For many of us, the idea of hosting a dinner party for friends or family is a little daunting. A dinner party is an evening where your culinary talents are on show to your guests, and we’ve all seen those dinner party competitions on television where the hosts are slated by guests behind their backs for using ready-made items or for not using locally produced food. The truth is, you don’t need to be a gourmet chef to create a great fuss-free dinner party: as long as you choose dishes that suit your skills in the kitchen, you’re sure to impress. Schwartz have kindly pulled together a huge range of great dinner party recipes for everyone from the novice cook to the expert, so there’s no excuse!
When you’re hosting a dinner party, it’s always a good idea to make as much of your meal as you can in advance, so that you actually get to spend time with your guests instead of being chained to the stove all evening. Dishes like soups are great as make-ahead starters, and for main courses, I like to use my slow cooker for recipes like my green Thai curry, which I can leave bubbling away throughout the day so that they’re ready for when my guests arrive.
Schwartz have dinner party recipe suggestions for every course, from starters such as their roasted sweet potato soup with paprika, right through to a range of desserts. Here’s a great recipe for Tiramisu With A Twist, using Amaretti biscuits instead of sponge fingers and Amaretto liqueur instead of Marsala. You can make this the day before your dinner party and chill so that it’s ready on the night.
Tiramisu With A Twist
Ingredients:
- 750g mascarpone cheese
- 30g caster sugar
- 1 medium egg – separate the yolk and the white
- 50ml Amaretto
- 250ml strong black coffee, brewed and chilled
- 1 tsp Schwartz Ground Cinnamon
- 30 to 40 Amaretti biscuits (quantity will depend on size)
- cocoa powder or grated chocolate to finish
Method:
1. Beat together the mascarpone cheese, caster sugar and egg yolk. Whisk the egg white in a separate bowl, and then fold this into the mascarpone cheese mixture. Spoon a quarter of this mixture over the base of a 2 pint rectangular dish.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the Amaretto, black coffee and ground cinnamon. Take half of your Amaretti biscuits, and dip into the coffee/Amaretto mixture for around 15 seconds, then turn over and repeat with the other side. Lay the biscuits out across the layer of mascarpone mixture.
3. Spoon half of the remaining mascarpone mixture over this new biscuit layer, and smooth the surface over with a palette knife. Repeat step 2 with the remaining biscuits, and finish by spreading the rest of the mascarpone mixture over the top, smoothing it over with a palette knife as before. Dust the top with cocoa powder, cover and chill in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.
More fab foodie posts from some of my favourite bloggers:
- Slow cooker Veggie Lasagne by Bug Bird & Bee
- The Frugal Family’s Guide to Batch Cooking
- Red Velvet Cupcakes at Romanian Mum
- Vegetable Frittata by Mummy Central
- Caramelised onion and goat’s cheese tarte tatin from The Crazy Kitchen
- Mamasaurus’s Creme Egg Chocolate Quiche
- Mummy from the Heart Reviews Diet Chef
I’m so with you on the preparing in advance thing – my slow cooker has seen lots of action pre-dinner party recently. Your tiramisu looks amazing!