The Foodies Forum

Nannyp · Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 9:01 pm Post subject: Starters with style?

I will be doing lunch for our French friends, their mum and Dad, and one other adult.

I shall probably do a roast dinner, as I find this easy and it is not something the French cook.

I would like some starter ideas. JP doesn't like soup, so no soup.

I have looked online and found some interesting one's.

Tarragon Baked Eggs looks nice, and I can try that before doing it for them.

http://www.greenchronicle.com/recipes/tarragon_baked_eggs.htm

This to look's lovely, Beetroot Cured Salmon

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2725/dazzling-beetrootcured-salmon

or Smoked Salmon Gateau
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1046/smoked-salmon-gateau

finally, these look nice and might be what I plump for

Mussel, Bacon and Brie tartlets.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1929/mussel-bacon-and-brie-tartlets

What do you think...any other ideas?
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Manta Ray a l'Anglaise · Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 9:46 pm Post subject:

I do a good stuffed pepper..............

Handy as a starter or a veggie main.

For 6 people as a starter

3 whole Peppers, red or green
1 tin chopped tomatoes or 1lb fresh cherry tomatoes chopped
Olives
100g feta cheese
salt, pepper, basil
cheese for topping

Cut the peppers in half long ways incuding the stalk so you have a bit of stalk in each half, remove the seeds and connective tissue inside the fins, but make sure you don't cut off the stalk end.
Mix the tomatoes with as many halved olives as you want. Cut the feta into small cubes, season and add a generous amount of basil, mix well. Put the filling in the peppers and bake for about 30 - 40 mins, finish the last 5 mins with grated cheese on top or not.

You can make this up before hand to save time.

I used to work in a hotel which did some lovely but simple starters, mostly based on a white sauce.
So Prawn, Leek & Pasta was one
Bacon & mushroom was another

You need a quantity of white sauce about 1 pint, can be made before hand.
For the prawn, leek & pasta, also some cooked pasta shape. Sweat off some chopped leeks, add prawns and pasta & white sauce, mix all together, you could serve it in a ramekin baked with the usual grated cheese topping or in 1 big dish. Mushroom and bacon is self explanitory really, fry off add white sauce - dish - cheese - grill/oven.

When I was on holiday, the first morning somebody wanted scrambled eggs for breakfast q11

So I did 6 as there were 6 of us, but nobody else wanted it. The washer-uppers were going to throw it away, but me being difficult again wouldn't let them waste it. At night I made some cheese sauce, chopped some cherry tomatoes, added them to the scrambled eggs, poured the sauce over, half an hour in the oven. They all thought it was lovely........white sauce......it's the answer to everything

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Nannyp · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject:

I like your style Itsyray...I was probably going to make the tartlets...but imagine me trying to do that for 8, along with the main course.

So, it may well be the peppers...as that seems very easy and will look lovely.

Thanks q14

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Manta Ray a l'Anglaise · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject:

Life's too short to faff about with tartlettes

And...........I have done plenty of faffing about in my time

Sometimes those fillings were put into filo pastry - 3 squares laid on top of each other but with an eighth turn (if you know what I mean), and then they were gathered up to look like laundry bags. They did look nice but doing them 2 per starter on a Sunday lunch when 50 were going to be served.............I didn't even bother to suggest it to you, the filling is good baked on its own

As is the filling for the stuffed peppers. if you're doing 8, that's 4 peppers, use a tin of tomatoes and add a few fresh chopped, it'll look as if it's all fresh

and about 150g of feta.

Itsyray
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Nannyp · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:53 pm Post subject:

Thanks...and I'm not sure why I am being giving a beating too

You obviously like the smiley

I bought some tinned tomatoes the other day from Aldi (or Lidl) I think...and they were really red and luscious looking..maybe I'll buy some more of them. I always have a few large tins, ready for the curry sauce!

q12

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Manta Ray a l'Anglaise · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject:

I like all these smilies.

I put

because I was telling you to use a few fresh tomatoes in the mix and it would look like you'd used all fresh, so it's a bit naughty.......I was smacking myself for my naughty cheating.

Itsyray
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Nannyp · Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:26 pm Post subject:

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Nannyp · Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 9:14 am Post subject:

Okay, so no Feta cheese in my biggest supermarket

What shall I use instead....choice of many French cheeses of course and there is Mozzerala.
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Manta Ray a l'Anglaise · Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:10 pm Post subject:

How strange.................well Feta is a ewes milk, semi soft mild cheese and in the mixture it kinda keeps it's shape and just goes softer. so I would say you don't want a hard cheese, maybe Mozzarella would do it. If you were in UK I would suggest you try something like cottage cheese, don't use cream cheese though.

Add salt to your mixture as Feta is very salty and adds a certain something in that department.........

Itsyray
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Nannyp · Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject:

Thanks Miss

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