When I am hosting a dinner or a family get-together, I like to prepare as much as I can in advance. Most of the dishes I make are fresh, but there are a few hidden gems in my cookbook that can be made ahead of time—a huge time-saver and still delicious. Below are my top five that I know I can always count on. There are recipes linked for each, as well as a recipe card for my favorite!
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- One of my favorites is Angel Biscuits—my mom made these countless times growing up. The dough for this yeast biscuit should be made at least one day ahead and refrigerated. On the day I want to serve them, I roll out the dough and let it rise. Then right before dinner, I pop them in the oven! There is nothing like a hot yeast biscuit with a meal. Click for the recipe!
- I also enjoy serving congealed salads. They are fabulous to eat and gorgeous on the plate! There are a zillion recipes out there for these salads, so I usually switch it up. Some of them are so sweet, they could pass as dessert—fine by me! Here’s the recipe to a sweet and tart version!
- In the South, one of the mainstays of entertaining is the deviled egg, and these little jewels can be made ahead. When my children and grandchildren come over, deviled eggs are gone in no time flat. One debate on this delicacy is the use dill or sweet pickle relish. I tend to go back and forth on this one, so the recipe below uses both— sweet relish plus dill pickle juice. Get the recipe here!
- This make-ahead dessert is truly the star of this post—Molten Lava Cake! I absolutely love making this. Once the batter is in the ramekin, it can remain in the fridge for a couple of days. Then into the oven they go just before serving. It is a very dramatic dessert to present, especially when topped with vanilla ice cream. See below for the recipe card!
Molten Lava Cake
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
- 2 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate
- 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease 6 custard dishes.
- Melt chocolates and butter in the microwave or in a double boiler. Add flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in eggs until smooth. Stir in vanilla and Grand Marnier.
- Divide batter into 6 dishes.
- Bake for 14 minutes. Edges should be firm, but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and turn dish over with a plate on top.
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- 5. Another go-to dessert for me is an ice cream treat. The recipe is simply this: Simmer a can of fruit cocktail with a teaspoon of cinnamon, let it cool, and then layer in parfait glasses, alternating vanilla ice cream and fruit mixture. Place the parfaits in the freezer and pull them right out when everyone is ready for dessert. You can make these several days ahead!
Extra Pro Tip: I like to have a lot of ice on hand when I have people coming over, so I collect ice from the icemaker in resealable plastic bags a few days ahead just to be sure I have enough.