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Dinner party menu

On February 24, 2011 in barbecue, egg-free, entertaining, gluten-free, Jamie Oliver, lamb, Nigella Lawson, recipes, wheat-free

If the thought of throwing a dinner party breaks you into a cold sweat, you’re not alone. It’s right up there with public speaking as one of those big, scary things that turns fully-functioning people to mush. Not that I’m judging you. I’m not a big fan of public speaking and I have been known to have the odd freak-out attack at the prospect of hosting a dinner party. Performance anxiety often sets in and I draw a blank at what to cook.

Sound familiar? Food Crush has put together the ultimate fuss-free dinner party menu to take all the fretting out of your next soiree.

1. The ice breaker:
Jamie Oliver’s Charlotta champagne cocktail

Carlotta champagne cocktail

 Charlotta champagne cocktail | Jamie Oliver recipes.

Serve a welcome cocktail on arrival. It’s a nice touch that gets people talking and makes you look like a bit of a legend. Easy peasy. Grab some cocktail glasses (or champagne glasses will do), place a sugar cube in each one and sprinkle a few drops of Angostura bitters into each glass. Fill with bubbles and a splash of brandy, and finish it off with some finely-sliced orange rind. Tres chic!

2. The starter:
My cooking hero, Nigella Lawson believes entrees make everything too complicated. Talk about taking the pressure off! Instead, take the less formal approach of serving an Italian-style antipasti plate which your guests can graze on whilst sipping on their cocktails.

Italian-style antipasti plate

Italian-style antipasti plate

3. The main meal:

Jamie Oliver served this lamb dish at one his first-ever barbecue dinner parties. He describes it as a “show stopper” and I must say that I agree. It gets the thumbs up from lovers of red meat and spicy Thai flavours. There’s a fair amount of chopping involved and you’ll definitely need a food processor or spice grinder for the marinade. I think the longer you leave the meat to marinate, the better the flavour (up to two hours). We cooked the whole thing on the barbie (unlike Jamie who uses the oven and then charcoal barbie), so we had to slightly reduce the cooking time to ensure the meat was medium-rare (the best way!) The best part of the dish is coconut milk gravy. You can cook up any leftover gravy into a curry the next day!
BBQ leg of lamb recipe (with Thai spices)

 BBQ leg of lamb recipe | Jamie Oliver recipes.

4. Side dishes:
You can always count on Nigella for a great side dish. Take these lemony beans, for example. They are zesty, crunchy, buttery and easy to cook. Since I don’t eat dairy, I substituted the butter with Nuttelex (none of my guests seemed to notice!). Nigella recommends boiling them for six minutes, but I think around four minutes would have been ideal (depends on quantities though).
Nigella’s green bean and lemon casserole 

Nigella's green bean and lemon casserole

This brings me to Paultatoes. You may remember these starchy dynamos from a previous post on Food Crush. They always go down a treat, especially when cooked in duck fat. Credit goes to my talented co-chef, Paul for cooking the Paultatoes. You won’t believe how good they are until you try them.

Roast potatoes

The best roast potatoes on the planet.

So, back to Jamie Oliver. The boy from Essex never fails to inspire me with his amazing recipes and passion for cooking. This salad recipe has style written all over it – simple, minimal and it features my new favourite vegetable, radicchio. The purple leaves of the radicchio contrast beautifully against the fern green of the rocket. If you are sensitive to dairy, just leave out the parmesan cheese… it still tastes great!

Jamie Oliver’s radicchio and rocket salad

Jamie Oliver’s radicchio and rocket salad

Jamie Oliver’s radicchio and rocket salad

6. Dessert
Cheese plates are always a good option for dessert as you can make them ahead of time (just be sure to leave the cheese at room temperature). To save you some extra work, you can always ask one of your dutiful friends to bring along some cheese. Failing that, this strawberry dish is a winner. I served it with gelato and used red wine instead of white. Delicious!

Strawberries with Balsamic Chardonnay Reduction

Strawberries with balsamic chardonnay reduction

 Strawberries with Balsamic Chardonnay Reduction | The Sensitive Pantry.

Now, that you have the ultimate dinner party menu, all that’s left to do is enjoy yourself! If you’re not having fun, your guests won’t either.

