Dinner Party Menu

[The March Hare]

Dinner party menu

Parma Ham with Mango and Mozzarella followed by a very cosy-sounding Monkfish with a Kedgeree Duvet and a deliciously light Lemon Soufflé Pudding to complete this tasty menu

Parma Ham with Mango and Mozzarella
A simple assembly of ingredients from a good supermarket: fresh mango, mozzarella cheese, with little pieces of dry-cured ham curled on top

Ingredents
50g (2oz) pine nuts
1 small mango
150g (5oz) mozzarella cheese (mozzarella di bufala)
1 x 85g bag watercress
8 slices Parma ham
Balsamic vinegar
Good extra virgin olive oil

Method
Toast the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown - take great care as they can easily burn. Set aside.

Remove the flesh from either side of the flat mango stone (this runs through the centre of the mango). Peel, then slice the flesh into fairly thin crescent shapes - any odd pieces can be served tucked under the mozzarella.

Drain the mozzarella cheese and cut it into thin slices.

Arrange the watercress in the centre of each plate. Divide the mango slices between the plates and arrange in a fan shape over the watercress. Top with the mozzarella slices, then curl 2 pieces of ham on top of the mozzarella.

Sprinkle over the pine nuts and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and oil around the plate.

Preparing ahead
You could arrange the ingredients on individual platters about 3 hours in advance, cover with clingfilm, and keep them in the fridge.

Monkfish with a Kedgeree Duvet

This is perfect for a special meal – just serve with a simple dressed green salad

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 onion, roughly chopped
75g (3oz) long grain rice
2 eggs, hard boiled and roughly chopped
75g (3oz) butter
1 tablesthingy medium curry powder
2 tablesthingys lemon juice
1 tablesthingy parsley, chopped
4 x 125g (5oz) monkfish tail fillets

Method
Measure the onion and rice into a saucepan of boiling salted water and boil for about 10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the onion is tender. Then drain.

Melt the butter in the pan, add the rice and onion, sprinkle in the curry powder and fry over high heat for a minute or two. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and chopped egg, then mix well. Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.

Using a sharp knife, make a pocket in each fillet by cutting top to bottom halfway through the fillet. Divide the rice mixture between the fillets, pushing it into the pocket.

Transfer the fillets to a buttered, seasoned roasting tin, and season over the top of the fish. Slide the roasting tin on to the second set of runners in the roasting oven for about 15 minutes, until the fish is just cooked and the filling is brown on top.

Conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and the filling is slightly brown on top.

Lemon Soufflé Pudding

This pudding is at its best as soon as it comes out of the oven. The top is light and fluffy with a tangy lemon sauce underneath

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
50g (2oz) butter, softened
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, separated
25g (1oz) plain flour
300mls (1/2 pint) milk
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Method
Lightly butter a 1.2 litre (2 pint) shallow ovenproof dish.

Measure the butter, sugar, egg yolks and flour together in a bowl and whisk, using an electric hand whisk, until smooth. Slowly add the milk, then stir in the lemon zest and juice, expect it to curdle.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then carefully fold them into the milk mixture.

Pour the mixture into the dish.

Stand the dish in a roasting tin and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the dish. Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for about 20 minutes. If it’s getting too brown slide the cold shelf above.

Serve at once with pouring cream

Conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/fan 150°C/gas mark 4. Slide it into the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and just set in the middle

[The March Hare]

Chicken Curry dinner party menu

Seared Scallops, Chicken Curry with Lime and a timely Easter Pudding

Seared Scallops and Mixed Leaf Salad
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
8 prepared scallops
2 tbsp oil
15g (½ oz) butter
Juice of half a lemon
Mixed salad leaves
Balsamic vinaigrette

Method
If the scallops are large, slice them in two. Heat the oil in a heavy based pan on the simmering plate for a few minutes then swirl them around. Move them to the boiling plate and lay the scallops in the pan.

Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until they’re beginning to turn brown underneath. Turn them over using a palette knife and cook for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the butter and lemon juice, swirl them around and tip the scallops and liquor into a bowl of mixed salad leaves.

Quickly dress with the vinaigrette and mix together. Serve at once.

