|1. Make the garnishes and buy in the Rest
I recommend having a few homemade touches which will make the dish stand out and therefore look unique, even if the other parts of the dish have been pre-bought. Like these simple salted cucumbers for example: thinly slice a cucumber with a mandoline slicer (Read my mandoline comparison here) and sprinkle over a Tbsp of salt and leave to sit for 1 hour. Rinse well and squeeze out all the excess moisture you can. Especially nice as a garnish for fish dishes.
|2. Choose foods that you can pre-prep
Think Salmon Gradvalax seems out of your reach? It’s actually very simple to prepare – and one of the best things about it is that it is prepared a couple of days in advance, leaving you free to simply slice it up on the day of your party. You need so very little, too. One tail fillet of salmon can make around 50 slices. Make sure you have a very sharp knife, such as the Wusthoff Santoku or Global Chef’s Knife.
|3. Make a selection platter of canapes
Variety is so pleasing to the eye and palate. You can put together a very simple offering of toast canapes by thinly slicing a baguette into rounds. Place flat on a baking pan, drizzle with oil and bake in a 180C oven for 20 minutes until crisp and brown. (I love my Swiss Diamond Roaster for even and fast browning – “the Rolls Royce of roasters”). Allow to cool, then top with 3-4 different options, such as slices of gravlax with crème fresh, goat’s cheese with a dollop of chutney, a slice of charcuterie with a sundried tomato, or a teaspoon of smoked fish pate (mix together some smoked salmon or trout with roughly the same amount of cream cheese). The baguette toasts will stay crunchy for many hours, so make this on the morning of your party.
|4. Make a big cheese and charcuterie platter
This always looks so abundant and beautiful! It is also prepared in advance and simply set on the table, and guests can dive in anytime they like. Aim to have 3-4 different kinds of cheese and 3-4 different types of charcuterie. Fill up the rest of the space with crackers, nuts, olives, chutneys and a mix of dried and fresh fruit. Check out this La Guiole cheese knife set and this lovely platter by Ecology.
|5. Use what you have in the house
When planning your party menu, look around the house and in your cupboard/fridge. Chances are, you have some ingredients on hand you can use which can work into your selection, meaning one less item to buy/prepare. Check out these little Mocha Parfait Puddings in the sweet Le Creuset Sorbet Ramekin Collection and served on a striking Davis & Waddell board. I didn’t tell my guests that these are simply Greek Yogurt mixed with a coffee syrup (to make your own, boil down a strong cup of espresso with 3 Tbsp sugar until a syrup consistency is achieved). Top with chocolate chips or crushed macadamia nuts or serve with a nice biscuit for an elegant, yet simple dessert.
|6. Take shortcuts
Buying in pastry or pizza dough rather than making it yourself is a great example of this. You can have some delicious and beautiful looking pastries ready in 30 minutes flat. My Cheat’s Sausage Rolls are an example of this. I also love Pinwheel Pastries. You simply take a sheet of pastry and spread your filling of choice around and all the way to each edge. Roll up the pastry and then cut into rounds. Bake flat on a tray at 180C for 20 minutes. I could not do without my Silicon Tovolo Mat. It has a very helpful pastry cutting guide printed on it. Nothing sticks and you can bake right on the mat too. Filling ideas: Sun-dried Tomato, Olive Tapenade, Cream Cheese, Spinach and Artichoke, Nutella.
|7. Only plan on 1-2 hot items
Serving things hot equals to added stress and pressure to stick with exact timings. Only having 1 or 2 hot items is do-able and is a perfect variation from your cold dishes. Prepare the hot items in advance, allow to cool then simply reheat when it is time to serve, and don’t forget to delegate by asking a guest to pass around the hot offering for you! Then you can get out of the kitchen and back to hosting. Try this super easy recipe for Chorizo in Red Wine.
|8. Just a little something sweet
Do not feel you have to spend hours baking fiddly desserts or icing cakes (unless this is your thing!). A little something sweet goes a long way. I love making Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries and piling them on a pretty platter – they look gorgeous! My top tip for this is to allow the chocolate to dry on a silicon mat, such as the Tovolo again, and to do a second drizzle of milk or white chocolate to garnish.
|9. Have a Formula before Choosing Dishes
Be more organised and prepared by ensuring you have a balanced menu and enough food by following a formula for the types of dishes you need, then seek out particular recipes you need. Here is the formula I used for my recent 40th birthday party for 50 adults and 50 kids:- One dish to fill everyone up. Think slow cooker beef or pork BBQ sandwiches, or this Paella. I chose sliced flank steak baguette sandwiches.)
- 1 elegant offering, such as passed Hor D’ourves (tip 3)
- One large sharing platter (tip 4)
- Two dips served with pita bread, veggie crudités and chips.
- Three types of pastries (tip 6)
- Two hot dishes (tip 7)
- 2 easy pre-prepared desserts (I chose Rice Krispie Treats for the kids and Chocolate Covered Strawberries for the adults, see tip 8)
Next Read: Quick and easy romantic dinner for two
