One of the nicest things about the cold winter days must surely be the reality and appreciation of one's own home. This simple pleasure enjoyed by generations of people sitting comfortably before an open log fire, listening to the wind and snow outside, talking and joking. Another welcome winter pleasure is to give a party for friends, proving them with the opportunity of sharing the comfort and warmth of your home. Providing you make full use of your deep freeze, preparing a buffet dinner party for a crowd will be easy.
Choose the menu first and then prepare and freeze as much as possible, so avoiding a last minute rush. A good hostess should be relaxed and happy to entertain her visitors, not hot, tired and completely 'fagged out'. Even if the meal is delicious, your guests will feel embarrassed by any obvious fatigue caused by providing the meal for them. Be well organized and use your deep freeze to store the party menu. Choose dishes that freeze well and are easy to serve, requiring little last minute attention. Choose dishes that will reheat in a casserole so that they may, if required be taken from the oven straight to the table.
Try the following menu for your next winter buffet dinner party. Follow the instructions carefully and serve your guests a delicious and hot meal. The menu and recipes serve 12. Serve beer, cider or chilled white wine with the main course.
Canapés
Chicken and Veal Curry
Sweet and Sour Pork
Boiled Rice
Pineapple Gateau
Coffee
Canapés Recipe
Makes: - 24
Ingredients:-
8 slices white bread
oil for frying
cream cheese topping:-
1 x 4 oz. packet cream cheese
2 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper
green peas for garnish
salmon topping:-
1 x 3¾ oz. can smoked salmon
Lemon and capers for garnish
Method:-
For croutes:- Cut bread into small circles, using a cutter approximately 1¾ inches in diameter. You can cut 3 circles from 1 slice of bread. Heat oil, ¼ inch deep, in a heavy based fry pan and fry circles of bread until golden brown on both sides. Drain well. For cream cheese topping:- Mix cream cheese with cream until smooth. Season and taste with salt and pepper.
For salmon topping:- Drain salmon well.
To freeze:- Package croutes in a plastic container or in a plastic bag, seal well, label and freeze. Package cream cheese mixture in a plastic container, allowing ½ inch head space, seal, label and freeze.
Package smoked salmon flat in a plastic bag, remove air, sea well, label and freeze.
To serve:- Thaw croutes, cream cheese and salmon in containers at room temperature. Spread 12 croutes with cream cheese mixture and garnish with green peas. Cut smoked salmon into 12 neat circles with a cutter, place on remaining croutes and garnish with thin slices of lemon and capers. Serve canapés on flat plate.
Chicken and Veal Curry Recipe
Serves:- 12
Cooking time:- 1 hour
Ingredients:-
2 chickens
1½ lb. veal steak
¾ cup rice flour
6 tablespoons oil
1 green apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
extra 3 tablespoons rice flour
4 cups chicken stock (use stock cubes)
½ cup cream
Method:-
Remove chicken flesh from bone and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut veal into 1 inch pieces. Coat the chicken and veal in rice flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large fry pan and sauté half the chicken and veal until golden brown. Transfer browned chicken and veal to a large heavy saucepan and keep warm over a very low heat. Heat remaining oil in fry pan, sauté remaining meat until golden and add to first half in saucepan.
Gently fry chopped apple and onion in remaining oil in fry pan, until soft. Stir in curry powder, salt, ginger, mustard and extra 3 tablespoons rice flour. Add stock and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
Pour curry sauce over chicken and veal. Stir in cream. Simmer gently over a low heat for 30 minutes. Cool rapidly by standing saucepan in cold water.
To freeze:- Place a large thick plastic or polythene bag into a large casserole (to be used as a mould). Pour cold curry into bag, allow to settle in shape of casserole then seal well allowing 2 inch space for expansion. Place casserole into deep freeze until curry is frozen (approximately 4 hours). When frozen, block of curry may be removed from casserole and stored in freezer.
To serve:- Remove block of curry from plastic bag and place in original casserole. Thaw for 3-4 hours and reheat in a moderate oven (350-375ºF, Gas Number 4) for 1½ to 2 hours or until heated through. Stir in crushed garlic while reheating. Serve with boiled rice.
Note:- It is advisable to store the frozen curry for only 1 month, due to the large amount of onions and the curry powder which could develop 'off flavor' over a longer storage time.