Chicken Curry with Lime

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
4 free-range chicken breasts
Oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 x 200ml cartons coconut cream
2-3 tbsp mild curry paste
1 lime
Salt and black pepper
Chicken stock (optional)

For the garnish:
Fresh coriander

Method
Cut the chicken into cubes and fry in a little oil with the garlic, until lightly browned.
Add the coconut cream and curry paste, stir. Add the juice and grated rind of the lime. Season and bring to the boil.

2-, 3- and 4-Oven Aga
Transfer to the simmering oven for about an hour.

Conventional cooking
Cook on a low heat on the hob for about 40 minutes

Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. If you like more liquid, add a little chicken stock. Serve with Basmati rice, garnished with coriander and a salad.

Easter Pudding

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
6 Hot Cross buns
55g (2 oz) butter
55g (2 oz) dried luxury mixed fruit
300ml (½ pint) double cream
300ml (½ pint) milk
55g (2 oz) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 egg yolks

To decorate:
I tbsp icing sugar

Method
Slice the buns into four and spread with butter. Arrange the slices overlapping in a buttered shallow Aga chef’s dish. Sprinkle over the dried fruit. Heat the cream, milk and sugar together. Cool until tepid then whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs and pour over the buns. Allow them to soak for about 30 minutes.

2-Oven Aga
Cook on the grid shelf placed on the floor of the roasting oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to the simmering oven for about 50 minutes until just set in the middle.

3- and 4-Oven Aga
Cook in the Baking Oven for 35-40 minutes.

Conventional cooking
Bake at 180°C, fan oven 160°C, gas mark 4 for 35-40 minutes.

Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve. Delicious warm or cold

[juicyjude]

It's all gone a bit Jamie Oliver for me!!! A take-away is much easier, can't be a**** with all that!

[The March Hare]

juicyjude said:

It's all gone a bit Jamie Oliver for me!!! A take-away is much easier, can't be a**** with all that!

Don't be lazy jj burnt dishes later

[The March Hare]

A deliciously simple Tomato and Lentil Soup, followed by a real burst of flavour from Thai Shiitake Chicken with a wonderfully summery Iced Bramble Flummery to finish

Tomato and Lentil Soup
This is the quickest of soups to make. Lentils in cans are perfect for this recipe, much easier than dried lentils, which need to be soaked before using. Be sure to drain and rinse the lentils well. Italian canned tomatoes are the best to use in recipes, except when there is a glut of fresh tomatoes at the end of the summer. Fresh ones will need skinning, though, unless the recipe is sieved. I prefer to buy canned tomatoes without added garlic or herbs, as I like to add my own flavourings as I cook.

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
1 tablesthingy sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock
1 x 410g cans lentils, drained and rinsed
1 teasthingy chopped fresh thyme
2 teasthingys caster sugar
2 tablesthingys tomato purée
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley or basil, for garnish

Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, lentils, thyme, sugar, tomato purée and seasoning, and bring to the boil.

Cover and transfer the pan to the simmering oven for about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Carefully ladle the soup into a processor and whiz until smooth (this may need to be done in two batches).

Check the seasoning and sprinkle over the parsley or basil just before serving.

Preparing ahead
The soup freezes well, and can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.


Thai Shiitake Chicken

This is one of those wonderful prepare-ahead main courses. The chicken breasts are carved into pieces before the final cooking so those who want less can take just a couple of slices – and the chicken does not need to be pre-fried.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
1 tablesthingy sunflower oil
300g (10oz) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablesthingy red Thai curry paste
1 tablesthingy tamarind paste
1 x 400ml can coconut milk
1 teasthingy fish sauce
Juice and finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 teasthingys caster sugar
1 tablesthingy cornflour, slaked with a little coconut milk
6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
A bunch of fresh basil or coriander, chopped

Method
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan; add the mushrooms and fry on the boiling plate for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and arrange over the base of a large shallow ovenproof dish.

To the unwashed pan, add the Thai paste, tamarind paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and zest and sugar. Bring to the boil and boil for a few minutes. Season.

