Fancy a buffet?

Emma Parkin gives us some handy tips for eating and socialising at the same time.

These recipes are designed so that all of the dishes can be placed on the table at the same time and people can take what they fancy. The roasted vegetable couscous tastes delicious with the chicken and both can easily be spooned onto a plate.

Just remember that buffet food should be easy to eat so that your guests can eat and socialise at the same time without any awkwardness! If you can't seat all of your guests, try to have two tables - one for drinks and one for food. Fold paper napkins around fork, knife and spoon sets before they arrive and leave out salt, pepper and the most popular sauces and dressings. The apple tart can be made in advance and frozen so all you have to do is take it out of the freezer in the morning and leave it to de-frost.

Chicken con paulo
Serves 6

8 small chicken portions
100ml olive oil
cajun seasoning to taste
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
250ml dry white wine
1/2 tsp turmeric
1tsp dried oregano
1 litre chicken stock
400g long grain rice
12 baby tomatoes
1 punnet mangetout peas, halved
salt and black pepper
fresh coriander and parsley

1. Skin the chicken pieces if desired. Rub with a little of the oil and sprinkle generously or lightly with Cajun seasoning.



2. Heat the oil in large saucepan or wok and fry the chicken pieces until browned on all sides. Lift out of the pan and keep warm.



3. Add the onion, garlic and green pepper and fry gently until soft. Return the chicken to the pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the wine, turmeric, oregano, and stock. Bring to boiling point. Add the rice. Stir well and then add the tomatoes and mangetout.
5. Preheat your oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with foil or a lid. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season and garnish with fresh coriander or parsley

Mixed salad baskets
Makes 10 Cases


5 eggs
75ml milk
125g plain flour, sieved
a little oil, for frying
2 egg whites, for brushing

Filling
2 cups cooked ham, chopped and
cubed
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bag flat leaf parsley
2xtubs Giovanni de Firenze Olives
and Feta Cheese
1 cup red olives
1 cup flaked almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
   
2. Whisk the eggs with milk and beat in flour.
   
3. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. When it is very hot add the oil. It should sizzle immediately.
   
4. Pour in 1/5 of the egg mixture and fry until the omelette is well-cooked.


5. Carefully lift out the omelette and lay out on a board. Cut two circles of approximately 15cm and place them into a muffin tin.
6. Repeat with the rest of the egg mixture to make ten cases. Brush with egg white and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. When the cases have cooled, distribute the filling ingredients among the 10 pastry cases and serve immediately.

Oven-roasted vegetables with couscous
Serves 4-5

1 aubergine, chopped into small
chunks
3 small peppers, halved, deseeded
and sliced vertically
1 large courgette, sliced
1 carton of baby mushrooms,
chopped in quarters
1 medium red onion, roughly
chopped
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2tbsp olive oil
250ml boil-in-the-bag couscous
1litre boiling water
small pack cherry tomatoes
100g feta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
   
2. Apart from the baby tomatoes, arrange all the vegetables in a single layer in a large oiled roasting tin. Sprinkle with the rest of the oil.
   
3. Roast in the oven for about an hour or until tender and slightly charred round the edges.
   
4. Meanwhile put the bag of couscous into a saucepan, cover with boiling water and set aside for about 2 minutes. Lift out the bag, drain well and keep warm.
5. Mix the vegetables with the couscous, the baby tomatoes and the crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with a little extra olive and serve warm.

Apple tart
Serves 6

1 roll of frozen shortcrust pastry
750g dessert apples
2tbsp caster sugar
15g butter, melted
1tbsp water
2tbsp sugar
To serve
cream or ice cream

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Grease a 20-23cm pie dish then roll out the shortcrust pastry to fit. Press the dough well into the sides and trim the excess. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.
   
2. Peel, quarter and slice the apples. Layer the slices in the pastry case. Arrange the last layer of apples in overlapping circles. Dust with caster sugar and brush with butter. Bake for 35 minutes.
   
3. In a saucepan, melt the sugar into the water. Brush over the apples with the glaze and return to the oven for 1 minute.
   
4. Serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.
   
   Fat 9g Carbs 35g Energy 217kcal Protein 1g Sodium .6g Fibre 3g