The way to his parents' heart

[Gummy-Bear]

posted this in non-food related but was advised to post here:

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then the way to his family's heart should be the same way. Well, I've captured my boyfriend's heart as well as his mom's side of the family, now it's time for his father's approval.

His dad is an exceptionally good cook, and was a chef at a restaurant for awhile. His stepmom is pure-blooded Italian and knows food very well. My goal is to throw a dinner party (I always need the practice) for the two of them and want to try something different. And something that will impress them both.

What themes for a dinner party would be fun, different, and elegant all at the same time?
I'm thinking Greek or Spanish but since everyone on this site is always so helpful, I figured I would sponge up a few ideas here.


UPDATE: My beloved bringer of bad news just informed me that his step-mom is a picky eater. No red meat, and very little poultry and game. So that leaves seafood. Talk about bonding time with his dad, we'll end up emailing about what Ryan's step mom will and will not eat. The joy of picky eaters.

[shroomgirl]

Fish.....tons of veg.....
cross alot of territory in that you can have a meze platter so she can be happy and others can have an adventure too.
Make Sure when you entertain you are able to be apart of the group.....which is WAY more important than you making a meal in the kitchen solo.

Greek.....
saganaki, aka flaming cheese.....it's a wow presentation

dolmas, not real PC but great bought ones abound....Trader Joe's has some in oil on the shelf that are really good, Whole Foods....if you have access to wholesalers there are several brands that are really good and reasonable

cuke sauce....Greek yogurt or drained in cheesecloth or papertowel plain yogurt, shredded cukes, dillweed, green onions, garlic (I use penzey's granulated for this)

Olives....nice to have a selection

Fresh pita triangles.....brush alittle olive oil and warm them

Maybe some peppadews with chevre and smoked paprika....or some charred red pepper strips run through an oregano, garlic, olive oil marinade

Possibly spanakopita or tiropetes......



Large Greek Salad with lemon dressing is an old standard....works

Shrimp with garlic, lemon, tomato bits, feta....again the oregano
or
if you can get it fresh, some beautiful fish that you can sear and pan roast or something you can prep and bake....

Rice


Some dessert you can premake and have ready to pull out.


Key is tons of advance work so you can be apart of the party.

[Gummy-Bear]

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

Fish.....tons of veg.....
cross alot of territory in that you can have a meze platter so she can be happy and others can have an adventure too.
Make Sure when you entertain you are able to be apart of the group.....which is WAY more important than you making a meal in the kitchen solo....
.....Key is tons of advance work so you can be apart of the party.

Thank you so much Shroom! For everything! I'll get to hunting for good recipes that are in your spectacular list!

[Gummy-Bear]

So I had decided on Greek food, and had a beautiful Greek menu all planned out and close to perfected, until the boyfriend's dad informed me that his stepmother doesn't like Greek food. WHO DOESN'T LIKE GREEK FOOD?! Anyways, that leaves me Spanish cuisine, which excites me because I don't have very much experience in that field and it's always fun to experiment with stuff like this.

So far, I am planning a few tapas:

• A Spanish cheese tray with homemade Spanish bread
• Perhaps a selection of Spanish olives?
• I found an excellent recipe for mussels, if the main dish doesn't eat a hole in my pocket, I may do that as a tapa

For the main meal I am going to do Seafood Paella with scallops, crab, and shrimp.

And for dessert, I am doing orange flan.

I am looking for suggestions at this point. Any superb Spanish cheeses that you guys may recommend? Other tapas that you enjoy that I should include? Does paella scream for a side dish or is it self sustaining as a main dish?
And lastly.....
Can you give me a decent price range for saffron? Asking this question scares me......

[kuan]

Are you sure about the scallops in the paella? Have you done it before? If it were me I would go with just chicken and shrimp for the paella.

[MikeLM]

Shroom'

If I ever decide to get married in Saint Louis (where I was born) I am definitely going to get you to cater the event!

'Course, I would have to get my wife's permission.

Mike

[damack]

i have had good paella and i would leave the scallops out they will get tough, but if you want to add churresso(sp?) thats always good too
what i have seen is chicken, mussles clams and crab, and churesso

Originally Posted by Gummy-Bear

So I had decided on Greek food, and had a beautiful Greek menu all planned out and close to perfected, until the boyfriend's dad informed me that his stepmother doesn't like Greek food. WHO DOESN'T LIKE GREEK FOOD?! Anyways, that leaves me Spanish cuisine, which excites me because I don't have very much experience in that field and it's always fun to experiment with stuff like this.

So far, I am planning a few tapas:

• A Spanish cheese tray with homemade Spanish bread
• Perhaps a selection of Spanish olives?
• I found an excellent recipe for mussels, if the main dish doesn't eat a hole in my pocket, I may do that as a tapa

For the main meal I am going to do Seafood Paella with scallops, crab, and shrimp.

And for dessert, I am doing orange flan.

I am looking for suggestions at this point. Any superb Spanish cheeses that you guys may recommend? Other tapas that you enjoy that I should include? Does paella scream for a side dish or is it self sustaining as a main dish?
And lastly.....
Can you give me a decent price range for saffron? Asking this question scares me......

[Gummy-Bear]

The scallops were a guess, I'll hold off on that... thanks for the reminder!!!! I can not do chicken or chorizo, the stepmother hates both.