Add a little of the hot sauce to the slaked cornflour and tip into the pan with the sauce, stirring continually while bringing back to the boil. The sauce will thicken.

Cut each chicken breast into three widthways, then reassemble and lie on top of the mushrooms. Pour over the boiling hot Thai sauce and slide on to the second set of runners in the roasting oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander or basil, and serve hot.

Conventional oven
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Preparing ahead
Arrange the mushrooms and chicken in the serving dish, but do not pour the sauce over until just before cooking. Bring the sauce back to the boil before pouring over the chicken. There’s plenty of sauce, enough for 8-10 chicken breasts, so you could serve any left over the next day with prawns.


Iced Bramble Flummery

Brambles and blackberries are the same fruit - they’re great to have in the freezer as a standby pudding especially in the summer. The brambles are not cooked so the flavour is very fresh.

Ingredients
(Serves 8-12)
450g (1lb) fresh or frozen blackberries
Juice 1 large lemon
300 ml (1/2 pint) double cream
600ml (1 pint) milk
100g (4oz) caster sugar
A few fresh blackberries and mint to garnish

You will need a 1.5 litre (2 ½ pint) plastic container and 8-12 ramekins.

Method
Measure the blackberries into a processor, whiz until smooth. Sieve, saving the juice and discarding the pips.

Whisk the cream using an electric hand whisk until soft peaks form. Stir in the fruit puree, lemon juice, milk and sugar and mix well. Pour into the plastic container, cover and freeze overnight or for a minimum of 12 hours.

Remove from the freezer, thaw just enough so it cuts into large chunks with a knife and whiz again in the processor until smooth and a thick pouring consistency.

Pour into individual ramekins, sit them on a tray and cover with clingfilm. Freeze until set or needed.

To serve, remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving so they soften a bit - on a really hot day, just put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Decorate each ramekin with a few blackberries and a sprig of fresh mint

[marmaris98]

i agree with you jude, you can't beat eating an indian or chinkies take-away with y' pj's on and washing it down with a bud or 2 or 3 or 4

[juicyjude]

Yeh, hair all greasy in a bobble and don't gives a stuff!!! That's my sort of night, proper common I am. ;D

[The March Hare]

Peasants

[juicyjude]

It's often more fun being a commoner than a king!!! ;D

[marmaris98]

i'm all for being common *belches and farts*

[The March Hare]

paprika chicken dinner party menu

Warm Trout Hollandaise Croustades, followed by succulent Pan-Fried Paprika Chicken with a deliciously classic Glory Farm Crumble to finish

Warm Trout Hollandaise Croustades
“This is a very smart first course,” says Mary Berry, “quick to do and very impressive. Every stage to the recipe can be made ahead of time and assembled just before warming in the oven. If you prefer, serve on a disc of cooked puff pastry.”

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
6 slices medium-sliced white bread
25g (1oz) butter, melted
2 5oz (150g) smoked trout fillets, skinned
2 tablesthingys chopped fresh dill
1 170g jar hollandaise sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 quails’ eggs
A little black lumpfish caviar
Fresh dill sprigs to garnish

Tip
The bread croustades can be made ahead of time. You can top them at the last minute, and heat through in the low oven while you’re having drinks.

Method
Cut out 6 circles of bread (avoiding the crusts), using a 10cm (4in) round cutter. Brush both sides of the bread with melted butter and place on a baking sheet. Slide onto floor of roasting oven for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp.

Flake the smoked trout into a bowl (remove any small bones if necessary) and mix with the dill and 3 tablesthingys of the hollandaise sauce. Season with a little salt and black pepper.

Cook the quail’s eggs in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes, to soft-boiled, then drain and submerge in cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the eggs straightaway – the shell comes off easier if it’s done at once.

Divide the trout mixture between the 6 circles of crispy bread, top with 2 peeled eggs and sthingy over 1 tablesthingy of hollandaise, so the eggs are covered. Place in the simmering oven to heat through for about 15 minutes.

Arrange them on individual plates, and top with a little caviar and a sprig of dill.

To cook in a conventional oven
Grill the buttered bread under the grill for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, or fry gently until brown (turning the bread halfway through).

