Fall Dinner Party for Eight…for Under $50!
I read an article last week in the New York Times about a local airline pilot who was demoted from Captain to copilot, not due to a lack of skills, but rather during a company downsizing. Though his job was spared, he is now bringing home half of his pay, and faced with meeting the challenges of supporting his family.
This story is just one of many in the recession we find ourselves in today. Whether you have lost employment income, or have lost money in your investments, the way we look at how we spend our money has changed. The shift from dining out and entertaining at home continues to grow, as we look for ways to conserve , while maintaining connections with the people we care about. Sharing a meal around a table with intimate conversation is invaluable..especially in tough times.
But how do you host a dinner party on a budget? You can still have an elegant dinner party without breaking the bank. Shopping sale ads and planning a menu around seasonal ingredients which are lower in price, are two great ways to get started. If you are not already in one, form a supper club, where you “job share” the menu items/expenses.
I have put together a seasonal fall menu for eight, gathering some inspiration from a few of my earlier posts this month (Roasted Cashews and Apple Gallette with Creme Fraiche). The grand total for my menu came in at just under $50.00…
Cashews: $5.12
Salad: $12.47
Entree (including mashed potatoes): $26.09
Dessert: $6.25
Grand total= $49.93
I did not include wine or cocktails in the budget, but with a trip to your local wine shop, you can find a number of California wines under $10.00 per bottle. It is also perfectly okay when asked “what can I bring?” to say “How about a bottle of wine, or coktail to start?”
So here you go–
Roasted Cashews with Shallots, Garlic, and Rosemary (just click on link for the recipe)
Pan Roasted Pear Salad with Caramelized Pecans and Blue Cheese
I love this salad in the fall—a great start to a holiday meal as well
3 ripe but firm pears (about 1 1/2 pounds), quartered and cored
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon, plus 4 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 large head greaf lettuce (about 8 cups), washed, dried, and torn into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 1/4 cups caramelized pecans (recipe follows)
Toss the pears, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add the pears cut-side down in a single layer and cook until golden brown, 4-6 minutes. Turn pears to second side and cook 2 additional minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the skillet on the burner, and add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar; gently stir until the vinegar becomes slightly syrupy and coats the pears, about 1 minute. Transfer the pears to a large plate and let cool to room temperature. Cut each pear cross-wise into 1/2-inch pieces.
Whisk remaining olive oil, vinegar, sugar, and shallots together in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide lettuce among plates, top with pears, blue cheese, caramelized pecans, and drizzle with desired amount of dressing.
8 servings
Caramelized Pecans
1 1/2 cups peanut oil
1 1/4 cups pecans
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
Heat peanut oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small sauce pan over high heat. Add pecans and boil 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off any excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the powdered sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts well, to evenly coat with a glaze of sugar.
Carefully add the nuts to the heat oil, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet to cool.
Pork Tenderloin Scallopine with Dried Cherry Sauce
Pork tenderloin is an economical cut of meat that is naturally tender. Adding the cherry sauce dresses up the dish, making it ideal for entertaining. Make your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes to serve alongside the pork.
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup brandy
1 1/4 cups dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 10-to-12-ounce pork tenderloins, cut into 1-inch –thick slices
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 cup whipping cream
Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy small saucepan. Cover and simmer over low heat until cherries are plump and tender, about 10 minutes.
Place pork between zip-lock baggie; pound until ½” thick.
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet and cook until brown, about 1 ½ minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Add shallot to skillet and stir 30 seconds. Stir in cherry mixture and bring to boil. Add cream and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Return pork and any juices on plate to skillet. Simmer until pork is cooked through, about 1 minute.
8 servings
Apple Galette with Creme Fraiche (click to view recipe)
You may also like: Dinner Party for Eight…for Under $50.00
These are GREAT ideas! I really like the cherry sauce on the pork. Thanks!
great budgeting and everything looks extremely delicious
Lovely menu and lovely pics. I really liked the salad, I love salty-sweet combinations.
The pan roasted pears look amazing and I can’t wait to try them.
My most recent blog post is about a dinner party for eight featuring lots of winter squash. I made four different dishes including a yeast bread with squash. Three of the four recipe’s were great – I didn’t include the fourth recipe which elicited this comment, “What are these rocks I’m chewing on?”
This looks wonderful! Puts me in the mood to have some family over and try this! Thanks for the menu.
Great budgeting ideas. I tend to forget about how economical pork can be – I bought tenderloin at $1.99/lb the other day! And it cooks up relatively quickly, and with your recipe, that sauce will guarantee it will remain moist and yummy!
Great idea. Who’s not on a budget these days? Gorgeous pics, too. Thanks!
Looks amazing and what a great bargain!
Wow – that’s impressive! And everything looks so good, too!
Wow, impressive! Looks delicious!
very very impressive – and delicious too!!
What a fabulous meal! The pear salad is delightful!
well done! a little creativity and some shopping know how can really pay off nicely.
Wow, such resourcefulness! It’s like $6 per person! Can’t beat that.
Great blog post. I could have used this last Friday when I spent a bundle on a dinner party! I’ll use this in the future. Thanks!
Pork Tenderloin Scallopine looks great and all that food for under $50. That is so amazing. I often struggle to get the budget right.
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This looks great! Cooking with a budget can be a really fun challenge! I love that you expanded it to entertaining on a budget! Everything looks delicious!
Excellent menu and how great that it’s under $50! I love the cherry sauce for the pork, super delicious!
That is certainly impressive!
LL
You have shared a great and a thoughtful post. Yes in the tough time of life we all think that we have to say good bye to good things, but when their is friend like you to share such well thought recipes I am sure our dinner table and our wallet will both remain stress free.
I like Pork Tenderloin Scallopine with Dried Cherry Sauce
absolutely delicious!
Oh! Wonderful! I have so many birthdays coming up, and I’m always looking for ways to entertain everyone in style without having to remortgage the house or sell a car. Thanks!
What a gorgeous dinner on the cheap! And no one would be the wiser!
Dinner parties are definitely one place where I find myself being frivolous… and in these times it’s good to observe a bit of moderation.
On one level, we can think about having to “give things up” in tough times — but I’d much prefer to think about it as “using what we have in the best way possibl”. Frugality is an art form!
You’re so right. You can totally do a beautiful full course meal on a smaller budget…less than eating out. This is good to keep in mind!
Round 2 of thanks:
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Thanks for stopping by for a visit–glad you enjoyed this post!
I love seeing a plan all laid out like this! And you go the extra step with that salad. (I usually just use raw pears w/ a touch of lemon on ‘em, in my pecan pear salad…) If you want to check it out, mine has a poppy seed dressing that would go great with yours too!
Thanks for posting
Oh wow! That pear salad is going on my must make list! Over the last few days I’ve started thinking about menus for dinners that we’ll host through the holidays– so many great ideas in this post!!
How funny. I have all the ingredients for this menu. I just bought the dried cherries and was thinking about making a pork dish. Delicious and economical too. Thanks!
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