First course/entree ideas?

[lurker172602]

I'm starting to think ahead to Christmas and planning our Christmas dinner (evening)

I've got the mains pretty much sorted with ham on the bone, roast pork, a few "different" salads and a potato dish, and the DiL's are looking after dessert, but I'm stuck big time for a first course idea.  Normally I'd go straight to prawns and/or scallops, but two people have seafood allergys and I'd prefer to not make them ill on Christmas Day 

Any stunning, sumptuous yet simple ideas of something I can make?  Something like crispy chilli & zucchini fritters crossed my mind but I can't think how to make them look "fancy" enough.  

[sandypas]

I made crumbed fried advocado one and they were delicious.  You cut your advocado into wedges, dip them in flour, egg and panko crumbs and shallow fry them in oil.  Drain on kitchen paper.  If you prepare them ahead and refrigerate them, the crumbs stay on better.  I served them with sweet chilli sauce.

[debra9275]

mmmm they sound yummy Sandy

youcan, it was my BIL's business, sadly they closed down this year after being in operation for 20 years. I will miss seeing the fireworks on NYE this year

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/docklands-cruises-pleasure-boat-cruises-615885#.Vkm_Ql7Qj88

Lurker, i didn't realize arancini was hard to make, in that case, i would give them a miss too 

[youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit]

wow debra! shes pretty awesome- Im pretty sure Ive seen her moored at Docklands..

Shame the business has finished, but 20 years is a success story..Im sure there were a lot of happy clients 

sigh, tsk, arancini..Never made them..the thing is, I love risotto, especially a decent slurpy mushroom one, but if theres any risotto left over, we usually make it into small fritters the next day and lightly pan fry them..Never enough 'left over' to faff around into arancini..and Im too greedy for the risotto to make it into arancini if you know what I mean..as my old neighbour would say, ahh itsa dilemma!!

[lurker172602]

They aren't hard to make, just fiddly and time consuming.  Cook the rice, cook the meat sauce, roll the rice balls, stuff them with the meat, breadcrumb them ...... and then you get to finally fry them.  A lot of faffing about in my book.  I generally go for major impact, minor effort lol

[debra9275]

I wouldn't do fiddly either Lurker- they are definitely 'off the menu' 

youcan, they were moored just outside the Peninsular and all those other "clubs" I think that boat is still sitting there atm, but the other one is gone.

They did do well, operating for 20 years, some come and go in a flash.. they said they never really re-covered from the GFC when corporations stopped booking and never really came back

[lind9650]

We have big family gatherings at my sons house, as he and his wife have more room than anyone else in the family.

DIL always provides a great table with different dishes of meat, fish, poultry and salads as well as desserts, but for entrees she keeps it simple.

Besides stuffed button mushrooms, she provides a large cheese platter with at least half a dozen different cheeses, sliced kabana and dill pickles, accompanied by different cracker biscuits.

Very casual and guests can help themselves as they arrive. Nobody has to wait until everyone sits at table.

I love it. But then I am a cheese lover.

Erica