Preheat the oven to 140ºC/fan 120ºC/gas mark 1. To heat through, slide into the low preheated oven for about 15 minutes until warm.

Pan-Fried Paprika Chicken

“I made a very similar dish to this on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, working with Antony Worrall Thompson. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs (which take less time to cook), and added 150ml (1/4 pint) of cream to de-glaze the pan instead of the water. This doesn’t make a large amount of sauce – so double the quantities if you like a lot of sauce.

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
A little sunflower oil

For the marinade
2 tablesthingys Worcestershire sauce
2 tablesthingys runny honey
1 tablesthingy paprika
1 tablesthingy grainy mustard

Tip
The chicken can be beaten out and marinated up to 8 hours ahead.

Method
Cut each thigh open and flatten them out, by covering with a piece of clingfilm and banging out evenly with a rolling pin to about 2.5cm (1in).

Measure the marinade ingredients together into a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade, then cover and leave for about 15 minutes or as long as time allows.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on the boiling plate. Remove the chicken from the marinade, keeping the liquid, and brush the thighs with a little oil.

Fry the chicken thighs gently for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until dark golden brown and cooked through. Lift the chicken out of the pan into a serving dish and set aside.

Pour the marinade into the same frying pan along with 6 tablesthingys water. Bubble the sauce over a high heat, then sthingy over the chicken and serve.

Glory Farm Crumble

“This crumble is in the oven for about 40 minutes and will cook while you’re having the main course. Use other fruits in season such as apple and raspberry, apricots or plum.”

Ingredients
(Serves 6)

For the blackberry and apple mixture
750g (1 ½ lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm (1”) pieces
225g (8oz) blackberries
50g (2oz) Demerara sugar
3 tbsp water

For the topping
225g (8oz) Dorset high fibre museli
100g (4oz) butter, at room temperature
75g (3oz) Demerara sugar

Method
Mix together the apples, blackberries, sugar and water in a bowl, stir using your hands, then tip into a 1.5 litre (2 ½ pint) deep ovenproof dish.

Measure the muesli and butter into a food processor and whiz for a few seconds until roughly chopped. Remove blade, stir in the sugar and spread the mixture over the top of the fruit. Cover dish with foil.

Slide onto the second set of runners of the roasting oven for about 35 minutes, until the fruit is cooked and the topping is crispy.

To cook in a conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6/ fan 170ºC

Bake in pre-heated oven for about 30-40 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes, until the fruit is cooked and the topping is crispy.

[The March Hare]

Moussaka dinner party menu

Impressive Smoked Haddock Florentine Pots, followed by a rich Moussaka and a deliciously decadent Orange Pannacotta for pudding – a wonderful mix of flavours to really shake up your taste buds

Smoked Haddock Florentine Pots
An uncomplicated yet impressive first course, which consists of individual ramekins containing fresh spinach, raw smoked haddock and a little cream, mustard and cheese sauce, which are baked. Serve them with really fresh rolls or bread. It’s best to use a small sthingy to eat them

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
300g (10oz) fresh spinach, washed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
Butter to grease
300g (10oz) un-dyed smoked haddock, skinned
150ml (1/4 pint) double cream
1 teasthingy grainy mustard
45g (1 1/2oz) mature Cheddar, grated
Paprika

Method
Wilt the spinach in a large saucepan without water, stirring frequently until it has all collapsed. Tip it into a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible and dry off with kitchen paper, until very dry.

Roughly chop the spinach and season with pepper and grated nutmeg. Divide it between the bottom of six buttered ramekins. Arrange the ramekins on a baking tray.

Cut the smoked haddock into small chunks and arrange on top of the spinach.

Mix the cream and mustard together and season with pepper and a little salt. Sthingy this over the fish and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Dust with paprika and slide the baking sheet on to the top set of runners in the roasting oven for about 12-15 minutes.

Preparing ahead
Bring everything together up to 12 hours ahead, and cook to serve.

Conventional oven
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/Fan 200ºC/Gas 7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.

