WOW Factor Meal

[ewand]

If you had to cook a meal to impress, what would you go for?

[woofgang]

the very best smoked salmon, served with a glass of chanpagne. A rare scottish fillet steak barbecued by my husband, served with griddled asparagus and jersey new potatoes eaten with a glass of fine beaujolais, chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis and back on the champagne, jamaica blue mountain coffee and a 10 y.o canadian club whisky to finish.

[rekstout]

Something I knew how to cook - nothing worse than screwing up. If you practise on someone else then great. I would go for beef (well aged) wellington, medley of mied roasted baby veg, red wine gravy and pommes duchesse (mashed spuds piped into towers and baked in the oven). Home potted shrimp on toast to start and a chocolate souffle to finish. Drinks - Chilled Dry Sherry with the shrimp, Berry Bros Good Ordinary Claret with the beef and a Marsala with the dessert.

[SteveD]

There are some gre

[SteveD]

Sorry! I'm all thumbs! I was going to say that there are some great suggestions above. Don't forget all the other senses apart from taste, though: ATMOSPHERE Attractively-laid table; lighting; good company, possibly music. SMELL Great cooking smells whet the appetite as does the smell of the food when it arrives at the table. SIGHT The way the food is presented can make a big difference. The type of plates, dishes, glasses etc together with the colours of the different ingredients can make a big impression. TASTE The key to it all, of course. Consistency and tenderness/crispness combine to make a meal memorable. Choose a selections of wines to go with the different courses (for example, a crisp white with the starter, a good red with the meat course, a dessert wine with the sweet) bearing in mind that the taste of the wine changes as you eat the food. SOUND Probably not appropriate in this case, but sound can be fun (e.g. sizzling of hot-plates when restaurants serve certain oriental or Asian dishes). Quality is more important than quantity! Bon app�tit!

[Doolallygirl]

Depends on what the person likes. I would like a good spaghetti bolognaise (sp). Cheesy garlic bread to start and a really tangy sauce on the meat to give it a bit of a kick, (lots of tomato puree). Then can't beat a choc sponge pud for desert unless your feeling daring and go for a spotted dick or something!

[mcd1]

Keep it basic for starters some grilled Holloumi cheese with a small herb salad. For main course oven roasted chicken wrapped in parma ham served with roasted ratatouille. To finish with how about some sliced fresh fruit.

[Tony Monero]

I would start with Seared Diver Scallops on a Pea Puree with Red Wine Shallot Dressing and Pancetta. This would be followed with Tournedo Rossini (as it is classically with Foie Gras and Truffle not Pate and Mushroom) but with the croute replaced with a Pomme Anna and some Roasted Salsify and Girolles. I would then follow this with a Bitter Chocolate Tart with a Salted Pistachio Anglaise and Creme Chantilly. I would follow this with Illy Coffee and Griottine Cherry Bakewell petit fours just out of the oven. This meal is quite rich so a nice break between the courses. I do not drink alcohol so it would be washed down with Badoit. I would be with my girlfriend for this meal and I would be listening to a medley of Barry White, Marvin Gaye, The Delfonics and Bobby Womack.