An Engagement Party

Inevitably the occasion arises for a party to be held at home. Those who lack the confidence, though, may find this prospect daunting. So I’m going to give you ideas that will make the whole process both manageable and enjoyable – it’s all in the planning, and in the little tips and tricks. By following my guide carefully, you’ll not only produce an impressive end result, you also won’t become frazzled in the process! I focus here on an engagement party, but the ideas can just as easily be adapted to different occasions, such as an adult birthday. There are also ideas for making a cake – often the pièce de résistance.

On the Menu

Smoked salmon hearts (or cornets) with piped avocado cream

Chicken and mushroom phyllo pie

Chocolate fondue

Chocolate and cherry cream meringue gâteau

Visually appealing cheese platter, served with red onion marmalade

Two-tiered celebration cake

Menu for a wintery dinner engagement party

Spicy tomato soup with a swirl of cucumber raita and coriander, served with crunchy croutons

Bruschetta with a variety of toppings

Karoo lamb tagine

Frozen meringue roulade (with lemon curd or passionfruit filling)

Menu for a cocktail party

Individual mushroom, bacon and herb quiches

Cheese mousse with preserved figs, served with warm sliced baguette

Rösti with salmon and sour cream

Mum’s never-go-wrong chocolate profiteroles and/or romantic rose meringues and/or macaroons

Summer fruit champagne jelly mould

Menu for a summery light lunch celebration

Smoked salmon hearts (or cornets) with piped avocado cream

Chicken and mango salad with toasted almonds and a fruity curry dressing

Mushroom, bacon and herb quiche

Duo of Swiss chocolate mousse

Menu for an afternoon tea function

Swiss Gruyère, thyme and caramelised onion tartlets

Rolled-up asparagus sandwiches tied with chives

Swiss chocolate mousse cake

Swedish-inspired spiced apple cake

Menu for a more intimate sit-down dinner

Salmon and cucumber mousse, served with crostini

Karoo lamb drizzled with honey and herbs

Chocolate and cherry cream meringue gâteau

Menu for a light meal at any time of the day

Roasted red pepper roulade

Warm phyllo parcels with Brie and cranberry or fig preserve

Individual freshly grated courgette quiches

Swiss roll with a twist

The ‘wow’ without the worry

Because an occasion such as an engagement can be fairly impromptu, ideally you should consider doing something that doesn’t require weeks of planning and preparation, yet will still result in a special affair. The ideas here can be adapted for a brunch, a garden party, an afternoon tea or a candlelit dinner. Just use the alternative menu suggestions to suit the type of occasion that appeals to you. Even for the lunch or dinner option, you’ll be surprised how simple most of the food is to prepare, yet still has the ‘wow’ factor.

Special touches

Once you’ve made a decision about the menu and have a plan of action, it’s a good idea to consider a theme. This can be made evident in table and other décor and, of course, in the finishing touches of some of the food. Here are a couple of suggestions to convey the theme for an engagement party.

Table touches

If you’re planning to have flowers, it’s not necessary to use formal or expensive vases. Mason jars tied with hessian and ribbon are very effective for informal posies (paste a heart on the jar with the couple’s initials for that personal touch). Perspex diamonds and glitzy items also add a bit of fun.

Food finishing touches

Ice the cake in a way that says it all. If you have time, you could add appropriately decorated cookies to individual place settings on the table.

Party themes

Becoming organised

Refer to ‘General Guidelines for Any Type of Party’, on page 5.

Plan of action and countdown

Up to 1 month before, make and freeze the following
  Buttercream icing (page 181)
  Cakes for the Two-tiered celebration cake (page 40)*
  Chicken and mushroom phyllo pie (page 42).

* Freeze these without ganache, cream or filling. You can, however, freeze them with buttercream icing, in which case ensure that the icing is not touched or messed up in the freezer. Allow the icing to set hard before gently wrapping/covering. Carefully remove any wrapping before defrosting.