Moussaka at its Best

A quick, modern moussaka – no frying the aubergine slices first, blanching is more healthy. No classic white sauce to make, Greek yoghurt with stabiliser instead

Ingredients
(Serves 8)
900g (2lb) raw minced lamb
A little sunflower oil
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, crushed
2 level tablesthingys flour
2 x 400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
4 tablesthingys tomato purée
4 good tablesthingys fresh mint, chopped
3 aubergines, sliced into 1 ½ cm (3/4-inch) slices
Salt and pepper

For the topping
2 level tablesthingys cornflour
1 x 500g tub Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1 teasthingy Dijon mustard
75g (3oz) fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

You will also need a large ovenproof dish about 34cm x 24 1/2cm (13 ½ inches x 9 ¾ inches).

Method
Heat a large non-stick frying pan, add the mince and using a wooden sthingy, break up the lamb as it browns (you may need to do this in batches). Sthingy the browned mince into a colander to drain off the fat.

Add the onions to the unwashed pan with a little oil and cook on the boiling plate for a few minutes. Return the lamb to the pan, add the garlic and blend in the flour. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, salt and pepper and stir well. Bring it to the boil, allow to it thicken, then cover and transfer the pan to the simmering oven for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Blanch the aubergine in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes until just tender. Drain them, first in a colander and then on kitchen paper.

Measure the cornflour into a bowl. Blend in a little yoghurt, stir in the eggs and whisk with a hand whisk until smooth. Mix in the remaining yoghurt and mustard.

To assemble the moussaka, spread half of the meat mixture over the bottom of the ovenproof dish. Cover this with half of the aubergines, season and repeat with the remaining meat and aubergine. Spread the yoghurt sauce over the top and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Slide onto the second set of runners in the roasting oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve with a dressed green salad.

Prepare ahead
This can be made completely and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, it freezes well too.

Conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/fan 180/Gas 6. Cook in preheated oven for about 45 minutes until the top is brown and bubbling.

Orange Pannacotta

Literally translated this is “cooked Cream”. It should be barely set and is delicious with a sharp fruit or fruity coulis. If you prefer to make vanilla flavoured ones, replace the orange rind with a teasthingy of vanilla extract. As an alternative the Pannacotta may be set and served in pretty, individual glasses and decorated with orange zest

Ingredients
(Serves 8)
1 ½ pints (900 ml) single cream
3 oz (75g) caster sugar
Grated rind of one orange
1 x 11g packet powdered gelatine
2 tablesthingys cold water

You will also need a 1.2 litre (2 pint) glass dish

Method
Measure the cold water into a small container and sprinkle the gelatine over evenly. Set this aside to sponge.

Measure the cream, sugar and orange rind into a saucepan and bring the cream to scalding point (just below boiling), stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, and cool very slightly. Add the dissolved gelatine in a lump and whisk till smooth. Pour this into a glass dish and allow it to set in the fridge for about 6 hours, or ideally overnight. If you prefer not to have the orange rind, strain it first.

Prepare ahead
These Pannacottas should be served from the fridge. To prepare ahead, they can be made up to 2 days before and turned out onto glass plates on the day. Once turned out keep the inverted ramekin dish over the Pannacottas and leave in the fridge until ready to serve. Just before serving remove the ramekin and garnish.

To make individual moulds, use 8 small metal pudding basins. Lightly oil the inside of the moulds and leave them upside down on kitchen paper, to allow excess oil to drain out. Then continue to make as above. Just before serving gently using you index finger, pull the Pannacotta from the side of the mould, turn out and serve with your chosen fruit.

If you prefer to use leaf gelatine or vegetarian gelatine, which is based on seaweed, which are best used in less-set jellies, you will need to use glasses rather than turn them out. If you use the amount needed to turn out, the texture is not very nice.

