I cooked all these dishes past Sunday and it was fantastic!!! Very very delicious!
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I made the main course last night for me and my husband. I halfed the chicken and potato recipes. It was delicious. My favorite recipe was for the Swiss chard. It's not a vegetable that I normally cook but it was delicious with the spice from the red pepper flakes and incredibly easy to prepare. Served it with a red table wine. Ingredients only cost about $17.
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Over the decades of reading the Times I've developed the impression that everything in New York is EXTREMELY expensive. This sounds wonderful, but $75 for a few people isn't really cheap even if elegant though it seems actual elegance in NYC would be more like $750.
Not trying to be critical, just trying to see across the chasm
Not trying to be critical, just trying to see across the chasm
3
I agree 100%. Spending $75 for a home-cooked meal for just 4 people, is nowhere near 'cheap', for dining in.
I'm thinking about Black Jeopardy, also linked to from the New York Times, when I read of $75 as a "cheap" meal for four. In what universe is that cheap, and in what universe does feta, on the bone chicken, some potatoes and greens cost $75 to feed four people?
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The cost of groceries in places like New York and San Francisco tends to be significantly higher than in most parts of the Midwest and the rest of the country.
Also, the article is for an elegant dinner party, and the word "cheap" should be read in that context. I don't quite get the nitpicking.
If you want a truly cheap dinner for four, make spaghetti in marinara sauce, serve with bread and a salad, and call it day.
Also, the article is for an elegant dinner party, and the word "cheap" should be read in that context. I don't quite get the nitpicking.
If you want a truly cheap dinner for four, make spaghetti in marinara sauce, serve with bread and a salad, and call it day.
4
Although the main course is inexpensive, this article needs a different headline. It should read "How to throw an easy (but elegant) dinner party.
9
This chicken recipe is delicious and easy to make. I would make some changes to parts of this meal: have the feta or other cheese with drinks, serve a salad with vinaigrette as a starter, then the chicken with shallot dish with a good rice pilaf (you don't want to miss that fabulous sauce) as the main followed by ice cream or sorbet with berries. It certainly won't cost $75 and who needs to make dessert?
17
Why would a chicken dinner cost $75? Food is really expensive in New York! The most expensive items on your menu are the chocolate and cheese.
2
The best way to throw a dinner party for cheaply is to decorate the table as if you mean it to be welcoming and fun/enjoyable. Consider the people you are inviting so that they will delight in meeting each other if they are not already friends. Select a few topics ahead of time, write them on a piece of paper, fold them and place one under ever plate. Then let everyone know they are there just in case the conversation runs dry or one person gets on their grandstand about a topic others are not participating in. You can serve sandwiches if everything is fresh and ready to use. I've been to a dinner party that consisted of pizzas and had a great time. I've also been to dinner parties where everyone was formally attired and there were 7 courses if you don't count the before and after dinner drinks. It's all about making the people you invite feel as though they are a big part of why you're having a dinner party. Nobody wants to be a 'place-holder' guest. So don't invite a bunch of couples and then a single person to meet another single person. If you want them to meet then invite them to a lunch in a public restaurant. If they click, they will let you know, then you can invite them together to a dinner party of fish and chips if you want. But if you prefer to invite them to a formal dinner that can be another option also!
7
I've been making Rishia Zimmern's Chicken with Shallots since the first day it appeared in The Times as translated from a Tweet. We use bone-in thighs trimmed of the most egregious fat. Make this menu even simpler: Serve with crusty bread to sop up that yummy zups (as we say at home) and a simple salad of romaine dressed lightly with a vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan. Heaven! We've added frozen artichoke hearts and/or portabellas or not as the spirit moves us. It keeps well warm on the stove until everyone's seated. Freezes well. Everyone loves it. It's just an all round winner.
2
My advice: don't refrigerate the truffle mix. It will begin to harden unevenly in the fridge and you want it just pliable without being rock hard. I find it better to let it stand at room temperature until it's firm enough to scoop and roll into balls. This takes some advance planning of course...like the night before or much earlier in the day...but is well worth it. Ganache can also be piped onto cakes once firm.
9
I do a pasta carbonara dish for about $10 for four servings. Add a spinach salad, sourdough baguette with garlic butter, fresh fruit and ice cream, the whole thing runs about $25 and my guests feel like they had a fine dining experience.
23
Even if I shopped at the most expensive stores here in Los Angeles I would not spend $75 to make this meal. I'm curious where you get the pricing?
21
Completely agree. How many people are you cooking for, 10?
4
I was puzzled too. Chicken legs are cheap -- often 99 cents a pound. Potatoes? about 5 lbs for $3 or so.
Swiss chard (or perhaps kale a a substitute)? a dollar for a huge bunch.
A half pound of good Greek Feta would be $5 or less.
One assumes the cook has some basics like garlic and olive oil on hand anyways. But even if I had them in, I can't come up with anything close to $50, let alone $75!
And it says quite clearly "dinner for four".
I guess they go shopping at Zagar's or Eataly or some other hideously overpriced gourmet shop!
Swiss chard (or perhaps kale a a substitute)? a dollar for a huge bunch.
A half pound of good Greek Feta would be $5 or less.
One assumes the cook has some basics like garlic and olive oil on hand anyways. But even if I had them in, I can't come up with anything close to $50, let alone $75!
And it says quite clearly "dinner for four".
I guess they go shopping at Zagar's or Eataly or some other hideously overpriced gourmet shop!
7
I lived in NYC for 20 years and now live in LA. Food is way cheaper here in Los Angeles--way, way cheaper. I was visiting my friend in Brooklyn once and her husband picked up a chicken (raw) at a local store--they paid $23 for it! I couldn't get over it, but they considered that normal.
2
Simple as these dishes are, do yourself a favor and make them for yourself- in small quantities- before your party. You never want to serve something you're never prepared before for guests.
23
Really? I do it all the time. Where's the fun in trying out a new dish on just ones spouse.? It's not always successful but my guests like that I'm trying something new just for them.
2
I love feta cheese, since I learned from NYT to always buy it in a block in brine. This recipe looks delicious, and I am going to make it as soon as I can. It's so nice to see so many vegetarian dishes!
6
Truffles are sooo easy!
4
I'd really like to see the elimination of the word "cheap". Let's try "inexpensive" in the future....
15
Now all I have to do is find friends worth $75... simplicity is the key. Less chance of something going horribly wrong. Plenty of wine doesn't hurt either.
11
All sounds amazing. I love braised dishes because, as you say, I can talk to my guests before dinner. On the dessert, I love to chop up a pineapple and place a good chocolate bar or two on the table. The enzymes in the pineapple are great for digestion, and the chocolate bars couldn't be easier.
4
Thank you for this! I waste too much time deciding which of my recipes will go with the others. Also, a mix of easy and time consuming gets the job done.
4
I’m goint to try this. I’ve pretty much quit having dinner parties because I end up wearing myself out and not enjoying the end result. I like the simplicity and broad appeal of this menu, even though I’m a vegetarian. I’ll add a simple bean dish for myself. I’m especially impressed with the simplicity of the chocolate truffles and can’t wait to try them.
Many thanks!
Many thanks!
22
I'll make this lunch for a group of friends on Saturday, sounds great, just need a main dish substitute for a vegetarian. Maybe black bean soup?
2
Janet -- you can substitute seitan for chicken in that recipe. I do it all the time for chicken recipes. Doesn't work if you have guests who avoid gluten, though.
8
@Janet: more cheese, potatoes and greens would do it, or use tofu instead of chicken legs.
I've tested nearly all the recipes for this inexpensive dinner party and they are excellent.
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