3–5 days before the party
  Make the meringue layers for the Chocolate and cherry cream meringue gâteau (page 44) and store in an airtight container.
  Make the buttercream icing (if you have not already made it ahead and frozen it, in which case defrost in the fridge).
  Purchase drinks for the party and organise ice, if required, and where to store it.
  Make the Red onion marmalade (page 47).
2 days before the party
  Check that you have all the ingredients to ice and decorate the cakes and sweet items from your menu.
  Check that you have all the ingredients for the savoury items on the menu, including herbs or salad for garnishing.
The day before the party
  Remove the buttercream icing from the fridge or freezer and leave until ready for icing (don’t microwave and melt it).
  Defrost and ice the cakes for the Two-tiered celebration cake.
  Set the table for the party and put out glasses, cups and saucers, teapots, milk jugs, cutlery, serviettes, etc. Fill and cover sugar pots and put out the teas and coffee that you will be offering, and an urn, if you are using one.
  Arrange any flowers that you might be using.
  Prepare accompaniments for the Chocolate fondue (page 43) (marshmallows, fruit, skewers, etc.). Cover and chill fruit.
On the day of the party
  Defrost any remaining sweet and savoury items (this should be done at least 3 hours before the party). Moist chocolate cakes will take a good 3–4 hours, depending on the room temperature.
  Make chocolate ganache if you are planning to use it.
  Whip the cream (cream stabiliser can be used if this is done a few hours in advance and the cake will be standing out for a while at the party); keep refrigerated for as long as possible.
  Assemble the Chocolate meringue gâteau. Place the assembled meringue in the fridge if this is done more than an hour in advance of the party, and especially in the summer months.
  Fill the chocolate profiteroles and keep refrigerated.
  Fill milk jugs and put out drinks an hour or two before the party begins.
  Place the cream and chocolate for the fondue in a heatproof dish, ready to be slowly melted just before serving.
  Assemble the Visually appealing cheese platter (page 46), and put out the Red onion marmalade.
  Prepare the Smoked salmon hearts (or cornets) with piped avocado cream (page 41).
Half an hour to an hour before the party
  Put out the cakes and sweet items.
  Reheat the Chicken and mushroom phyllo pie.

Two-tiered celebration cake

Because this engagement cake takes the longest to prepare, I suggest you begin here (even though it’s listed last on the menu). Once the making of it is out of the way, you can then concentrate on the décor.

When, on special occasions, you make a cake with a few tiers, it is advisable to use dowels and cake boards to support the structure. This is particularly important if the cake is to be moved around or transported to another venue – you don’t want a layer of cake and icing to crush the layer beneath it, or to have all your hard work landing up on the floor!

(See ‘For a tiered fondant cake’ on page 68.)

Smoked salmon hearts (or cornets) with piped avocado cream

This is a very simple starter to make. If you want to go to a little extra trouble, although a bit fiddly, you can cut the salmon into heart shapes. Alternatively, simply shape the smoked salmon into cornets, then pipe the avocado cream filling into the centre.

* Instead of avocado and crème fraîche, you could use 200g ready-made guacamole.

  1. Cut out heart shapes from the smoked salmon using a cutter. You will probably need two layers of salmon, one on top of the other, to attain sufficient thickness for the cutting of the shape. Alternatively, roll the salmon slices into cornets.
  2. Purée or mash the avocado together with the crème fraîche, cream cheese, lemon juice and seasoning, until smooth.
  3. Place the avocado purée into a piping bag fitted with a large star or shell nozzle and pipe the purée onto a heart-shaped (double) piece of salmon. Place another salmon heart shape carefully on top of the avocado. For cornets, pipe the purée to fill the cones of smoked salmon.
  4. Season with a little more salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil or balsamic reduction and garnish with herbs or salad of your choice. You can add a swirl of balsamic reduction around the edge of the plate before serving.

Serves 2

Chicken and mushroom phyllo pie

When I presented this in one of my cooking classes, everyone commented on how easy it was to prepare. Within a week most of them had sent me a message to say they’d tried it and were delighted with the result. We all need a few stand-by recipes that are quick, easy and reliable. This is good old-fashioned comfort food, perfect for a week-night supper, good enough for company. And if you’d like to serve these in individual portions for a drinks party, simply make the pies in ramekins.

* You may use more cream instead of yoghurt if you don’t like the tangy flavour of the yoghurt, but yoghurt does make for a lighter version.

  1. Gently poach the chicken breasts in water for about 20 minutes, with the chopped onion, carrot and celery.
  2. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  3. Allow the chicken to cool, remove bones and skin (unless deboned and skinless), then slice into bite-size pieces.
  4. Combine the cream, yoghurt and soup powder in a jug and mix lightly.
  5. Combine the chicken pieces, milk, spring onions or leeks, mushrooms, peas and herbs in a large mixing bowl, then pour the cream and soup mixture over this. Add a little more milk if the mixture appears too dry. Add seasoning. Mix everything together well and pour into a baking dish.
  6. Cut the phyllo pastry into strips and brush them with melted butter. Arrange these strips in a scrunched-up fashion over the pie until it is fully covered.
  7. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden in colour.

Serves 4–6

Chocolate fondue

As my husband, Marcel, is Swiss, fondues are popular in our household. I learned from him that it’s an impressive yet stress-free way to serve dessert after a special meal, and always creates conversation and interest. You can prepare all the accompaniments in advance, and the chocolate and cream can be placed in a double boiler (or fondue pot), ready for the chocolate-melting when you’re ready to serve. Marcel prefers to use Toblerone in his chocolate fondue – hardly surprising since his family hails from Canton Bern, where Toblerone originates! But you can substitute any other good quality chocolate. If you don’t have a fondue set, don’t forget you’ll need wooden skewers.

Suggestions for dipping accompaniments

Fondue

  1. Prepare all the accompaniments a couple of hours before you intend to serve the fondue. Wash and slice the fruit; drizzle fruit such as banana, pear or apple with a touch of lemon juice to prevent excessive discoloration.
  2. In a double boiler (or fondue pot), add the chocolate pieces to the cream. When it is time for the dessert, make sure that the dipping accompaniments are ready for serving before warming the chocolate. Heat the cream and chocolate over low heat until the chocolate is just melted and serve immediately.

