Easy Entertaining: Three 30-Minute Dishes

Easy Entertaining: Three 30-Minute Dishes

A dinner party feast needn’t require hours spent toiling over the stove. In fact, as SL contributor and food writer Chloe Scott-Moncrieff proves, it’s more than possible to put together an impressive three course meal with minimal faff. Here, she shares some of her suggested dishes, each of which can be made in under half an hour.

THE STARTER

Breakneck Beetroot Carpaccio, Burrata & Orange Blossom (V)

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
25 Minutes
Ingredients
3 oranges, peel removed and sliced
3 red or golden beets, heirloom are divine, sliced 1mm
2 handfuls of tarragon (or dill), finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 x 150g burrata balls
2 tsp of orange blossom water
100g of walnuts, halved
Two pinches of black onion seeds
Method
Step 1

Slice the beets 1mm thin (a mandolin does this best). In a bowl, gently mix with a handful of finely chopped or blended tarragon, a generous pinch of salt and the lemon zest and juice. Set aside for a few minutes.

Step 2

On two large plates, arrange the orange and beets and sprinkle over the remaining fresh herbs. Place the burrata balls in the centre of each plate. Sprinkle the orange blossom water carefully over the orange and beets.

Step 3

Finish with a scattering of black onion seeds and walnuts.

THE MAIN

Roasted Bream With Dill Butter & Cherry Tomatoes

Serves
Serves 2
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
30 Minutes
Ingredients
2 bream fillets, gutted at the fish counter
250g of cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, finely sliced
Juice of 1 lemon or a glass of white wine
For the dill butter:
1 knob of butter per fish
10 capers, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 packet of dill
Method
Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200°C. With a sharp knife, slice the bream three times on each side and rub plenty of sea salt and pepper into the incisions and across the fish.

Step 2

Make the dill butter by mixing the finely chopped garlic, capers and dill with the butter.

Step 3

Stuff the fish with the aromatic butter, and cover the exterior.

Step 4

Place the fish on a tray on parchment paper with the tomatoes and pepper slices. Squeeze over the lemon juice or sprinkle over the wine.

Step 5

Bake for 15 minutes until the bream is tender. Let it rest for a minute or so, and place foil and a tea towel over it to keep it warm.

Step 6

Serve on two plates, making sure to pour all the delicious juices over it.

THE PUD

Bakewell Tart Syllabub

Serves
Serves 4
Difficulty
Easy
Total Time
20 Minutes
Ingredients
300ml of double cream
Juice of 1 lemon
65g of caster sugar
20 fresh raspberries
80ml of Disaronno liqueur
4 Amaretti biscuits or any type of almond cookie, crumbled
A sprinkling of flaked almonds (per glass)
Method
Step 1

Toast the almond flakes by dry frying them for a few minutes in a pan.

Step 2

In a large dry bowl, whisk the Disaronno, lemon juice and sugar, and then whisk in the cream, whipping it until it reaches soft peaks.

Step 3

Spoon the mixture into four small glasses. Sprinkle biscuit crumbs across the top, and add roughly five raspberries per serving, a dusting of icing sugar and the toasted almond flakes.

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