Mary Berry’s Very Best Dinner Party Recipes

As festive season kicks off, with it comes the inevitable slew of dinner parties. But what to serve? While it’s easy to opt for trusty favourites, there’s only so many times you can serve up the same recipe before guests grow tired. If you’re looking to expand your dinner party repertoire with some show-stopping dishes, then good-old Mary Berry has you covered. Her new cookbook Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes (as featured in her new BBC series) offers many new, yet timeless, recipes for you to enjoy. Here’s a handful of our dinner party favourites.

Mary Berry’s Very Best Recipes

Nicky Johnston

Skate Wing With Caper Sauce And Samphire (Serves 4)

‘Hugely popular, skate wings are readily available and simple to cook. The sauce makes the dish extra special. Buy samphire from the fish counter in the supermarket or farm shop.’

Ingredients: 

• 4 x 400g (14oz) skate wings, edges trimmed with scissors
• 100g (3½oz) butter, softened, plus a knob
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 4 tbsp capers
• 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 400g (14oz) fresh samphire

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
2. Lie the skate wings on a board and use half the butter to spread over both sides of the skate wings. Season well with salt and ground black pepper.
3. Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. When hot, brown the wings in batches for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Place the browned wings in a large roasting tin and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast for about 15 minutes until cooked through (the translucent flesh will become opaque when it is done). To test for doneness, try to pull the flesh away carefully from the bones with a sharp knife – if it comes away easily, it is done. Place on a large platter and cover with foil. Leave to rest in a warm place.
4. Add the remaining butter to the frying pan and heat until nutty brown in colour. Add the lemon juice, capers and parsley and remove from the heat.
5. Meanwhile, cook the samphire in a large frying pan with a knob of butter and a splash of water over a high heat. Fry for a few minutes to heat through.
6. Divide the samphire between the plates and top each one with a skate wing. Pour over the caper butter sauce to serve.

Nicky Johnston

Fragrant Chicken Traybake (Serves 4-6)

‘An all-in-one dish, this delicious aromatic chicken recipe is vibrant and full of flavour. Serve with rice or a dressed salad.’

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine, sliced into half moons
• 2 peppers, deseeded and sliced into large pieces
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 3 dried lime leaves
• 1 large stick of lemongrass, bashed
• 3 large chicken breast fillets, each sliced in half
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 150g (5oz) baby spinach leaves
• Small bunch of Thai basil, chopped

For the fragrant sauce

• 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas 7.
2. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Scatter the aubergine, peppers and onion into a large shallow roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss everything together. Pour over half of the sauce. Add the lime leaves and lemongrass to the tin and roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
4. Toss the chicken in the remaining oil and the sweet chilli sauce, and season well. Place a large frying pan over a high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and brown very quickly until sealed and golden, stirring constantly.
5. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and pour over the remaining sauce. Place the chicken on top and return to the oven for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
6. Transfer the chicken onto a plate. Stir the spinach and Thai basil into the sauce and vegetables in the tin and gently warm over the hob until the spinach has wilted.
7. Serve the chicken traybake with rice.

Nicky Johnston

Fillet Tails Of Beef With Bearnaise Sauce And Rocket Salad (Serves 4)

‘The tail fillets of a fillet of beef are a great option for a slightly cheaper version of an expensive cut. This is served with my version of a foolproof bearnaise sauce.’

Ingredients:

• 4 x 175g (6oz) beef tail fillets
• Olive oil, to drizzle
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 200g (7oz) tenderstem broccoli
• 75g (3oz) rocket Balsamic glaze, to drizzle
• 55g (2oz) Parmesan shavings

For the foolproof bearnaise sauce

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 6 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 6 tbsp water
• 2 egg yolks
• 100g (3½oz) butter, cubed
• 1 tsp finely chopped tarragon
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
2. Season the fillet tails with salt and ground black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Place a large pan over a high heat. Once hot, add the beef and sear on each side until browned. Place in a small roasting tin. Brush the fillets with the Dijon mustard and cook in the preheated oven for 7–8 minutes for pink, 9 minutes for medium and 10 minutes for well done. Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the bearnaise sauce. Measure the shallot, vinegar and water into a small pan. Bring up to the boil and reduce to 1 tablespoon of liquid. Pour through a sieve into a cold mixing bowl. Add the yolks and a dash of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of just simmering water. Whisk over the heat, adding a cube of butter at a time, until the sauce starts to thicken. Continue whisking until all the butter has been incorporated and it is the consistency of thick mayonnaise. Stir in the fresh herbs and season well.
5. Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Slice into pieces and mix with the rocket in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and toss together. Place the salad on a platter and scatter over shavings of Parmesan.
6. Slice the beef, arrange it next to the salad and serve with the bernaise sauce alongside.

Extracted from Mary 90 – My Very Best Recipes by Mary Berry, BBC Books, £28, photography Tara Fisher