Chicken Liver Pate – Fragrant Chicken with Rice and Poppadums – White Chocolate Cheesecake

My style of cooking for our dinner parties is fairly basic, but tasty (I hope) and easy to. The hardest part is to think up different menus, so I don’t repeat anything, and also when you are hosting, it is nice to prepare and cook as much as you can in advance, or dishes that do not need to be cooked when your guests are ensconced, so you spend most of the time with your guests rather than being in the kitchen. You can read about my style of cooking here

Dinner Party Menu Idea for 4 People

 STARTER:  Chicken Liver Pate

Ingredients
1 – 2 oz Butter
450g chicken livers, drained, trimmed and dried with kitchen towel
1 medium onion – peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peel and sliced
8 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp brandy
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Melt the butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until or until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken livers and fry for a further 5 minutes stirring regularly until browned on the outside but still a bit pink in the middle, then add the brandy and cook for about 10 seconds, set aside for about 20 minutes to cool.
Transfer mixture into a food processor, adding the double cream and salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  You can add more cream if required.
Spoon into individual ramekins or pate dish,(slicing when ready to serve),  and chill until set.
Serve with hot buttered toast and caramalised onion chutney (make your own or buy ready done)

MAIN COURSE:  Fragrant Chicken (Serves 4)

Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless
1 tablespoon  runny honey
3 tablespoons sunflower oil (although I did use olive oil)
2 onions finely sliced
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons brandy
½ pint double cream
1 tablespoon mango chutney
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

Method
Slice the chicken breasts into three or 4 strips lengthways and toss in the honey.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large non stick frying pan and brown the chicken strips all over (you can do these in batches if required).  Set aside
Heat the remaining oil in the unwashed frying pan and add the onions.  Fry on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened.
Sprinkle with curry powder, then add the brandy and stir.  Mix in the xouble cream and put the chicken back into the pan.  Simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the mango chutney and lemon juice and season.  Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with rice and poppadums.

DESSERT:  White Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients
50g/2oz butter
160g/6oz plain chocolate digestive biscuits crushed
Filling
300g(10oz) good quality white chocolate
400g(14oz) full fat cream cheese
2 eggs
150ml(1/4 pint) soured cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cocoa powder for dusting
Fresh strawberries or raspberries
Note:  You will need an 8 inch deep spring form cake tin and lined in the base with greaseproof paper

Method
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.  When melted add the crushed biscuits and press evenly over the base of the prepared tin.  Put in fridge to chill.
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally until runny and smooth.
Whisk the cream cheese and eggs together in a large bowl and then add the soured cream and vanilla extract and whisk again until smooth with no lumps.  Stir in the melted chocolate and mix.
Pour mixture into the tin, spreading evenly over the base.  Bake in a preheated oven 160 or 140 for a fan oven, for about 45 minutes, until firm around the edge and just set in the middle.
Remove the outside ring and lift the base on to a serving plate.  Dust with cocoa powder and serve with a few fresh strawberries or raspberries

Dinner Party Ideas and suggestions of what I think goes together best

See my other dinner party menus suggestions here