A lot of people enjoy hosting dinner parties or simply inviting guests over for dinner. Most times they serve simple and familiar dishes which are tasty and require less effort. But there are times when people want to whip up something fancy to serve their guests. In such cases, it’s helpful to follow some recipes from different resources. In this article, we’ll go through some fancy dinner recipes which you can try at home. All these are restaurant-worthy recipes which look good and taste even better.
Double-Smoked Salmon
Ingredients:
- 2 hickory or apple wood chips
- 2 salmon fillets with skin (fresh or frozen)
- 2 slices of smoked salmon
- 2 tsp fresh dillweed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Steps:
- For this dish, you need to have a smoker to place the wood chips. Soak the wood chips in water for about 60 minutes then drain before using them.
- Rinse the salmon fillets then pat dry. Slice the side of the fillets horizontally to create a pocket, making sure that you don’t slice through the other side.
- Stuff the salmon’s pocket with a slice of smoked salmon and about 1-2 teaspoons of dill. Then brush the top of the fillets with lemon juice and the rest of the dill. Finally, sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
- In your smoker, place some preheated coals, the wood chunks (already drained), and the water pan. Pour some water into the pan and place a grill rack over it.
- Carefully place the salmon fillets on the grill with the skin facing Cover the grill and allow the fish to smoke for about half an hour. Serve with your choice of sauce and side.
Spicy Pork Chops on the Skillet
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of whole kernel corn (frozen and loose-packed)
- 3/4 cup of tomatoes and green chilies
- 1⁄4 tsp ground cumin
- 1⁄8 tsp hot pepper sauce (bottled)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 2 pork loin chops (boneless)
- 1⁄4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 1 small onion (sliced into thin wedges)
- 1/2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
Steps:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, ground cumin, hot pepper sauce, and garlic. Set this mixture aside for now.
- Sprinkle chili powder on both sides of the pork chops.
- Heat some oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high
- Cook the pork chops until each side has a golden-brown color. Take the chops off the skillet and reserve the drippings.
- Lower the heat to medium and place the onions in the skillet. Cook them for about 3 minutes then add the mixture prepared earlier.
- Place the pork chops on the sauce and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat again, cover, then allow the dish to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the pork chops from the skillet and place them on a plate. Stir some cilantro into the sauce and serve it with the pork chops.
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Broccoli
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of sandwich bread, (cubed)
- 1/4 cup of sliced deli ham (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 tsp rubbed sage (dried)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Coarse salt
- Ground pepper
- 2 chicken breast halves (boneless and skinless)
- 1 1/4 cups of broccoli florets
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
Steps:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, make your stuffing. Add the bread, deli ham, dried sage, and olive oil. Mix them, season with coarse salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Slice the side of the chicken horizontally to create a deep
- Stuff the pocket of the chicken with the stuffing you prepared earlier then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully add the chicken and cook until golden brown. When one side is already browned, turn it over, cover the skillet then reduce the heat. Cook the chicken for about 6-10 more minutes then transfer them to a plate.
- Add more oil to the skillet and add the garlic and broccoli.
- Toss the vegetables for a few minutes then add the vinegar.
- Add the broccoli to the plate and serve.
Salad with Wasabi-Seared Tuna
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces of sushi-grade tuna steaks (fresh)
- 1/2 tbsp wasabi powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 avocado (sliced)
- 1⁄4 cup of daikon radish (shredded)
- 1 cup of salad greens
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- pickled ginger (garnish)
Steps:
- Mix soy sauce and wasabi powder to make a paste.
- Rub the paste on the sides of the tuna steaks.
- Heat some oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear each side of the tuna for a few seconds to get a crust.
- Slice the tuna thinly then set aside.
- Arrange the salad greens beautifully on a plate and top with avocado, daikon, and ginger. Then place the tuna slices on top.
- In a small bowl, combine and mix soy sauce, oil, vinegar, and some juice from the ginger. Drizzle the mixture onto the salad and enjoy!
Elegant Broiled Lobster Tails
Ingredients:
- 2 lobster tails (8 ounces each)
- 1/2 tsp orange peel (finely shredded)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/8 cup of butter
- Clarified butter (optional)
Steps:
- Preheat the broiler while preparing the lobster tails. Cut through the lobster tails to butterfly them. Spread the tails apart and place them (meat side facing up) on the rack of your broiler.
- In a skillet, heat some butter. Cook the garlic, orange peel, and chili powder over medium-low heat for about half a minute.
- Brush the mixture over the meat on the lobster tails.
- Broil the lobster tails until the meat is fully Serve while hot, you can even serve the dish with clarified butter.
Spiced Leg of Lamb
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-pound leg of lamb (bone-in)
- 3 garlic cloves (sliced)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 lemon (thinly sliced)
- 3 rosemary sprigs (fresh)
Steps:
- Heat the oven to 350° F and rub some oil on a rimmed baking sheet.
