Sara Taher breaks down the essentials needed to pull off the perfect evening entertaining and feeding guests in your home.
Whether it’s your first time or you are haunted by past disasters, having guests over for dinner can leave you feeling more than a little stressed out. Nevertheless staging a dinner party, when done right, can be
richly rewarding. In order to help you on your quest to becoming the perfect host, we’ve gathered some expert advice, top tips and tricks so that your next event is a smash hit with all your guests.
Be prepared
Organisation is key. You need to plan methodically for how many guests are coming, what the menu will be, the theme and so on: impromptu dinner parties are rarely a roaring success. With a little preparation you can give your guests an evening to remember.
Steps to success
Setting the mood can be easily achieved with a few simple touches that will add an extra dimension to your dining experience.
Music: Playing soft or relaxing music in the background can help keep the mood at ease. Don’t play anything too loud: you don’t want your guests yelling at each other. The music will also disguise any uncomfortable silences.
Lighting: Candles always add an elegant touch to any meal. You can dim the lights slightly and add a few tea candle lights to the table which will, in turn, enhance the ambiance of the room.
Seating: If you are inviting friends who perhaps haven’t met before, it might help to assign seats to everyone. Try to pair up like-minded people at the same end of the table to encourage interesting conversation.
Menu: Checking with your guests what food they enjoy before the event is a great way to ensure that no one leaves your dinner party famished. It’s also important to check their dietary requirements in case they have allergies or are vegetarian. This way you are ensuring that everybody is taken care of and you can get on with preparing and cooking the food.
Call in the experts
If the idea of cooking for people leaves you terrified, why not hire a caterer? Abu Dhabi has a healthy selection of places that will help you out. Here are some options
• The National Catering Company
Whether you have a small gathering or a large party, this company will deliver a wide range of treats and meals to satisfy even the pickiest guests. They do a range of international dishes as well as Arabic food. www.nccauh.ae.
• Mawaweel
Does a wide range of superb Arabic dishes and grills. The service is professional and you can even order just a few mezze items to supplement your dinner. Prices are very reasonable and this venue has pulled together a steady fan base due to its top quality food.
Mohammed Bin Zayed City (02 639 1333).
• Flamingo Catering Services
This company offers a wide selection of food for various occasions. They also serve meals all over the UAE.
www.alsayeghbrothers.com/FlamingoCatering.
• Lana’s Partiperfect
One of our favourite aspects of this service is that they provide the plates and utensils, and collect them after the event, thus saving the host a lot of fuss. We also love the food on the menu, which is diverse and has a few healthy options as well.
Behind Marina Mall (02 681 0090).
Recipes to try
We spoke to the talented executive chef Aztaj Eddoukani at Ingredients, Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, who shared two recipes with us. Try out this sweet kunafeh and succulent lamb shank at your next dinner party.
Kunafeh nabulsi
(serves 10)
Ingredients
Kunafeh filling
2 tbsp semolina flour
2 tbsp corn flour
¼ tsp mastic
1 tsp orange blossom water
2 cups milk
1 tin (170g) thick cream or qeshta
2 tbsp flour
¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp sugar
The kunafeh layers
¾ cup butter, melted
½ cup milk
2-4 drops orange food colour
350g kunafeh dough, finely chopped using
a food processor
2 cups semolina flour
Sugar syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
1 stick cinnamon (or 1 tsp orange blossom water)
2 cups sugar
1 cup boiling water
Method
1 Prepare kunafeh dough. Mix orange colour with milk and pour over kunafeh dough and semolina flour. Knead well with your hands. Add melted butter and knead well with your hands.
2 In a nine-inch round or rectangular baking tray, spread half of the kunafeh dough over the bottom and press down using the palm of your hand. Make a 1cm rim while pressing against the tray.
3 Prepare sugar syrup: mix sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon stick (or orange blossom water). Bring to boil then reduce heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
4 Prepare filling: mix sugar, milk, thick cream, flour, semolina flour and corn flour in a deep saucepan, stir well. Bring to boil over a high heat, reduce heat and stir for 5-10 minutes until thick. Add mastic,
orange blossom water, cheese and stir. Pour filling over kunafeh layer and spread, leaving 1cm space between filling boarders and sides of tray.
5 Arrange other half of kunafeh dough over filling and press lightly.
6 Bake in a 220°C pre-heated oven, on lowest rack of oven, for about 25-30 minutes or until bottom starts to turn golden.
7 Remove and pour sugar syrup over it. Sprinkle pistachios on top, cut and serve with a spoon of whipped cream for each portion. Serve hot.
8 The kunafeh can be prepared ahead and baked when you want to serve.
Lamb shank tagine with tomato sauce and vegetables (serves 3)
Ingredients
100ml extra virgin olive oil
3 lamb shanks
3 large onions, peeled
4 cloves garlic, chopped
100g tomato paste
1 table spoon ginger powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
5g coriander leaves, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 tsp ground coriander
20 large tomatoes
100g sliced potatoes
1ltr vegetable broth
1 pinch saffron
1 preserved lemon, rinsed and flesh discarded, sliced (or 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons salt)
100g baby carrot
50g baby asparagus
50g broad bean
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
Method
1 Boil the veg until soft then grate the tomatoes and onion and add chopped garlic.
2 Heat the oil in a large pan with the lid on. Brown lamb shanks well, add tomato paste, vegetable broth, tomato and grated onion, bay leaves, coriander leaves, paprika, cumin, ginger, saffron, coriander powder and cook until the lamb shank is falling off the bone.
3 Add the vegetables and stir for 5 minutes then add salt and pepper to taste.
