Corn Salsa Salad

After a very long hiatus I'm back with more recipes....... on a very miserable week of weather here in England I thought I'd post a delicious uplifting Summery Salad to pick us all up!

Ingredients (to feed 4 as a side salad):

* 2no. Corn on the cob - cooked (you can use a tin instead but fresh is best)

* Large bunch of coriander

* Roughly 20no. cherry or baby plum tomatoes (quartered)

* 1no. Large Avocado (diced)

* 1-2no. Limes (juice only)

* 1 tbs Olive oil

* 1 tsp Tabasco (optional)

* 1 tbs Chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce

Combine all ingredients and voila - summer on the side!

You could also add prawns make and double your quantities and serve as a stand alone meal....

Pheasant Hot Pot

This is the perfect winter dinner party dish, or a nice alternative to the traditional roast Pheasant.

* 50g butter
* Salt and Pepper (to taste)
* 2 Small Pheasants or 1 Large Pheasant
* 200g diced Smoked Bacon or Pancetta
* 225g whole Sweet Chestnuts (these can be frozen or vacuum packed)
* 3 Leeks (sliced)
* 150ml White Wine
* 300ml Chicken stock
* 2 tbsp Redcurrant Jelly
* 1 Small Orange (quartered)

Note: You will need a croc pot or a heavy bottomed fry pan with a lid to cook this dish.
Note: This dish is delicious served with a mash of Celeriac and Potato and Red Cabbage (see tips below for making this extra tasty).

- Heat the oven to 150 degrees.
- Seal the outsides of the Pheasant in the pan (or croc pot) with a little of the butter then set aside to rest.
- Add the remained of the butter and once melted cook the Bacon, Leek and Chestnuts till fragrant, Bacon cooked and Leeks softened.
- Stir through the Redcurrant Jelly then gradually add the Chicken Stock and White Wine till everything comes to a slow boil.
- Remove from stove and place the Pheasants and Orange pieces in the pot with the vegetables and juices, cover with the lid and place in the heated oven.
- Cook for approx. 1 hour 20 minutes and if possible braise the meat with the juices every 20 minutes.
- While cooking, prepare a baking dish, you could also start making your mash accompaniment.
- Remove from oven and turn oven up to 200 degrees. Take Pheasants from pot and place on prepared baking tray, return to the oven for 15mins to brown the skin. Once cooked remove from oven and cover in foil – leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime remove oranges from the vegetable stew, then collect the juices from them by squeezing through a sieve, I then usually use this juice to cook Red Cabbage which I serve alongside the Pheasant. Alternatively you could add the juices back into the stew.
- Place the stew on the stove at a low temperature, so that is simmers and reduces whilst the meat is browning.
- Serve with Mash, Cabbage, Pheasant Portions and a ladle of the juices and vegetables; you could also put some Redcurrant Jelly on the table.

White Chocolate Tart with Berries

This is such an easy pudding to whip up - I always cheat and use shop pastry, that way the preparation time is next to nothing. It's really tasty and great complement to whatever berries are in season - enjoy!!

* 1 packet of shop bought Sweet Short Crust Pastry
* 300g of White Chocolate
* 300ml of Single Cream
* 3 Egg Yolks
* Seasonal Berries - my personal favourite is Strawberries

- Roll out the pastry till thin then line a tart case (26-30cms). Place the case in the freezer for 30mins to snap freeze.
- Heat oven to 150 degrees
- Remove tart case from freezer and place in oven, cook till the pastry starts to turn golden, then remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Melt Chocolate in the Cream over a low heat till combined into the thick creamy consitancy, then whisk in Egg Yolks.
- Pour mixture into tart case.
- Return to oven for approx. 40mins till chocolate filling has turned a pale gold colour and the edges of the pastry have browned.
- Allow to cool and serve at room temperature covered in seasonal berries of your choice.

Spanish Stew with Chicken and Chorizo

This has had rave reviews everytime I've cooked it. It's light, tasty and satifying and the chorizo gives it a lovely smokey flavour. This recipe serves 4 but could do 6-8 as a starter.

FOR THE STEW
* 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
* 1 Red Onion (finely diced)
* 4 Red Peppers (deseeded and chopped into squares)
* 160g fairly soft Chorizo (sliced)
* 2 Garlic Cloves
* 2 tablespoons of Sherry Vinegar (Cider Vinegar will do if you don't have it)
* 3 tablespoons of Sherry
* 1 teaspoon of Sweet Smoked Praprika
* 600g of tinned Chickpeas (drained)
* 100ml of Chicken Stock (fresh or made from cubes)
* 1 bag of Spinach Leaves (approx 100g)
FOR THE CHICKEN
* 12 Chicken Tenderloins or 4 Breasts (halved to create thin escalopes)
* A little olive oil and lime juice to marinate the Chicken in (ideally do this at least 30mins before cooking)
GARNISH
* Handful of chopped Basil leaves
* 1 Tomato diced
* Freshly ground Black Pepper

- Heat the oil in a large fry pan or wok, then add the Peppers, Chorizo and Onion and cook for a few minutes till coated in oil and fragrant, then add the Garlic and Praprika and stir through.
- Cook for about 2 more minutes then add the Sherry and Vinegar, let the stew bubble and reduce slightly (about 5 mins).
- Add the Chickpeas and Chicken Stock and bring to the boil, then reduce and cook for a further 10 mins.
- While the stew is cooking BBQ or pan fry your Chicken till cooked.
- Stir the Spinach through the stew till wilted - you are now ready to serve.
- Serve in shallow bowls with a generous ladle of the stew on the bottom, the Chicken artfully arranged on top and garnish with a sprinkling of Basil and Tomato and freshly ground Black Pepper.
Delicious!!
NOTE: It is really easy to increase quantities for this dish just stick to these rules; 1 red pepper per/person, 40g Chorizo p/p, 150g Chickpeas p/p and 1 breast or 3 tenderloins of Chicken p/p.