- With a paring knife, cut deep slits all over the leg of lamb.
- Stuff pieces of garlic into the slits then season with salt and pepper.
- Let the leg of lamb sit at room temperature for about 45-60 minutes.
- Place the lemon slices on the sheet making sure they’re slightly overlapping then top with the sprigs of rosemary. Place the lamb in the baking sheet and top with more rosemary.
- Roast the lamb in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. While doing so, baste the pan juices every 15 minutes or so.
- Take the lamb out of the oven, cover loosely with a clean foil, and let rest for 15-30 minutes.
- Slice the lamb and serve it warm.
Crusty Prime Rib
Ingredients:
- 10 lbs standing rib roast (trim the top fat)
- 1 pack of dry onion soup mix
- 1 tbsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 4 cups of rock salt
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary (crushed)
- 1 cups of water
- 1/4 cup of horseradish (prepared)
- 3/4 cup of gravy, for serving
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Rinse the roast then pat it dry using paper towels.
- In a small bowl, mix the pepper and onion soup mix. Rub the dry mixture all over the roast then place it on a baking sheet. Allow it to rest for about 45-60 minutes.
- In another bowl, mix the salt, rosemary, and flour. Gradually pour water into the mixture to make a sticky paste.
- Spread the paste into a roasting pan’s bottom thickly.
- Place the roast in the pan with the bones facing down making sure the meat is covered by the batter completely.
- If needed, add more batter to the meat. Then, insert a meat thermometer into the roast, positioning the gauge visibly.
- Cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Take it out and patch any breaks in the coating using the batter.
- Place the roast back into the oven until its internal temperature goes up to 130° F.
- Take the roast out of the oven and let rest for about 30 minutes.
- Carefully chip the crust off and slice according to your preferred thickness.
- Serve with gravy.
Prawn Bruschetta and Salad
Ingredients:
- 1/2 fennel bulb (thinly sliced), green fronds reserved
- 1/2 tbsp dill (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 lemon (zest and juice)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small slices of wholemeal bread
- 1/2 garlic clove (halved)
- 1/3 cup of prawns (cooked)
- a handful of rocket
Steps:
- Bring water to a boil in a pan and add the thinly-sliced fennel. Boil for about 3 minutes until tender.
- Drain the water well and toss it with the fronds. Also, ass the dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and the seasoning.
- Brush the bread slices with oil. Place them in a hot griddle pan and lightly char both sides.
- Rub the bread slices with garlic and top with the fennel salad. Also, top with rocket, cooked prawns, and serve immediately.
Roasted Duck with Lentils
Ingredients:
For the lentils:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 cup of pancetta (diced)
- 1/2 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 cup black beluga lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 3/4 cup of chicken stock
- Salt
- Black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 1/8 cup of shiitake mushrooms (cleaned, stemmed, and coarsely chopped)
For the arugula-walnut pesto:
- 1 1/2 cups of arugula (fresh)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/8 cup of walnuts (toasted)
- Salt
- Black pepper (freshly cracked)
For the duck:
- 1 duck breast
- Salt
- Black pepper (freshly cracked)
- 1/2 shallot (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup of dry sherry
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
- 1/2 tbsp cold butter
- microgreens or arugula leaves
Steps:
- In a saucepan, heat some oil over medium-high
- Add the pancetta and cook for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add the chicken stock and the lentils. Then bring to a boil and reduce the heat.
- Cover the pan and simmer until the lentils are tender adding stock as needed.
- Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
- In another skillet, heat more oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they’ve browned.
- Season with salt and pepper then add into the lentil mixture.
- Place the arugula in a food processor and turn it on. Then slowly add olive oil. Also, add the walnuts and pulse the processor to chop them. Season with salt and pepper once again. Check out more info on black walnut oil for teeth here
- Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Place the duck in a skillet with the fat side facing down. Cook the duck for about 15 minutes.
- Take the duck off the pan but reserve the fat. Season it with salt and pepper.
- In a skillet, place the duck with the fat side facing down. Cook the duck for a few minutes until that side is crisp.
- Turn it over and cook for about 15 more minutes.
- Place the duck on a plate, cover it then set aside.
- Pour off some of the fat from the skillet then add sherry and the shallots to it. Return the skillet to medium heat and ass the beef stock.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat. Allow boiling gently until it’s reduced to half of the original quantity. Whisk in the butter then season the broth with salt and pepper.
- On a plate, add some pesto and lentils. Top it with duck slices then some microgreens.
Polenta and Pesto Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup of polenta (cut into slices)
- 1 1/2 cup of marinara sauce
- 1/8 cup of pesto
- 1/8 cup of pine nuts
- 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F then oil a baking dish.
- Place a layer of polenta on the oiled baking dish then spread a layer of pesto over it thinly. Repeat this process until you reach the top of the
- Bake for about 25 minutes. Take the dish out then top it with the pine nuts and cheese. Then broil it until the topping becomes brown and toasted.
