It is a perpetual quest to remember that you don’t
need to think “outside the box”, but that there is NO Box! This of course is
emphasised by the long-established development of fusion food primarily where
East meets West. My recollections of having Foie Gras filled Wantons in a
Michelin Starred Restaurant in Lyon some years ago.
The challenge on many occasions is of course to
create something delicious and edible by seeking ingredients in the fridge and
cupboards. Perchance I spied Sunday Lunch leftover vegetables into which I carefully
folded some softened Cream Cheese put into an ovenproof dish toped with grated Cheese
and baked in the oven till golden. Served with the sliced Cold Roasted Lamb and
some Mashed Potato – job done. Leftover mash and vegetables mixed together
either by hand or in a mixer or food processor can quickly be shaped into bubble
and squeak potato cakes. Crisped either side in a frying pan and then finished
in the oven – go a stage further and coat them with breadcrumbs for that extra
crispiness. If you make too many freeze them for another day.
The most popular title of Cookery Days has always been
Dinner Parties Simple but Impressive with an ethos of everything done in advance
– a nice bath and a drink before guests arrive and serving lovely food feeling
as confident and as cool as a cucumber. To this end it is well worth having
that special folder of Dinner Party show stoppers that you can produce at a
click of a finger with no effort at all – and beyond the usual repeated old
favourites. It is more than worth writing your menus in a book with
accompanying recipes / ingredients and guests who attended so repetition doesn’t
happen too often.
What is your Dinner Party Entertaining regime if
you have one that is? Friday Supper nights are always good as they make the
weekend seem longer for some reason. Mid-week Suppers are usually two courses
Main with Pudding and or Cheese there may even be a nibbly starter like a Guacamole
or some other concoction blitzed up and served with
Melba toast or some other crispy something. Saturdays
evenings tend to be more formal and of course one cannot ignore the institution
of Sunday Lunch. How many of us still do it I wonder?
For this month a little something to whizz up
Raspberry
and White Chocolate Tart
8ozs Ginger Nuts broken up and crumbed
2- 3 ozs Melted Butter
5ozs white chocolate – melted
250g Mascarpone
200g Crème Fraiche
3 punnets of Raspberries
Red Currant Jelly or Seedless Raspberry Jam
Combine the Ginger Nuts and butter and press into a
loose bottomed sprung cake tin (I line the bottom with baking parchment)
Cream together the Mascarpone and Crème Fraiche –
then fold in the melted chocolate
(it mustn’t be too hot)
Refrigerate – a few hours or overnight
Top with the Raspberries and then glaze them with
melted Redcurrant Jelly or Raspberry Jam.
(You could of course add some Blue Berries of other
Berries / Fruits of your choice)
No comments:
Post a Comment