Starter suggestions please

[Gargamel]

Afternoon all,

Small Dinner party approaching, I am serving venison wellington for main course, so pate', mushrooms, pastry and some fresh veg.

But what to do for a starter, don't really want another meat - any suggestions?

[convert]

Line some small ramekins with cling film, leaving plenty over to close the top when filled.

Then line this with leaves of smoked salmon.

Take some small horseradish sauce, some finely chopped fresh red chillies, some lemon grass and mix. Add small prawns to this mixture, and fill the ramekins.

Add more smoked salmon to close them off, then put them in the fridge for an hour.

Remove them from fridge, use spare cling film to pull them out of the ramekins. Server on a plate with sweet chilli relish and mixed leaves.

[SVX]

I'd suggest something light, perhaps seafood? Seared scallops are rather nice.

[Cactussed]

I'm doing the same this weekend. My current ideas are:
1. Scallop Ceviche. or
2. Pan fry some thin slices of black pudding, pipe some mashed butternut squash on top, add a seared scallop and possibly a light sauce, preferably citrus based; or
3. Whip up some smoked mackerel pate; or
4. Make a rillette the night before

OR
Make a salad.
Baby cos, pan fried pancetta and croutons and pine nuts, topped with some shaved parmesan and a nice poached egg.

OR
Cheese souffffle
(ffff key is a bit sticky!)

OR
Fresh pasta, with browned sage butter and shaved parmesan

OR
A light risotto (just use some good dried porcini mushrooms)

OR
Fresh fig / Red onion tart with some goats cheese

Just a few ideas.

[Odie]

go with the classic prawn cocktails?

Or to go with the napoleonic theme how about soup perhaps cabbage?

[Kneetrembler]

Smoked Salmon,Capers & finely chopped onion,Brown bread & butter or Jamon Serrano 5 jotas & french stick, or some Italian Grissini with a Good finely sliced Salami wrapped around the top.

All simple but quick and good

[pad58]

Dressed crab?

[Gargamel]

Some decent suggestions - however

1. Red Onion thing, is a pastry dish and the main course is pastry wrapped

2. Someone suggested Porcini - again they feature in the main course.

3. two of our guest are non fish eaters ! including shell fish - so all of those are out

I think I am left with green salad..... So far the salad, bacon and pine nuts is in the lead, but there must be something a little more imaginative out there

[Plotloss]

Orange juice, in a glass, on a doyley, on a plate.

Champion.

[Gargamel]

Plotloss said:

Orange juice, in a glass, on a doyley, on a plate.

Champion.

Steady on, don't want to spoil my best doilies

[Scott330ci]

Mushrooms with cheese

[Mobile Chicane]

Really fresh crab, just as it is, with brown bread and butter, lemon wedges, Sancerre, and a selection of tools to tease the meat out of every crevice.

Failing that, Oysters Rockefeller. (Not forgetting the Sancerre, of course.)

[sleep envy]

Plotloss said:

Orange juice, in a glass, on a doyley, on a plate.

Champion.

you are Denise Royale