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
Serves:- 12
Cooking time:- 45 minutes
Ingredients:-
3 lb. pork fillet
3 tablespoons soya sauce
1½ tablespoons dry sherry
5 tablespoons plain flour
¼ pint vegetable oil
Sauce:-
6 green peppers
2 red peppers
3 onions
8 oz. frozen green beans
8 oz. frozen 'baby' carrots
6 slices pineapple
¼ pint vegetable oil
3 tablespoons dry sherry
3 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons soya sauce
1 cup sugar
1½ tablespoons rice flour
1½ cups water
Method:-
For pork:- Cut pork into 1 inch cubes and mix with soya sauce and dry sherry. Drain off any excess liquid and toss pork in plain flour. Fry in hot oil until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Remove pork from pan and drain well.
For sauce:- Remove seeds from peppers and cut into thin strips. Chop onion, cut beans and carrot into strips and pineapple into cubes. Fry vegetables in heated oil in a large saucepan until slightly brown. Mix together the sherry, lemon juice, tomato sauce, soya sauce and sugar. Add to vegetables, along with pineapples cubes and bring to the boil. Blend rice flour with water to a smooth paste, add to mixture in pan and bring to the boil stirring continuously. Cool rapidly.
To freeze:- Spread partly cooked pork onto flat trays to cool. When cold freeze on trays for 2 hours (free flow method, see article of Packaging and Labeling the Food). Package in a plastic bag, remove air, seal well, label and freeze. Pour cold sauce into a plastic container, allowing 1 inch head space. Seal well, label and freeze.
To serve:- Thaw sauce for 6-8 hours and pork for 2 hours at room temperature. Heat ¼ pint oil in a large fry pan and fry pork until brown and hot. Drain well and place in a warm serving dish. Bring sauce to the boil, but do not simmer and pour immediately over the hot pork. Serve with boiled rice.
Boiled Rice Recipe
Serves:- 12
Ingredients:-
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups short grain rice
Method:-
Add ½ tablespoon salt to 8 cups boiling water. Gradually add 1 cup short grain rice. Boil rapidly, uncovered for approximately 12 minutes. Pour rice into a colander to drain. Repeat the whole process. Two lots of rice will give you approximately 6 cups of cooked rice. Once rice is drained, spread out to cool quickly.
To freeze:- Package cold rice in flat pack method (see article of Packaging and Labeling the Food) or in a plastic container. Seal well, label and freeze promptly.
To serve:- Break up frozen rice and drop into a large quantity of boiling water. Immediately rice returns to the boil drain through a large colander and serve hot.
Pineapple Gateau Recipe
Ingredients:-
2 large sponge cakes
1 pint cream
1 lb. apricot jam
1 x 1 lb. 13 oz. can pineapple slices
glace cherries
angelica
Method:-
Make or buy three 8 inch sponge cakes.
Whip the cream in a large bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Leaving whipped cream to stand, allows the water content to settle at the bottom of the bowl.
Slice sponge cakes across the center and fill with whipped cream and jam. Sieve remaining jam, heat gently and brush the tops of the sponges with warm apricot glaze. Decorate the tops with rings of well drained pineapple. Brush again with the glaze, place glace cherries and angelica leaves in a pattern on top of each sponge.
To freeze:- Freeze cakes in plastic containers without a cover for approximately 2 hours. Cover the containers with tight fitting lids or use biscuits tins as protection and seal well. Label it and freeze. Pineapple Gateau can be stored in your freezer for up to 4 weeks.
To thaw:- Simply thaw at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. Do not break the container seal during thawing period. Glaze cakes again with warm apricot puree if necessary before serving.
Daphnie is a food lover who has been involved in food industry for 10 years. She learned the easy and simple way cooking style from her mother and grandmother. She prefer to have the home make cooking style instead of outside food. She knew how much housewives will appreciate the recipes. Special thought has been given to the speed and ease of preparation to streamline cooking chores whenever possible to the minimum. Not only are these dishes attractive, they really are simple and speedy to make. Test and try out any of these dishes and you will agree that as well as being entirely successful, they all live up to our claim that they are not only delicious but quick and easy to prepare.
You can visit my website at http://www.a1cookrecipes.com
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