DIY Food Wednesdays: Gourmet Meal for Six for $50

You've probably already figured out how to cook affordable weekday meals. You might not have discovered how to entertain on a budget. Here's a simple and elegant 5-course meal that costs only $50 in ingredients.

The ingredient prices are based on data from Safeway.com, a national grocery chain store. Prices vary by region - the Safeway store I registered for is in Seattle. I assume you already have salt, pepper, and vanilla extract in your pantry, so I did not include them in the price estimation.

Menu

Appetizer: Baguette Slices and Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Soup: Butternut Squash and Coconut Bisque
Salad: Greens and Vinaigrette
Main Course: Lemon-Tarragon Roasted Chicken, Leek Gratin, and Finnish Potato Casserole
Dessert: Dark Chocolate Mousse

Appetizer: Baguette Slices and Sun Dried Tomato Spread: $16.94

Baguette $1.89
Sundried tomato halves: $3.49
Walnut halves: $3.69
Garlic powder: $1.49
Fresh basil: $2.49
Olive oil: $4.99

Sundried Tomato Spread Recipe:

1.Soak a large handful of sundried tomatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain.
2.Place soaked sundried tomatoes, 1 and cups walnut halves, tsp garlic powder, a small handful of fresh basil leaves, and 1 TBS olive oil in a food processor. Puree until smooth. If it's too sticky, add a drizzle of olive oil and a couple teaspoons of water to moisten, and puree again.

Soup: Butternut Squash and Coconut Bisque: $6.05

Butternut squash: $2.90
Shredded unsweetened coconut: $3.15
Salt

Butternut Squash and Coconut Bisque Recipe:

1.Prepare the squash: Peel, seed, and dice.
2.Place the diced squash, 1 cup of unsweetened coconut, and 1 tsp salt in a pressure cooker. Cover with water, plus an additional two inches of water.
3.Bring pressure cooker to full pressure. Lower heat and cook at full pressure for 15 minutes.
4.Remove from heat and immerse pressure cooker in cold water. When the pressure gage falls, remove the lid and whisk. There is no need to puree with a blender - a thorough whisking with a wire whisk should be enough to puree the soup.

Salad: Greens and Vinaigrette: $4.82

Romaine lettuce: $1.49
Red onion: $0.74
Olive oil: purchased already for appetizer
Fresh garlic: $0.50
Red wine vinegar: $2.09
Salt
Pepper

Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe:

1.In a blender or food processor, blend: 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 TBS red wine vinegar, and one fresh garlic clove. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend again.

Main Course: Lemon-Tarragon Roasted Chicken: $9.29

3.50 lb. Whole Chicken: $4.52
2 lemons: $1.38
Tarragon Leaves: $3.39
2 cloves garlic (purchased already for salad dressing)
Salt
Pepper

Lemon-Tarragon Roasted Chicken Recipe:

1.Marinate the chicken the day before the dinner party.
2.The marinade: Juice of 2 fresh lemons, 2 tsp dried tarragon, 2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced).
3.Rinse the whole chicken in cold water. Place it in a large plastic bag and pour the marinade into the bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag and tie the bag tightly at the top (it's advisable to use two bags to prevent leaking). Refrigerate. Turn the bag once in a while to make sure that the marinade is reaching the entire surface of the chicken.
4.Preheat your oven to 400.
5.Remove chicken from marinade and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
6.Roast uncovered for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Cover loosely with foil if the chicken gets too brown, and continue cooking.

Side Dish: Leek Gratin: $4.00

6 leeks: $4.00
Olive oil: Purchased for appetizer
Salt
Pepper

Recipe for Leek Gratin:

1.Prepare the leeks: Slice off the ends of the leeks. Rinse sand off of leeks.
2.Place the whole leeks in a baking dish.
3.Drizzle olive oil on the leeks, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the leeks so that they are evenly coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4.Preheat oven to 400.
5.Bake the leeks uncovered for about 30 minutes, turning often. Remove from oven when the leeks are soft and golden brown.

Side Dish: Finnish Potato Casserole: $4.08

Russet potatoes: $1.59
Garlic: Already purchased for salad dressing
1 stick of butter: $1.25
Salt
Pepper

Recipe for Finnish Potato Casserole:

1.Prepare the potatoes: Scrub 8 russet potatoes and slice into thin rounds.
2.Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
3.Melt 1 TBS of butter and coat the bottom of a casserole dish with it.
4.Make a layer of potato slices. Layer garlic slices on top. Dot the layer with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat until you run out of potatoes. Dot the top of the casserole with butter.
5.Preheat oven to 350.
6.Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes. The top of the casserole should be golden brown and the potatoes should be soft.

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Mousse:

Extra large dark chocolate bar: $1.79
Silken tofu: $2.49
Honey: $3.49

Recipe for Dark Chocolate Mousse:

1.Break an extra large cark chocolate bar into pieces. Melt in a double boiler.
2.In a blender or food processor, puree the block of silken tofu. Once it's blended, pour the melted chocolate into the blender or food processor and blend again.
3.Add 3 TBS honey (or maple syrup) and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Blend again.
4.Transfer the mousse to individual serving cups. Refrigerate for AT LEAST an hour. Don't freak out: The chalky tofu taste disappears after the mousse sits for about an hour, so don't taste it until you've refrigerated it for at least an hour.
5.If you want to spend a little more, garnish each cup of mousse with berries and mint leaves.

Total: $50.71

Posted by: Chaya Goodman