Print$300 budget for dinner for 3! What should I make??
I just got funding to make dinner for a professor and a fellow student and my budget is $300, including alcohol. Any ideas on what I should make? The problem is that here in Williamstown, we only have a Stop n Shop, so I'm somewhat limited. I'd like to do lots of seafood and steak, but I'm not sure about the quality of ingredients I can attain. Help!
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32 Comments:
WOW with that kinda budget I'd look for a rib roast......
Markbb at 10:45AM on 04/29/08
Maybe it'd be worth it to take some of the money for gas to go to a better store.
LunaPierCook at 10:47AM on 04/29/08
Honey, I'd spend 250 on a great bottle of wine and the rest on cheese and bread. :)
Karen Resta at 10:47AM on 04/29/08
now Karen -- we need more wine than that...Two bottles at $125 a piece. Then the cheese and bread.
jcrisco at 10:53AM on 04/29/08
Wow...I had to check my breathing after reading how much you're "budgeted". First, I assume the guests know this is being spent on them, and expect something fabulous? (the pressure alone....)
Sounds like the sky's (almost) the limit. There are places that will overnight ship Maine lobster, or some meltingly tender beef filet - or other exotic foods that your local grocer might not have. That's one idea for overspending. At least you know you've got a solidly decent foundation for a dish you can build on from there.
The other thing is considering hiring (after all...you got the $$$) a pro pastry chef to handle dessert for you. Maybe they can even come and do a "presentation" dessert for your guests - kind of make a show of it all.
I dunno. I'm still paralyzed by the amount of $$. Can't wait to see what others suggest for you!
moibec at 10:53AM on 04/29/08
Go to Guido's. They will have everything you need, including inspiration.
http://www.guidosfreshmarketplace.com/
Kerosena at 10:55AM on 04/29/08
Wow, that's an insane amount of money for just a dinner... I'll second the decision to spend the money to drive and buy better ingredients! Some of the best meats will come practically straight from the farm. You're in the NY area, right? There is likely to be a place like that somewhere near you. Pair that with a nice red wine, and a few choice sides, and you're good to go.
NinjaFluff at 11:04AM on 04/29/08
Websites like D'artagnan and many others will ship all variety of ooh-la-la meat and game (and foie gras) right to you:
https://www.dartagnan.com/index.asp
They have truffles, too.
renzata at 11:07AM on 04/29/08
I love everyone's ideas! They're good ones.
For me, I'd go with this plan:
-if you have the time, shop online. find great cuts of meat and/or seafood and find a great dessert while you're at it.
-if online is not an option, i'd go to your Stop-n-Shop and find out when the best day is to shop for the freshest ingredients. Find out when they get their meat, produce delivery.
-if this isn't an option because you have a lack of time, i'd talk to some of your friends about ideas. find your friend that is a great cook. enlist his/her help. likely your friend will have good ideas about where to get what, etc.
-and, since you have extra money, buy the best pantry items (good olive oil, spices, etc.).
-lastly, HAVE FUN!
Decca at 11:09AM on 04/29/08
Also, if you're spending that kind of scratch, the Stop n Shop will probably help special order for you.
renzata at 11:10AM on 04/29/08
truffles sounds like a great idea. maybe morels, too, if you can find some (the season is upon us, after all!)
emmab at 12:06PM on 04/29/08
I should only have such a dilemma!!!
RichardCrystal at 12:56PM on 04/29/08
Have you considered asking your guests what dream meal they would like? Perhaps there are some elements that would also be a favorite of yours. Then you can decide where to obtain the ingredients and where your talents lie. I agree with Richard - what a beautiful dilemma!
PerkyMac at 1:06PM on 04/29/08
Thanks everyone! I've been scouring cookbooks and recipes online for inspiration. I found a great recipe on epicurious for filet mignon with truffled mushroom ragout. Whatever happens, we might blow the remaining cash on great wine! I'm cooking on Thursday so I can see what I can shipped asap. Thanks again!!
@Kerosena: That's a great suggestion! I was actually just thinking about making a trip to Pittsfield just to do that!
Jenn Sit at 1:47PM on 04/29/08
Oddly enough, I thought - only $300? Especially when you said it included alcohol. Alcohol can easily reach $200 for 2 people at home. I've been at an okay 4-star restaurant where the bill for 5 was $1,700...ok, restaurants ream you on alcohol - one of the bottles of beer was $17 and someone (not the host) ordered a bottle of wine that was $600. WTF. They saved on me, because I don't drink a drop of alcohol.
