup garlic croutons 75g blue vein cheese, crumbled 4 rashers bacon pieces, grilledand cooled 1 small spanish (red/salad) onion Toss all ingredients together and toss through a vinaigrette dressing. Serves 6
If you want a really easy, yet impressive starter or two:
Egg Ball 8 to 12 large eggs 2 oz melted butter 2-3 finely sliced spring (green) onions freshly ground black pepper 1-2 x 250g carton sour light cream 1 jar black or red caviar - well drained
Boil the eggs to hard boiled stage then, while still warm, put through sieve or blitz to a crumbly (NOT patˇ consistency) in a food processor. The texture should be crumbly and fine - not a paste!! Lightly mix through egg, 2 oz melted butter. (Make sure the butter cools a little -room temp- and isn't hot) Using a fork, toss through finely chopped green onions/eschallots Line a pudding basin with baking paper or freezer 'go-between' wrap. Gently spoon egg mixture into basin, and pat down lightly. Wrap baking paper or freezer wrap over top of mixture to seal (or your whole frige will smell of boiled eggs!!), and weight down with saucer or similar heavy article that will fit inside the top of the basin. Chill in the pudding basin mould for at least 1 hour. To serve: Unmold onto a large serving platter. Completely cover (spread) the egg 'ball' with a generous quantity of sour light cream* and top with (drained) black or red caviar. Served with french bread or water biscuits or rice crackers. * The sour light cream works better than sour cream which is a lot thicker to spread evenly and can impair the presentation/taste. Alternatively you could use cremˇ frechˇ.
and no summer soireˇ at our house would be complete without my Mexican Layered Dip 1-2 cups of avocado dip (recipe below) 1-2 cups grated tasty matured cheese 1 tin Jalapeno Bean Dip 250ml sour light cream sliced stuffed olives or sliced black kalamata olives 1-2 cups freshly chopped tomato flesh - seeds removed chopped parsley for garnish extra strong 'dipping' corn chips
Avocado Dip 3 ripe avocados 2 tblsp sour cream 1 1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce 1 clove garlic crushed 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard 30ml lemon juice or lime juice salt and pepper
Force avocado flesh through sieve. Add sour cream, chilli sauce, garlic, mustard and lemon (or lime) juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well & chill.
Serve this in a deep serving dish - sides should be approx 2-3inches tall. Mix together the jalapeno bean dip with the sour cream. Blend well. Spoon mixture into bottom of serving dish. Next layer is guacamole dip. Next add a layer of sliced olives. Next a layer of extra tasty grated cheese. Top with a layer of chopped, seeded tomatoes. Lastly, sprinkle with finely chopped fresh parsley. Serve with corn chips.
Dessert? I'd serve up platters of fresh seasonal fruit, cheeses & nuts & biscuits/breads. Or you could bake a couple of cakes or cheesecakes or a pavlova...which always seem to go well with summer barbecues...
-- LadyJane "Never trust a skinny cook!"
