Starter Ideas

[Barmaid]

Am cooking supper for a good friend's birthday on Friday.

Menu so far is looking like Fillet steak au gratin with garlic and rosemary roasted spuds and pea and edamame bean salad followed by homemade apple crumble.

Any ideas for a quick, non faff, but impressive starter? There will only be the two of us and I cant spend all day cooking because I still have about 2000 emails to get through..........

[Islay]

Seafood platter?
A nice soup?
Pate and toast with a chutney?
goats cheese and beetroot tart?

[Barmaid]

Cant do seafood platter because I havent got time to go to the fishmongers.
Like the idea of goats cheese and beetroot tart, but main is cheesy too.
Havent really got time to make pate unless its smoked mackerel and I am not keen on that.

Soup may be a winner cos I can stick some bread in the bread maker and pick up stuff from the farm shop for that.

[hereIam]

Stuffed mushrooms? You can buy them ready made in most stores and Asda's are particularly delicious.

[Patsy33]

Stuffed peppers?

[Barmaid]

That's a nice idea HereIam. I should have said, the steak dish has mushrooms in it though.

[albaqwerty]

I'm not adventurous in the kitchen, how about something like prawn and melon something or other?
Wish I could be of more help x

[ummmm]

Something like Palma ham, mozzarella, backed figs and basil.

[ummmm]

*baked

[Patsy33]

Simple selection of bread sticks and dips?

[hereIam]

I think stuffed peppers is a good idea too.

[Islay]

Parma ham wrapped round melon, strawberries and flambe?

[pastafreak]

I used to do sweet peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes on the vine...a bit of basil,evoo, balsamic...maybe some crumbled feta scattered over. I prefer the pointy Romano peppers over Bell peppers. Sweeter,and cook more evenly/quicker.

[Barmaid]

Some great ideas here. Am heading towards stuffed peppers atm......

[EcclesCake]

Shallot or beetroot tarte tatin with a suitabl herby dressing.

Retro prawn cocktail with smoked salmon and crayfish tails to update it.

Buy some poncy ravioli/tortellini etc and serve with a tin of shop bought consome dressed with appropriate herbs.

I've only just woken up so my imagination is still slumbering.

[EcclesCake]

Romano peppers filled with mozzarella, pesto and seasoning are a light flavoursome starter.

[snags]

Balut.

[-Talbot-]

Yorkshire pudding with jam.

[tamborine]

Smoked salmon strip wrapped around fresh or tinned asparagas.

[tamborine]

Good to see u back ummmm, what was the prognosis?