What is the occasion? Friendly visit? Impressing them? Celebratory?
Anyway...scoping out what the people like or dislike will save you some grief. Is anyone vegetarian? Kosher? No pork? No beef? No one drinks (so you can spend more money on the good stuff)? Are they into finger foods (like making your own Vietnamese/summer rolls)? Are they down to earth or stuffy in their foods?
Sorry for all the questions, and no suggestions. Just want to get a better picture of possible expectations. :D
Cassaendra at 1:47PM on 04/29/08
My idea of decadence: lobsters, apple smoked bacon, steelhead trout caviar, foie gras, morels, prime filet, ramps, baby greens... Call me a boring classicist but here's roughly what I would do: bring a pot of court bouillon up to a boil. Drop the lobsters in, turn off the heat. Allow to steep for 3 minutes. Remove the lobsters and break them down. Dice the bacon, render it gently till crisp but do not allow to burn. Reserve bacon, strain rendered fat and return to a clean pan. Sauté the lobster meat lightly in rendered bacon fat. Serve over the greens, which have been lightly dressed with good olive oil and 25 year old balsamic. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and minced dill. The meats, mushrooms and ramps should be simply seared with sea salt and ground sichuan and black pepper corn, and a little butter and finely minced shallot for the veggies. Reserve all items and keep warm, deglaze the pans with some cognac and stock, preferably home made mushroom or veal stock. Strain. Reduce slightly, mount with cubes of cold french butter. Place the ramps and mushrooms on warm plates. Top with steak and foie. Sauce plates. Spoon caviar on thinly sliced black bread, top with white chocolate shavings, serve with champagne. Serve lobster salad with a pouilly fumé. Serve steaks with a blended wine such as a Ridge Lytton Springs, Cain nv5, or a Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape. For dessert, I would suggest a pear sorbet, hazlenut ice cream, raspberries, belgian butter waffle cookie, an espresso and a snifter of cognac, armagnac or maybe some marc. Hmmmm. You may need more than $300 though....
simon at 1:55PM on 04/29/08
@Cassaendra: Well, I asked my professor if he had any preferences or aversions and all he said was that he doesn't like tofu and he likes whiskey. It's more of a celebratory dinner since we're graduating seniors and it's the end of the year. I'm not sure what he's expecting, but I would like to impress! :)
Jenn Sit at 1:55PM on 04/29/08
Jenn,
let us know what you end up cooking, ok? VicariousEating-R-Us, you know....
moibec at 2:11PM on 04/29/08
Oh my gosh, I'm so jealous. I have to help make dinner once a month for a group of about 50 - and our budget is also 300 bucks! And that includes booze! I agree, let us know what you eventually end up making.
BangieB at 2:35PM on 04/29/08
Another way to look at this is to break down the courses and what you want to spend for each ... for example:
Starter, Cocktail/Wine/beer, + 2 starters + nibbles @ $15.00 each = $45
First Course, salad w/wine/beer/sparking water @10.00 each = $30
Main Course, meat/fish, veggie, starch w/wine @ $30.00 each = $90
Desert w/liquer or coffee/tea @ 15.00 each = $45
Total so far is $210.00
With $30 per person for dinner - I'd go for that standing rib roast with lobster tails!
chapmanca at 3:05PM on 04/29/08
I'd go simple, local and seasonal. A nice roast chicken, a fantastic salad of baby greens, honey vinegarette, toasted walnuts, pear and gorgonzola. Some high quality bread, you can make a great rosemary, olive oil and salt focaccia. For sides I'd make sauteed green beans with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper and maybe some carrots roasted in orange jiuce and cumin. Top it off with chocolate chip cookies a trifle or cake (all homemade of course) and some old world red wine. Coffee and Port for dessert. Lots of candle light and soft music, maybe dine outside. My idea of bliss. I bet you'd even have money left over!
rockymountainmarta at 4:45PM on 04/29/08
@simon; when can I come to your house to eat????
izatryt at 10:08PM on 04/29/08
Rockymountainmarta, a good roast chicken is one of my all-time favorite foods (and no doubt the same for many others) but if I knew that someone had $100 to spend on my food, I'd be a little bummed to get chicken.
The goal is to spend everything, correct?
