Perfect winter menu for a meal with friends

Often in winter, we entertain around raclette, tartiflette or fondue. It must be said that these mountain dishes know how to delight the hearts of gourmets in one bite. But we can also move away from these recipes and offer a menu without cheese – yes, yes – which will please the most gourmet of your friends.

To start the year and the meal off to a flying start, follow the principle of Dry January – going without alcohol for the entire month of January or longer if you wish – and rely on a mocktail. Zipping alcohol from a drink is not complicated, you just need to replace it with the right ingredients to ensure the balance of the drink. In our passion fruit mocktail proposal, ginger beer is in the spotlight to lengthen the passion fruit puree with agave syrup and lime juice. Another pitfall of the non-alcoholic cocktail: the amount of sugar in fruit juices. Replace them or top them with sparkling water, ginger beer, or tonic, to temper their sweetness.

Cauliflower in majesty. Cauliflower is very good, you just need to know how to prepare it. We grant you that simply boiled in water without added flavor, it does not reveal the best of its personality. However, you can add spices to it, roast it, mix it, or cut it into slices to cook it like a steak. For chef Mariana Mateos, winner of the ELLE à Table young chef prize, cauliflower is transformed into a delicious and colorful mousse. Ideal for impressing your guests upon entry.

As a dish, we give it time, including slow cooking for a mouth-watering pulled pork that will remain in the annals and the memories and conversations of your friends. The advantage of this recipe is that it cooks for a long time, quietly in the oven, then you simply shred the meat after resting. We advise you to complete this last step in advance because the exercise can take time. When the time comes, simply reheat the meat.

For dessert, why not focus on a classic – belle-hélène pears – and revisit it a little? In her stage outfit, the belle-hélène pear surprises and seduces. In terms of production, don’t worry, nothing unaffordable here. Syrup for poaching the pears, slightly sweetened dough, and melted dark chocolate are enough to enjoy.