[The March Hare]

Chicken dinner party menu

A wonderfully easy Three Fish Paté, followed by succulent Watercroft Chicken and tantalising Hot Passion Soufflés, this is a dinner party menu worth shouting about

Three Fish Paté
A recipe that looks almost too unassuming and easy but it’s worth its weight in gold, this paté is one of those store cupboard recipes that can be put together in no time. Served sthingyed up in a swirl, in individual ramekins it looks as though you’ve really tried, and tastes like it too, especially if served with hot bread. Any left over makes rather superior picnic sandwiches for an outdoor event.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
1 120g tin sardines in oil
1 50g tin anchovies in oil
1 185g tin tuna in oil
Juice of 1 lemon
6 oz (175g) soft butter
Small handful of fresh parsley sprigs
12 sprigs of fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Empty the contents of the tins of sardines and anchovies, including the oil, into a processor. Discard the oil from the tin of tuna then add the fish to the processor, followed by the lemon juice, butter, parsley, half the dill and some pepper.

Process until smooth, then taste and add a little salt if needed.

Sthingy the mixture into a serving dish or individual dishes, cover and put in the fridge until about 2 hours before serving. Remove the paté and leave it at room temperature to soften to a spreading consistency.

Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill before serving.

The paté can be made for up to 3 days ahead – and kept in the fridge. It can be frozen in one large serving dish or individual ones. Cover it tightly with foil and seal inside a plastic bag, label and freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge.


Watercroft Chicken

Definitely a family favourite and also good enough for a dinner party – we think this is a special recipe.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
For the Mushroom Farci
5oz (150g) button mushrooms, finely chopped
½ oz (10g) butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1oz (25g) breadcrumbs
1 small egg, beaten (you may not need all of it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablesthingys lime marmalade
1oz (25g) butter
6 chicken breasts, boneless and skin on

For the sauce
Juice of 1 lime
200ml carton full fat crème fraiche
A lot of freshly chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Chop the mushrooms by hand, meanwhile melt the butter, add the shallot, cook for about a minute, cover and transfer to the simmering oven for about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, toss them quickly in the butter and shallot mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat, add the breadcrumbs and egg and season well (do not add all the egg if it seems too wet). Leave it all to cool.

Put the marmalade into a small saucepan on simmering plate, as it begins to dissolve add the butter and stir well until it’s all combined.

To stuff the chicken breasts, carefully lift the skin down one side and, using a teasthingy, push the stuffing underneath then fold the skin back. Place the 6 chicken breasts comfortably in a small roasting tin and sthingy the butter and marmalade mixture over the top.

Slide the tin onto the top set of runners in the roasting oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a warmed serving dish using a slotted sthingy and keep it warm while making the sauce.

Scrape all the bits from the side of the roasting tin, add the crème fraiche and lime juice and stir well, transfer it to the floor of the roasting oven for about 5 minutes until bubbling. Add the parsley, season to taste and serve it with the chicken.

To cook in a conventional oven
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6 and cook the chicken for about 20-25 minutes until it’s tender. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and keep them warm, add the crème fraiche and lime juice to the tin and boil it on the hob, stirring continuously. Season to taste.


Hot Passion Soufflés

Very impressive and not nearly as difficult as you may think. Don’t over cook them – they want to be soft in the centre. Use orange juice from the carton – the sort you’d keep in the fridge for breakfast. They can be made and left in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You’ll need to cook them for 2 minutes longer – but don’t expect such an impressive rise.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
8 large passion fruits
About 1/4 pint (150 ml) orange juice
4oz (100g) caster sugar
3 eggs separated
1 rounded teasthingy (5ml) cornflour

Method
Generously butter the inside of 6 size 1 (1/4 pint) ramekins.

Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out the pulp, then sieve it into a measuring jug. Make it up to 7½ fl oz (225ml) with orange juice.

Slake the cornflour with a small amount of orange juice. Heat the fruit juice, add the cornflour and, stirring continually, bring it to the boil allow it to thicken.

Whisk the egg whites on full speed with an electric whisk, until they’re like cloud. Gradually add the sugar a teasthingy at a time, still whisking on maximum speed, to make it stiff and glossy. Beat the egg yolks into the thickened fruit juice. Mix in one sthingyful of meringue and finally fold in the remaining meringue.

Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins and fill them to the top. Level the surface and run the point of a teasthingy around the edge, pushing the mixture slightly inwards – this will allow it to rise evenly.

Gently transfer the ramekins to a small roasting tin, pour in boiling water till it fills half way up the ramekin dishes. Bake on a grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for 8 minutes. Dust them with icing sugar and serve at once. The centre should still be slightly soft.