How are the tastes of you, your fellow student, and professor? Are you looking for the classic big hits, or are you an adventurous group?
renzata at 10:46PM on 04/29/08
A chef friend and his wife had us and another couple over for dinner on Saturday--eight courses. We provided wine.
Hors d' oeuvres: BLT-stuffed cherry tomatoes; aged cheddar with pistachio; salmon and cucumber on crostini.
First: Steamed asparagus tips with hollandaise;
Second: Roast chicken salad on red pepper coulis, topped with Asian slaw (the dressing on which may have been the best thing I've ever tasted);
Third: Carrot ginger soup poured from individual boats at the table into bowls of shredded baby rainbow carrots, topped with parsley gremolata;
Fourth: Seared diver scallop topped with shrimp and pancetta in a vanilla beurre blanc;
Fifth: Meyer lemon granita;
Sixth: Filet with wild mushrooms, served on a potato cake (at this point, I was too drunk to remember exactly what else was in the potato cake) with sauteed swiss chard and raisins;
Seventh: Butter lettuce, simply dressed, served with goat cheese and orange marmalade crostini;
Eighth: Chocolate-mint mousse in tuile cups.
We went through five bottles: Lockwood Reserve Merlot; J. Lohr Wildflower; Rombauer Chardonnay; Paraiso Late Harvest Pinot and something else that I was too drunk to remember. The company was excellent, the food was even better. They must have spent a small fortune, and our friends made it look effortless.
I'd do a cheese course, a salad, maybe a seafood appetizer (mussels?), a red meat main and an excellent dessert. And booze. Lots of booze.
maered at 12:19AM on 04/30/08
I would do small plates
scallops, filet mignons, small pasta course, small salad, aspaagus is good, maybe a clams dish, somthing very small and rich for dessert,
serve with 3 good wines and espresso could probably do it for about 225.00
JerzeeTomato at 5:34AM on 04/30/08
If he likes whiskey, you could pair each course with a different whiskey. That'd easily take up a huge chunk of the budget and provide a "take away" for each guest (what's left in the bottles). Maybe, appetizer, first + whiskey, main + whiskey, and dessert + whiskey. Would be memorable.
pookywookyster at 12:24PM on 04/30/08
Even with high-end foods and multiple courses, you've got a very generous budget. So I'd want to be extra sure to serve several really good wines, and a bottle of top-notch whisky for the prof. Be sure to find out what he likes. If this is his liquor of choice, and if he drinks it regularly, he probably has very definite tastes. If he's not particular about specific brand, he'll almost certainly prefer a specific variety (e.g., Scotch, Irish, Tennessee, malt, bourbon, etc.).
Also, if you decide to server beef, I'd definitely spring for dry-aged prime grade with a budget like that. Very expensive (double or triple the usual price), but also very special.
LoCo at 12:38PM on 04/30/08
It's sooo easy to spend $300 on a great dinner. Of course, if you have limited access to ingredients then it'll be a little more difficult. A great whiskey will eat up a big chunk of money. If I were you, I'd get to the store early the day before your dinner and see what was available. Pick the best protiens, veggies, etc. and then go home and find your recipes. Then I'd go back to the store for whatever you need to complete the meal. Coook ahead where you can and finish the rest that night.
MargieinDallas at 1:29PM on 04/30/08
@Jenn Sit......it's Thursday - the big dinner day! You HAVE to let us know your entire menu, Campbell's Soup to Planter's Nuts, so to speak. ;-)
PerkyMac at 10:24AM on 05/01/08
Good luck today, Jenn. We're expecting a full report tomorrow!
Kerosena at 11:10AM on 05/01/08
Thanks for everyone!! So I went shopping yesterday at Guido's, an amazing marketplace. Here's the tentative menu:
Spinach salad with Roquefort, glazed walnuts, cranberries
Asparagus Gruyere Tart
Roasted new potatoes with rosemary
Filet mignon with truffled mushroom ragout
Giant apple pie with ice cream
5 bottles of wine
1 bottle of Jameson
We bought the best ingredients we could get and it all added up to a whopping....
$290!!
Lots of cooking to do tonight and I'll report on it tomorrow! Thanks again for everyone's suggestions, I knew I could count on SE posters!
Jenn Sit at 1:03PM on 05/01/08
5 bottles of wine and 1 jamesons for 3 people: i'll be shocked to hear from you tomorrow (unless it's under the hangover cure thread.).
sounds like an awesome dinner ahead.
renzata at 1:14PM on 05/01/08