July's Forever Nigella Challenge

I. Love. Nigella. In fact, I try and kid myself that we're not all that dissimilar, both unapologetic food addicts with long brunette hair and an ample bosom... in truth, I hope that I have but an ounce of her talent, charm and appeal, but hey a girl can dream. I can be quite an arm chair critic when it comes to cookery shows, although goodness knows I would be terrible myself in front of a camera, however I always loved Nigella's, I think because she always said what I was thinking.

From being a young girl, I remember watching her throw together amazing looking dinner parties and gatherings of friends, that were all about the food and the atmosphere, just great friends in cosy settings, and I hoped that I would be able to recreate this when I had my own home. And whilst I realise now that much of that may have been for the camera (ok I'm slow on the uptake) I still try to make sure there is always good food and drink to hand whenever guest come a-calling.

As July is my birthday month, (not that I ever make a fuss about it at all!!), and in deference to my favourite hostess with the mostest, I'm setting this month's Forever Nigella theme as Party Party Party! I'm throwing this wide open, be it refined dinner party, summer bbq food, big bold beautiful birthday cakes, or nibbles and canapes, anything at all that has a sense of celebration and people coming together is fine by me!

The Rules:

• The challenge is open until the 28th July, with entries via the linky below, or by emailing the post URL to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com
• You can enter as many posts as you like, the more the merrier!
• I will endeavour to have the round up live on the 1st August.
• Linked posts must contain this month's Forever Nigella badge, and contain link backs to this post, and to Forever Nigella creator Sarah at Maison Cupcake.
• Remember Copyright Please do NOT reproduce Nigells'a recipe verbatim. Say which book it was and/or link to it online. If you have adapted the recipe, i.e. changed at least two of the ingredients or amended the method then it's ok to publish your version of the recipe, but still include the credit back to the original source. Always use your own words. 
• For a list of Nigella resources for inspiration, check the Forever Nigella page.
• If you are on twitter, you can tweet a link to myself @ThePantryDoor1 and Sarah @maisoncupcake using #forevernigella, and we will RT all that we see. 

Useful Tips for Party Planning

Before Christmas I had a call from a very dear friend of mine, who asked if I would cater for his 30th birthday party. Needless to say, with my usual over-exuberance and refusal to say no to anyone I agreed on the spot. He explained he was expecting about 50 people, and left the rest to me. I have to say I found the whole process incredibly rewarding. I spoke to a few people I know who had catered officially in the past, picked up a few tips, and set about planning. 

For someone totally new to the game, these are the best tips I picked up, and are the definite rules I would apply if I were to do a similar event again.

1. Start with a basic calculation of 8 items per person to decide how much food to make.

2. Create a long list of possible items to include. Discuss with the party host, and narrow down to 6 - 8 items.

3. Take into consideration how much storage space you have, whether it is possible to keep food hot or if you need to provide a cold selection. Ensure if you are including cold meats such as chicken that you have the facility to keep refrigerated until as close to the event as possible.

4. Check your figures. I used Tesco online to search for an make a note of the prices of all the ingredients I would need for the event to make sure that everything came within budget. 

5. Plan ahead. Before you start cooking and baking on the day, make a list of everything that needs to be done, and prioritise. For example, I marinaded my chicken and wrapped my pigs in blankets the night before to get a head start on the big day. 

6. If you are including sandwiches, leave these until the absolute last minute possible, so that they stay as fresh as possible.

7. A little garnish goes a long way, sprinkle a little roughly chopped flat leaf parsley across all dishes gives it a professional flourish!

I have to say I was really pleased with the end result. Everything was ready on time, I came in within budget, and there was plenty of food to serve all the party guests - success methinks! 

What are your experiences with party planning? I'd love to hear any tips or examples from you all? 

The Menu:

Brie and Cranberry Tartlets

Feta and Pepper Tartlets

Parmesan and Poppy Seed Twists

Sausage Rolls

'Pigs-in-Blankets'

Mini Cheese and Mustard Scones

Chicken Skewer Selection (Tikka, Chinese Style and Roasted)

Selection of Sandwiches

Tortilla Chips and Salsa

There was of course, an obligatory cake as well! I made this as a special extra, and it was huge! The shirt is 18 inches in depth! I took great care in getting this as accurate as possible, especially as it is the back of the shirt, and doesn't have the Man Utd logo. I was particularly proud of the hand painted Red Devil, and Premiership lions...

Manchester United Football Shirt Cake

When Two Become One: Cheesecake Topped Chocolate Brownies

This tray bake combines two of my favourite desserts, and I love that someone looked at a chocolate brownie, and decided that the best thing to do with it would be to cover it in another dessert. 

I have been wanting to test out this for a little while now, and as I have a party to cater for next week, I thought if I could master them they would make a great addition to the finger buffet. I have seen quite a few American recipes for Cheesecake Topped Brownies, however this time I have amalgamated my favourite brownie recipe, and added a simple baked cheesecake topping.

So, the ingredients needed are as follows;

For the Brownies

• 115g Dark Chocolate, broken into pieces
• 115g Butter
• 300g Golden Caster Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 140g Plain Flour
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

For the Cheesecake Topping

• 200g Cream Cheese
• 75g Golden Caster Sugar
• 2 Egg Yolks

Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment and grease.

Start by melting the chocolate and butter together over hot water, stir through until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and salt, and combine.

Beat the two eggs into the mixture.

Sift the flour and cocoa into a large mixing bowl.

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour, and fold through until well combined.

Keep a couple of large spoonfuls of the mixture aside for the top of the bake, and transfer the remainder to the greased tin, spreading out evenly to the edges.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, caster sugar and yolks together until completely blended.

 Pour the mixture on top of the brownie mixture.

Add the remaining brownie mixture to the tin in random blobs, and then swirl through with a toothpick as below.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees, or until the top is a golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Leave to cool and cut into small 1 inch squares.