Serves 6–8

Chocolate and cherry cream meringue gâteau

The inspiration for making a chocolate pavlova (which is, in essence, what this gâteau is) came from our dear friend and a wonderful cook, Stephanie Pattinson, who I regard as a second mom. It is a really special dessert: meringue stacked high with layers of cream and melted chocolate, finished off with cherries. True decadence, but so worth the effort.

For the chocolate meringue

For the layers

* 500ml cream in total is used in this recipe

To make the meringue

  1. Preheat the oven to 140°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
  2. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until just stiff. Gradually mix in the castor sugar, one spoon at a time. Whisk the mixture until glossy and thick.
  3. Using a metal spoon, fold in the vanilla, vinegar, cornflour and cocoa powder lightly but thoroughly.
  4. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking sheet (make 4 circles, each with a 20cm diameter, with a fairly thick base and a raised edge).
  5. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave in the oven until completely cold (preferably overnight).

To make the filling

  1. Place the chocolate and 200ml cream in a double boiler and stir over low heat until the chocolate has just melted. Leave to cool completely.
  2. Stir the vanilla into the 300ml whipped cream.
  3. Place a meringue disc on a serving platter, spread with a quarter of the chocolate mixture followed by a quarter of the whipped cream. Top with another meringue disc and repeat three more times. Garnish the final layer of chocolate and cream with fresh fruit and grated chocolate (optional).

Coffee and hazelnut alternative

  1. Omit the cocoa powder from the meringue recipe and add 20ml instant espresso coffee powder to the mixture instead. Once the meringue discs are baked, layer them with whipped cream and caramel-dipped hazelnuts.

Serves 6–8

Note: For one large pavlova, halve the ingredients for the chocolate meringue. Top with melted chocolate and cream (optional).

Visually appealing cheese platter

A beautifully presented cheese platter is a feast for the eyes, but the real bonus is that it doesn’t involve any real preparation or fuss; it’s simply a case of opening up the different items and arranging them creatively. This is a popular choice for a drinks/cocktail party or to accompany a meal. It’s also perfect as a light lunch accompanied by salmon mousse or a salad and a warm, crispy baguette. Keep it simple, choosing a gorgeous French-style wooden board with some lemon or rocket leaves for added interest. For a smaller party or for a cheese board to end a meal, buy only three different types of cheese, but if you’re catering for a larger group or drinks party, ensure that you have at least two of the different varieties of cheese suggested below. Group the similar cheese types together. If the cheese is intended as an appetiser for a drinks party, as part of a buffet, or at the end of a large dinner, allow 80g of cheese per person.

Suggestions for the platter

  1. First arrange the decorative leaves on the board. Next, add the cheese wedges, grouping similar types of cheese together (you can label the cheeses if you like). Add pots of preserve and fill in the spaces with fruit, nuts and crackers. If desired, add a pot of olives to the mix.

Variations:

• Make Blue cheese crème brûlée (page 148) to replace the blue cheese component of the cheese platter. Serve topped with fig preserve.

• As a substitute to a cheese board at the end of the meal, try the Cheese mousse with preserved figs (page 124) and serve with poached pears.

Red onion marmalade

This is the perfect accompaniment to a cheese board or the Blue cheese crème brûlée (page 148). It also makes a great gift and is especially wonderful at Christmas time as a chutney to accompany slices of baked gammon. You can also use it in your quiche with feta cheese for an interesting combination or add it to the vegetables in the Roasted Mediterranean vegetable quiche (page 110). This recipe makes about two jars.

* You can use regular onions but red onions are sweeter.

** If you don’t want to use wine, substitute with 125ml vinegar or red grape juice, keep in the fridge and consume within a month.

  1. Pour the olive oil and butter in a non-reactive frying pan (do not use aluminium/copper, due to the vinegar).
  2. Add the onions and fry over low heat until starting to caramelise (if necessary, add a few tablespoons of the sugar to assist the caramelisation). This should take 10–20 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic (and chilli flakes and mustard seeds, if using) and cook briefly.
  4. Add the sugar, vinegar, wine, thyme, orange rind and juice, then simmer for about 1 hour until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are sticky and soft.
  5. Season to taste. Place in sterilised jars and seal, then store in the fridge (for up to 2 months).

Makes ± 500ml

Take-home gift ideas

‘Take home’ biscuits

‘White chocolate Eiffel towers’: melt white chocolate and add food colouring to half the mixture. Spoon in half the tinted white chocolate followed by half the plain white chocolate and leave to set. (Remember, the mould is inverted, so the colours must be poured in opposite to the final result.)

‘Baking kit in a jar’: a cake tester, cupcake wrappers and heart-shaped measuring spoons are some ideas with which to fill your own jars.

Other take-home gift ideas