To cook in a conventional oven
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7 in the centre of the oven for about 8 minutes until they’re risen and slightly soft in the centre.

[juicyjude]

Oooops Jules, I think we've lowered the tone of this thread. Sorry Bob on behalf of myself and my mate Jules, he he ;D

[marmaris98]

yes , one does appologise. one is most sorry.

[The March Hare]

pork dinner party menu

For her January dinner party menu, Lucy Young serves up Piquante Pork Stir-fry, Red Pepper and Tomato Soup and Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream

Piquante Pork Stir fry
“This so quick to make,” says Lucy Young, “the honey gives the pork a lovely golden colour when browning.”

Ingredients
(Serves 4. Not suitable for freezing)
1 tbsp olive oil
350g (12oz) pork fillet, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp runny honey
8 baby corn, sliced in half lengthways
½ red pepper, thinly sliced
75g (3oz) mange tout, cut in half
100g (4oz) pack choi, sliced, white and green parts kept separate
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli dipping sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Tip
I usually use dark soy sauce in my recipes, but if you only have the light version in your cupboard then that is fine, don’t buy another one specially for this recipe.

Method
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan on the boiling plate. Add the pork strips and pour over the honey. Fry for a few minutes until golden brown all over. Remove using a slotted sthingy onto a plate and set aside.

Add all the vegetables to the pan (except the green part of the pack choi) and fry over a high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Return pork to the pan, add the green parts of pack choi. Mix together the soy, chilli, sauce and vinegar together in a ramekin, add 2 tablesthingys of water. Pour into the pan, and stir fry for a further 4 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with boiled rice and prawn crackers.

Red Pepper And Tomato Soup (V)

“This soup has a wonderful flavour: it’s more pepper than tomato, but very tasty. The Boursin makes a change from adding cream, but buy the garlic and herb one, not the pepper one. When whizzing soup in the processor, be careful not to over-fill the bowl and make sure the lid is attached firmly – many an accident has happened, I can assure you.”

Ingredients
(Serves 4-6. Freezes well without the Boursin. Defrost, reheat and whisk in the Boursin to serve)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 red peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x 400 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
600 ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 teasthingy caster sugar
Salt and pepper
75 g (3 oz) Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs,or full-fat cream cheese with garlic and herbs
Snipped fresh chives, to garnish

Tip
When testing this recipe I tried it with fresh peppers and skinned peppers in a jar as well. Both were fine, but the fresh peppers had a slightly better flavour and I found there was no need to skin them.

Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the peppers, onion and garlic, and fry on boiling plate for about 2-3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, stock, tomato purée and sugar, cover and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to the boil on the boiling plate, cover, then transfer to the simmering oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little. Whizz in a processor until smooth (you may have to do this in batches). Pour the soup into a clean saucepan and return to a low heat. Whisk in the Boursin cheese until there are no lumps of cheese remaining. Check the seasoning. Serve hot with a few snipped fresh chives sprinkled on top.

To cook in a conventional oven
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer over a low heat for about 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Rhubarb and Ginger Ice Cream

“Such an easy ice cream to make because, unlike many ice creams, no second whizzing is required.”

Ingredients
(Serves about 6)
4 eggs, separated
100g (4oz) caster sugar
300 ml (1/2 pint) double cream
150 ml (1/4 pint) sweetened rhubarb puree
4 bulbs stem ginger, cut into tiny cubes

Tip
Do remove from the freezer for about 10 minutes before serving so the ice cream softens a little and is easier to serve.

Method
Whisk the egg whites until they’re stiff in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk or in a freestanding mixer. Once the egg whites look like cloud, gradually add the sugar, still whisking on maximum speed until stiff and glossy.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until forms soft peaks and fold into the meringue mixture. Stir in the egg yolks and mix until smooth. Fold in rhubarb puree and ginger.

Pour into a plastic container and freeze until needed..

[juicyjude]

I don't think Bob is taking us on, do you Jules he he ;D

[The March Hare]

I am not going to sink to your level I am to much a gentleman

[marmaris98]

don't you mean........ posh