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Seafood BBQ menu

On January 27, 2011 in barbecue, dessert, entertaining, healthy recipes, recipes, salmon, seafood

Three signs you’re getting old – you no longer listen to the Top 40; you prefer watching the ABC over Channel 10; the idea of staying at home on New Year’s Eve is more appealing than hitting the town and painting it the proverbial red. So, it’s official. I’m getting old. This New Year’s Eve, I battened down the hatches, stocked up on seafood (and mandatory bubbles) and settled in for a night of quality indulgence. Call me boring, but I have to say it was the best New Year’s I’ve had since my brother’s turn of the millennium party.

Our feast kicked off with something that I vow to eat more of in 2011 – scallops. We served the scallops on potato crisps with pea puree which the wonderful Paul made from scratch.

Scallops on potato crisps with pea puree

Scallops on potato crisps with pea puree.

With a glass of Pimms in one hand and a succulent scallop in the other, I made a toast to the comfort of our couch as I pictured the crowds of drunken ferals crawling their way through the city streets. The wafter-thin potato crisps added a nice crunch to the scallop canapes, each one lovingly made by hand and cooked in oil until crisp and golden.

Pimms

Pimms

The next stop on our seafood indulgence was an Asian-flavoured barbecued king prawns on skewers. I added honey to the marinade as I thought it was too sour on its own. I’d be lying if I told you I was satisfied by these. Two skewers simply wasn’t enough. I wanted more! They were so good, I even ate the tails.

Barbecue prawns in Asian marinade

Barbecue prawns in Asian marinade

Continuing with the seafood theme, our main course came in the form of sesame salmon roulades with green apple salad. In other words, rolled salmon on skewers. You may have seen the green apple salad on Amy’s Cookbook previously. It’s crunchy, tangy, fresh and delicious. The salmon roulades are a new recipe that I found in a fabulous cookbook Faking It by Valli Little.

Be sure to ask your fishmonger to pin-bone the salmon fillets for you ‘cos this is really fiddly business and I’m sure you can think of better ways to spend your New Year’s Eve than pulling bones out of a piece of fish. Thank God for Paul. Slice each of the skinless fillets horizontally through the centre, leaving one end intact, then open them out into a long strip. Turn each fillet over and season with salt and pepper and tightly roll and secure each one on a skewer that’s been soaked in water to prevent it from burning on the barbie.

Sesame salmon roulades with green apple salad

Sesame salmon roulades with green apple salad

Next up, coat the roulades with white sesame seeds and drizzle with olive oil. We seared the salmon skewers for about a minute or so on high heat and then put the skewers on the warming rack, closed the lid and left them on low heat for about 10 minutes until the salmon had cooked through.

Since one bottle of Moet is never enough, for dessert we whipped up some champagne-infused summer fruits. Mango and nectarine compote is a cinch to make, but you’re supposed to let the fruit marinate in sugar and bubbles overnight. We skipped this step and just left it in the fridge for a couple of hours. It seemed to work!

Mango and nectarine compote

Mango and nectarine compote

Like any good New Year’s shindig, the rest of the evening involved watching the fireworks and dancing around the lounge room. And, getting home was easy since we were already there. I think we may have found ourselves a new tradition.

For more entertaining ideas, check out my dinner party menu guide.

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Barbecuing 101

On December 12, 2010 in barbecue, beef, cooking, entertaining, healthy recipes, recipes, salad

Racking your brains over what to give your Dad/partner/brother/son this Christmas? Instead of buying them socks, why not send them off to a crash course in barbecuing? Barbecue school is the perfect gift for the man in your life. Not only will they get to master the art of barbecuing in less than four hours, but they’ll get to drink beer while they’re at it!

Not wanting to sound entirely sexist, barbecue school is great for females as well. Paul and I went along to a class in North Sydney earlier this year and whipped our barbecuing skills into tip-top shape. This class should be compulsory for all Aussies since barbecuing has become our national cuisine of sorts. It demystifies the nuts and bolts of barbecuing and teaches you the fundamentals of cooking steak, roasting, marinating and even how to cut meat.

Jason Hannah at bar-be school

Chef Jason Hannah talks us through the fundamentals of barbecuing at bar-be school.

Paul marinating the steaks at bar-be school.

Paul marinating the steaks at bar-be school. Marinating good quality meat is best done for about 4 hours prior to cooking to maintain its great flavour.

Amy slaving over the barbecue.

I put my barbecue skills to the test under the direction of chef, Gerard d'Ombrille at bar-be school.

