I am catering and elegant dinner for 2 (starter, entree, dessert) to be cooked in my home and delivered. I am looking for some fresh ideas!

Right now, I am thinking bacon wrapped dates/prunes/figs stuffed with almonds and ricotta salata to start, osso bucco/daube au beouf, or chicken with 40 cloves of garlic,with a Swiss chard polenta cakes, and a pear tart for dessert. I am leaning towards braised/stewed dishes for their portability.

testkitchenette
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7 Comments

HinOh
HinOh January 22, 2013
Roasted shrimp cocktail; short rib ragu over creamy polenta (ragu is made the day before); creme brulee.
 
nutcakes
nutcakes January 22, 2013
I like all the options you have come up with excepting the starter. Those are just things I don't personally like (dried dates and figs are just too sweet and awful to me). I don't see much vegetable here, so I would rather eat a starter that is a creative salad, maybe bitter greens, just maybe with that bacon wrapped cloying sweet thing might be broken up by some frisee and sherry vinegar? oh I just saw chard/polenta and I've never had that but sounds really good. Good luck and I'm sure it will work out well. Just make 3 menu's and have them pick one or you pick, then you will have something for next time using your main course, but with different sides and starters.
 
testkitchenette
testkitchenette January 21, 2013
Poached pears, thank you, love it (and so pretty too). Pierino, thank you for the risotto suggestion! The delivery area is VERY close to my house so gelato/sorbet might not be so hard to transport. Couldn't ask for better suggestions and inspiration so far.
 
pierino
pierino January 22, 2013
testkitchenette, if you decide to go with the risotto be sure to be generous with the saffron. They do in Milano. It's expensive but it makes for a beautiful presentation.
 
pierino
pierino January 21, 2013
Good thinking on the braise. Osso bucco works well, and an accompaniment of risotto milanese (traditional) is easy to prepare on site. Appetizer; possibly pan seared scallops with romesco. You can make the romesco ahead. For dessert a gelato or sorbet---the latter is tricky because it tends to break in transit.
 
pierino
pierino January 21, 2013
Good thinking on the braise. Osso bucco works well, and an accompaniment of risotto milanese (traditional) is easy to prepare on site. Appetizer; possibly pan seared scallops with romesco. You can make the romesco ahead. For dessert a gelato or sorbet---the latter is tricky because it tends to break in transit.
 
luvcookbooks
luvcookbooks January 21, 2013
Have you thought about poached pears in red wine for dessert? They're so pretty and you can serve some little butter cookies on the side so that the couple won't feel deprived of their butter and sugar. The osso bucco or daube of beef or chicken sound so delicious, even tho I just ate dinner. Figs stuffed with almonds and ricotta salata and wrapped in bacon sounds soo flavorful. Have fun!
 
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