Dinner with Friends

The morning after

There's nothing better than hosting a dinner party (or any sort of party). Its too cold to be outside at night and due to the lack of dining space in the apartment we can't really have more than 3 guests at a time unless its a buffet style. Which is a shame as I would like to throw more parties or some themed parties. Yes, as you can tell, I love entertaining.

Baking is the easiest way to go with these things (especially in a small kitchen). There's less cleaning and your dinner can cook in the oven while you chat to your guests. I saw a Spanish baked fish recipe the other week. They used whole snappers baked on a bed of potatoes, onion, capsicum, lemon and tomatoes. I used salmon fillets (skinned and boned) since its easier to cook and doesn't everyone prefer salmon when it comes to fish? Its a really easy recipe where you can use any fish and any vegetables. I like using potatoes because they suck up all the yummy juices. I par-cooked all the vegetables to reduce the baking time. You can prepare this dish in advance and keep it in the fridge until its time to cook.

Throw in some easy sides of cous cous and a salad - you're done! I particularly like this fetta and cranberry salad because they both go well with cous cous and salmon. Throw all the baby spinach, cranberry, fetta and almond together and drizzle some balsamic vingar on top. If pomegranate was in season, I would have used that instead of the cranberries.

The dessert was the chocolate, raspberry and hazelnut cake (below) without the hazelnuts and Lindt chocolates from our guests.

Baked Salmon with Potatoes, Leek, Capsicum and Tomatoes

For 4 people

Yes, it turned out sideways again

Ingredients
3 large salmon fillets, cut in half vertically

4 potatoes sliced

half a leek, sliced finely

1 yellow capsicum, sliced finely

2 tomatoes, sliced finely

1 lemon, sliced

salt

pepper

(would be nice if you have Masterfood's lemon pepper seasoning)

Method
1. Par-boil the potatoes for 5mins.
2. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Layer potatoes on top.

3. Cook leeks and capsicum in a pan until soft. Layer this onto the potatoes and season.

4. When this has cooled down, place the salmon on top and sprinkle season.

5. Place tomatoes around the fish and lemon slices on the fish.

6. Bake in a 180c oven for approx 20mins (depending on the thickness and type of fish).

Friends for lunch

I'm glad the rain held out for the planned outdoor lunch, the breeze (wind) was refreshing (cold). I knew what I wanted to make and I knew I had to start prepping the night before.

Dessert first. I wanted to do layers in glass, merely for visual effects. In order to use up the muscato in the fridge I could either drink it or poach something. I ended up doing both. Drinking while poaching pears (something seasonal). Being a novice at using gelatine leaves (much easier to use than powder, I always get clumps.) I didn't put in as many leaves as required to set the jelly - I put in 2 my guess is 3-4 for 1 1/2 cups. So I had to change the recipe slightly. Initially it was: cake, pink jelly, pears folded in cream. The result: cake, muscato pear jelly and lemon cream.

Main course. I was going to stuff the chicken breast with roasted tomato but decided it was too much work. Hey, I could buy semi-dried tomatoes instead! As I opened the fridge to fetch the semi-dried tomatoes, I thought "Oh, I better use up the baby spinach." let's stuff some in there too. Yes, most of my cooking process consists of "Let's use x ingredient up before it rots." but it's not like I would randomly use ingredients. Now where was I ... yes, stuffing... So tomatoes and spinach got stuffed and chicken is now wrapped in prosciutto, which is wrapped in cling wrap and put away. Time to do the potatoes. Made wedges and par boiled. Easy! I'm still drinking the muscato at this stage... and realised how I love poaching in muscato (the pears not me). Muscato contains less alcohol so you don't get that cooked winey smell and sugar = you use less sugar.

For nibbles (seriously, no time to make entree and its lunch for 4 for god's sake!) I toasted pita bread, found proper hummus dip (with the paprika and sesame on top) and tried a harissa dip (err, ok). I forgot to take photos amongst all the excitement but there were left overs, so that'll have to do.

