Quick and Easy Supper for Friends

I really love entertaining but these days life is SO hectic for us all I think we forget to sit down with friends and enjoy a great evening, nothing better to recharge the batteries. Unfortunately we always think that time is against us and supper is just too much hassle, well it's not.  

I arranged for friends to come round the other evening and I cooked this very easy yet impressive meal, also happens to be RP's favourite, lobster spaghetti, salad and pear and almond tart with custard.

LOBSTER SPAGETTI & SALAD

I'm lucky because I get really fab lobster from Norfolk, but obviously I know we all can't do that so equally good is using frozen tiger tails from the supermarket. 

To make the tomato sauce I use cherry tomatoes, pressed garlic cloves, chopped onions lightly fried, a red chilli. I pop all this in an oven prove dish with a lid and cook in the oven for about an hour. 

When it's cooked throw in the prawns or lobster pieces and cook through quickly, add either chopped coriander leaves or parsley, that depends on personal flavour choice.

Cook the spaghetti until just soft, drain and mix in with the sauce coating all the spaghetti lightly. Serve directly from the pan with wilted spinach mixed through at the last minute, (the heat from the sauce and spaghetti will cook the spinach.)

Serve this with fresh Parmesan and a tossed salad, I just open a couple of bags of the lettuce, rocket and spinach mix, easy!

PEAR & ALMOND TART

For the tart, buy sweet short crust pastry ready rolled, line a pastry tin and cook blind for 10 mins taking the baking beans out for the last 3 mins to crisp the bottom.

Make the frangipani, in a blender put 150g butter, 150g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 125g ground almonds and 25g plain flour. Blend together and scoop into the cooled pastry case.  

Slice tinned pears and arrange in a fan on top of the frangipani, cook in the oven for 40 mins, 160/ gas 4.  

The tart will feed 6 people. I serve it with ambrosia custard as RP wouldn't have it any other way!!  Be proud, put the carton on the table!! Enjoy, it really is simple and perfect.