Easy but impressive: The dinner party dishes that will make your guests think you’ve spent hours in the kitchen – when it actually took half an hour

By William On Feb 5, 2024

The cheat guide to perfect dinner party dishes: from mouth-watering main courses to a butterscotch tart, impress your guests with minimal effort…

Crayfish and avocado cocktail

One of my favorite light lunches or starters. Substitute shrimp or crab for the crayfish, if you prefer, or if you can’t find crayfish. They are available at certain times of the year at fishmongers and all good supermarkets. These can be assembled up to an hour in advance and kept chilled in the refrigerator.

Serves 4

225 g cooked, peeled crayfish tails
1 large avocado, peeled and quartered
2 Little Gem lettuce, shredded
4 thin slices of lemon to garnish

For the cocktail sauce

3 tbsp crème fraîche
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato puree
1 tbsp hot horseradish sauce
A few drops of Worcestershire sauce
A few drops of Tabasco
A dash of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill, plus 4 small sprigs, to garnish

Set aside four crayfish tails for decoration.

For the cocktail sauce, mix all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pat the crayfish tails dry with paper towels and add to the sauce.

Cut three quarters of the avocado into cubes and the remaining quarter into thin slices. Add the diced avocado to the sauce and the crayfish and mix well.

Divide the shredded lettuce among four glasses and spoon the crayfish mixture on top. Arrange the reserved crayfish tails on the surface of each cocktail, alongside a few slices of avocado, a slice of lemon and a sprig of dill.

Chicken tartiflette

A variation on the classic tartiflette, a dish of potato, bacon, onions and Reblochon cheese, traditional in the Alps. Choose a smoked ham of your choice. If you can’t find Reblochon, use Brie or Camembert. The first stage of cooking the vegetables, before adding the chicken, can be done up to two hours in advance. Not suitable for freezing.

Serves 6

8 slices of Parma ham or Black Forest ham
2 onions, thinly sliced
500 g new potatoes, cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
6 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
200 grams of mushrooms
200 ml white wine
Pour 150 ml of double cream
115 g Reblochon cheese, rind removed and cut into cubes
1 tbsp grainy mustard
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut two slices of Parma ham into small pieces.

Place the sliced Parma ham, onions, potatoes, oil and garlic in a large, shallow roasting tin. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix everything together. Roast in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the potato slices are almost done.

In the meantime, place the remaining slices of Parma ham on a plate. Place the chicken breasts on top of the ham and wrap one around each breast. Season.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Stir in the mushrooms, wine and cream and add the cheese. Place the wrapped chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and place in the oven for about 20-22 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a warm plate to rest. Stir the mustard, lemon juice and herbs into the tin until everything is mixed.

Cut each chicken fillet into thirds, spoon the vegetables and sauce over the top and serve piping hot with a green vegetable on the side.

Salmon en croute with spinach and dill

Salmon en croute is still so popular on the buffet table or when serving numbers. If you cannot find a single piece of salmon large enough, you can use 2 500g fillets side by side.

Serves 8-10

For the spinach filling:

225 g baby spinach
180 g full-fat cream cheese
1 egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salmon:

Flour, for dusting
1 block of puff pastry of 500 g, completely with butter
1 x 1 kg salmon fillet, cut from the center of the fillet, skinned and bones removed
A large bunch of dill, chopped
1 280g jar grilled mixed peppers in oil, drained
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk

For the herb sauce:

3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tbsp chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped dill
200 grams of full crème fraîche
Juice of ½ lemon

To make the spinach filling, place the baby spinach in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water from the kettle over the spinach so that it shrinks and drain well. Squeeze the excess water from the spinach and let it cool.

Add the cream cheese and egg yolk to the cold spinach, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix everything together.

Place a large piece of baking paper on the work surface and dust with flour. Roll the dough so that it is long and wide enough to completely enclose the fillet. Trim off any excess dough and set aside. Place the fillet in the center of the dough. Season and cover with the dill. Place the drained peppers over the fish and spread the spinach filling evenly over it.

Break the egg into a bowl and add the milk. Beat with a fork until smooth. Brush the dough around the fillet with the egg mixture. Fold the dough ends up and over the ends of the fillet and brush the dough ends with beaten egg. Bring the sides of the dough together in the center and pinch the top edge closed. Brush everything with the egg glaze. Use the dough decorations to cut out shapes or letters. Stick these on the top of the dough for decoration and brush with the egg glaze. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7 and place a baking tray large enough to hold the en croute in the oven so that it becomes very hot. Carefully slide the encroute and the baking paper onto the preheated baking tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked top and bottom.

Let the salmon rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes while you make the sauce. Place all sauce ingredients in a bowl, season and stir to combine. Cut the salmon into thick slices and serve with the sauce on the side.

Super quick raspberry parfait

Who doesn’t love puddings that you can make in advance without any stress? These delicious desserts can be made up to 8 hours in advance (but are not suitable for freezing). By adding some of the raspberry puree to the mousse, you get a deliciously strong taste.

For six small glasses

225 grams of raspberries
6 tablespoons icing sugar
4 tbsp cassis liqueur
200 g full-fat mascarpone cheese
Pour 150 ml of double cream
Juice of ½ lemon

Reserve six raspberries for decorating and place the remaining fruit in a food processor. Add 3 tablespoons of icing sugar and all the cassis. Mix to a puree and then pour through a sieve. Discard the seeds.

Measure the mascarpone into a mixing bowl. Mix gently with an electric whisk to soften the mixture, then pour in the whipped cream, add the remaining icing sugar and beat again. Add the lemon juice and half of the raspberry puree and stir until well incorporated. Be sure to blend and fold gently to maintain a smooth cream.

Divide the mixture among six small glasses. Spoon the remaining raspberry coulis on top and garnish with a fresh raspberry to serve.

Butterscotch banana cake

Serves six

100 g dark chocolate
125 g malted milk biscuits
66g butterscotch pudding beater
300 ml milk
2 medium bananas, sliced
60 g salted caramel sauce

Melt 75 grams of chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Grind the cookies finely in a food processor. Pour the melted chocolate onto the cookie crumbs and mix again.

Spread the mixture over the base and up the sides of a shallow 16cm cake tin and then place in the fridge to set.

Sprinkle the butterscotch pudding powder into the milk and beat until smooth.

Spread the salted caramel sauce over the cookie base. Cover with banana slices. Briefly beat the butterscotch pudding whip and spoon it over the bananas.

Place in the refrigerator for ten minutes to set. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle it over the cake to serve.

Mary Berry recipes from Mary Makes It Easy by Mary Berry, £28, published by BBC Books