Layers of lemon victorian sponge, muscato pear jelly and lemon cream

(make the night before)

Lemon Victorian Sponge

Ingredients

175g butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. Cream the butter and caster sugar until light in colour and creamy in texture. Add lemon zest.
2. Gradually beat in eggs, one at a time until combined.

3. Add the flour and mix to combine.

4. Bake in a 180c oven for 20-25mins in a rectangular cake tin.

Muscato Pear Jelly and Lemon Cream

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
2 cups muscato

5 pears. Peeled, cored and halved.
2 leaves gelatine, gold strength
300ml whipping/thick cream

zest of half lemon

Method
1. Bring the water, sugar and muscato to the boil.

2. Put pears in the liquid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduced to a low simmer for 30mins.

3. In the last 5mins of poaching, soak the gelatine in cold water for 5-7mins, take out and squeeze out excess liquid. Take the pears out and stir the gelatine leaves into the hot liquid until dissolved. Pour into a bowl and set a side to cool.

4. Dice the pears once they have cool and put the cooled muscato jelly into the fridge to set.

To assemble

1. Whip cream and fold in lemon zest.

2. Take 4 glass tumblers. Using the glass, press into the cake to 'cut' a perfect shape. Gently push cake into the bottom of the glass.

3. Layer the pears on top of the cake and spoon the jelly on top. The jelly will have a runny consistency and will not sit on top of the peas - it will slide itself in between the empty pockets of pears.

4. Top with cream and decorate with a sprinkling of lemon zest.

Rosemary and Lemon Potatoes
Ingredients

1kg Potatoes

2-3 sprigs of rosemary, soaked in water for 10mins

Leave of 2 additional springs

half a lemon, cut into chunks

Salt

Oil

Method

1. Par boil the potatoes for 15mins in salted water. Drain and cool.

2. In a baking tray, combine oil and potatoes. Place lemon and rosemary sprigs around the potatoes. Bake for 45mins until golden. Soaking the sprigs in water will prevent burning.

3. For the rosemary salt. In a mortar and pestle, pound salt and rosemary leaves until fine powder. Sprinkle onto cooked potatoes.

Chicken in prosciutto wrap stuffed with semi-dried tomato and baby spinach

Ingredients

2 single chicken breast, halved and butterflied

8 slices of semi-dried tomatoes

1/2 packet baby spinach, wilted

10 slices prosciutto

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 190C.

2. In each butterflied breast, put 2 slices of tomatoes and baby spinach in the middle.

3. Fold back a butterflied side and wrap chicken with 2 slices of prosciutto.

4. In a frying pan, heat a small amount of oil. Sear the chicken (until prosciutto look crisp). Repeat until all the chicken is seared.

5. Put in a baking dish and bake for 30mins.

Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
Large tomatoes, halved horizontally
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

Method
Combine ingredients in a baking dish or en papillot. Bake in a moderate oven for 20mins.

Peas with Fetta
Ingredients
Peas, half a small packet of frozen peas
Fetta to taste
Butter

Method
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil, add peas. Once the peas are hot, drain immediately.

2. Combine peas with a knob of butter and crumble fetta on top.

Fig and Baby Spinach Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 bunch baby spinach
2 fresh and ripe figs
Fetta cheese (to taste)
1 handful Walnuts (toasted)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

1. Chop the walnuts into quarters and toast in a pan. Remove from pan when walnuts become golden.

2. Quarter the figs.

3. Arrange in a serving bowl the spinach and figs. Scatter the fetta and walnuts. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Pumpkin, Fetta and Pear Salad

Ingredients
1 small pear (firm to touch)
500g butternut pumpkin
Fetta cheese (to taste)
Baby spinach
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

1. Pre-heat a 180 degree oven.

2. Cut pumpkin into small wedges, leaving skin on, slightly brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 30mins or until tender. Leave to cool.

3. Quarter and thinly slice the pear.

4. Cut the fetta into 1cm cubes.

5. Slice the pumpkin flesh off the skin.

6. Toss all the pumpkin, pear, fetta and baby spinach together. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.