A hard day in the kitchen.

Did you know that meat is best seasoned with salt and pepper just before grilling to avoid drying out?

Chef’s tips:

  • Always cut meat against the grain, so the juices will not run as easily.
  • Marinating is best done for about 4 hours prior to cooking to maintain its great natural flavour. For second-class cuts, marinating further or overnight is fine.
  • Meat is best seasoned with salt and pepper just before grilling to avoid drying out.
  • When grilling steaks, be sure to book it evenly on all sides to ensure you have an even cooking degree all the way through. You can always cook meat further, but once over cooked it’s spoilt.
  • The most important fundamental element when cooking meat is to rest it after cooking for at least 10 to 15 mins. This will allow the meat to relax and soften and excess bloods to run off.
  • When carving meat, be sure to cut it against the grain. The will prevent the meat going tough and highlight its beautiful cross section.

BBQ sirloin steak with a salad of oven-dried tomatoes, persian fetta and rocket
Serves three

BBQ steak salad with feta and beans

BBQ steak salad with feta and beans

Ingredients:
3 x 100g beef sirloin
2 sliced brown onions
100g Persian feta
2 x bunch rocket
10 oven-dried tomatoes
10 steamed green beans
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
marinade of red wine, olive oil and chopped rosemary

Method:

Marinate beef for about 4 hours (to avoid food poisoning, put meat in the fridge, especially in summer).

Heat BBQ to hot then turn to about 3/4s prior to cooking.

BBQ beef for about 3 mins each side until it is tender to touch.

Add sliced onions to the hot plate and caramelise. Best cooked on high and tossed occasionally. Season generously.

Rest beef for 5 to 10 mins on a tray and retain juices.

Combine rocket, sliced oven-dried tomatoes, feta, green beans in a bowl and set aside.

Drizzle balsamic vengar and a little olive oil in a bowl with juices from beef and season with salt and pepper.

Slice beef thinly and add to salad with your now caramelised onions.

Toss lightly and drizzle with dressing to serve.

Serve at once.

For more info on bar-be school, check out their website or phone 1300 227 745.

In the mood to barbecue? Check out my seafood BBQ menu.

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Salmon salad

On October 13, 2010 in barbecue, dairy-free, dinner, egg-free, gluten-free, healthy recipes, recipes, salad, salmon, seafood, sustainable seafood

I love seafood, and when it comes to fish, salmon is at the top of my list. Its silky texture, pink flesh and sturdy nature make for an excellent fish. Known as the ‘chicken of the sea’, a piece of salmon cooked medium-rare, accompanied by a salad and a glass of pinot grigio, is just the thing for a spring or summer evening.

Salmon salad

Don't you just love the vibrant colours of this dish?

Feeling inspired by my trip to Thailand in May, I recently departed from my usual salmon routine and created a Thai-style salmon salad. Let me tell you, it was a winner! I had never thought to put apple with salmon. The sweetness and crunch of the apple were a welcome contrast to the silkiness of the fish which we cooked on the barbie.

Adding to the flavour was the sweetness of the palm sugar dressing and the zing of the lemon juice. Yum! I used salmon fillets in this dish (only because I prefer them over cutlets), but cutlets would do just as nicely.

According to Greenpeace, salmon stocks have plummeted. Farmed salmon threatens our native fish with disease and their food is produced from wild fish. The Australian Marine Conservation Society recommends using Wild salmon, tinned salmon or Threadfin (Blue) salmon instead.

Fried Salmon with Green Apple Salad
from The Australian Women’s Weekly – Beginner’s Thai
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 salmon cutlets (680g)
2 medium green apples (300g), sliced thinly
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1 medium red onion (170g), sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice
3/4 cup (110g) roasted unsalted cashews

Palm sugar dressing
1/3 cup (65g) grated palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Method
Sprinkle salt evenly over fish. Cook fish on heated oiled grill plate (or grill or barbecue) until browned both sides and cooked as desired.

Meanwhile, combine apple, onions, mint, coriander and juice in large bowl; pour over half of the palm sugar dressing, toss to combine. Divide fish among serving plates; top with salad, then cashews. Drizzle remaining dressing over fish.

To make the palm sugar dressing, combine ingredients in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; strain. Cool before using.

Do you like tuna? Here’s a yummy Salad Nicoise recipe.

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