Rose Water Tomatoes with Goats Cheese

This is my current choice for vegetarian canapes, the slow cooked tomatoes are rich and the rose water adds an extra flavour dimension.

* 1 packet of shop bought Crostini (bite size) - my favourite is one from Waitrose with chilli oil, alternaitively you could make your own by slicing up french bread, dousing it in oil and grilling in the oven.
* 1 large punnet of Cherry Tomatoes
* 1/2 a teaspoon of Rose Water
* Handful of chopped Oregano
* 1 generous tablespoon of Olive Oil
* 1 tub of Creamed Goats Cheese (about 150g)

- Place oil in a frying pan on medium heat and once warmed add the whole tomatoes, oregano and rose water and mix till all ingredients are coated in oil.
- Leave to cook for about 30mins till tomatoes are disolved and juices reduced, you will need to stir and check occasionally to stop tomatoes from burning - reduce the heat if nescesary.
- Generously cover the tops of Crostini in Goats Cheese (easily done with a bread and butter knife).
- Place a dollop of the tomato misture on top.
- Serve!
NOTE: Tomato mixture can be made up to week before hand, it keep like a fresh relish and is also yummy on it's own or with bacon and avocado!!

Taste of Summer

This light, refreshing and easy salad would be the perfect food to serve in the sunshine on a hot day with an icy cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc!!

(Serves 4 starter size and 2 for main)

* 1 bag of Rocket
* about 150g Guerre Cheese
* about 200g of thinly sliced Parma Ham
* 4 ripe Peaches
* ample amount of cracked Black Pepper
* drizzle of good quality Olive Oil
* Balsamic Glaze or that really gooey quality Balsamic Vinegar

Tip: If I don't happen to have a really nice Balsamic Vinegar I often mix a cheaper runnier version with a dollop of honey and this has the desired taste and effect too.

- Cut the peaches into 8ths
- Thinly slice the cheese into slithers (I find the best way to achieve these is with a vegetable peeler)
- Loosely break up the Parma Ham into bite size morsels
- Combine together rocket, cheese, ham and peaches then liberally grind on the pepper and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic.

Bring on the Summer!!

Turkish Delight Pavlova

Apologies for missing in action and no new recipes for such a long time! However I have still been working hard to come up with new ideas so many more to come once more - Enjoy!!

I came up with the idea for this recipe when I was creating a Moroccan themed dinner party and needed something to finish the night with a bang!! We were heading into Autumn and the usual pavlova did not feel right for the that time of year. Then I saw the rose water in the cupboard and got inspired!!

Pavlova
* 4 egg whites
* pinch of salt
* 250g castor sugar
* 2 teaspoons of cornflour
* 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
* 1/2 teaspoon of rose water
* 1 teaspoon of pink food dye (optional)

Topping
* 400ml of double/whipping cream
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
* 50g of castor sugar
* a couple of punnets of strawberries (deheaded and cut up into bite size bits)
* the seeds of 1 pomegranate
* a large handful of roasted coconut flakes
* gold leaf or silver ball balls (if you really want to push the boat out!)

- Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees
- Prepare a flat baking tray with baking paper and if you need the help draw on a circle of about 20cm radius as a guide.
- Beat egg white and salt until satiny peaks form, then beat in sugar a 3rd at a time until mixture is stiff and shiny.
- Sprinkle in cornflour, vinegar, vanilla, rose water and food dye if using, then lightly fold into the egg whites.
- Spead the egg mixture onto baking paper within your circle then smooth the tops and sides. - Place in oven for approx. 1 hour. If you are using a fan forced oven I would turn the temparture down after about 15mins to about 120 degrees as you want the middle of the pavlova to stay nice and mashmallowy. Also check on a pavlova at about 45mins as depending on your oven you may feel it is ready. When ready it should be lightly browned up still a little bit wobbly!
- Once cooked whip your cream, sugar and vanilla until firm.
- Decorate with the strawberries followed by pomegranate seeds then coconut flakes and gold/silver.

Tip: if strawberries are not in season sift some icing sugar over them a couple of hours before to sweeten them up! Happy eating!!

Chicken Waldolf Salads in Chicory Cups

I invented this recipe for mine and Jacki's 30th birthday party which had the theme "Farewell to the Roaring 20's". The first time I made it with Little Gem Lettuces which worked well but since then I have tried it with Chicory leaves, their slightly bitter taste I feel, adds a more sophisticated edge to the dish. These work really well as a cocktail savory, as an entre or in DIY format at a picnic or buffet.

(makes about 40)

For the Waldolf Salad Mixture
* 2 Chicken Breasts (poached and shredded)
* 2 Stalks of Celery (finely diced)
* 1 Granny Smith Apple (finely diced)
* 1 handful of finely diced Walnuts
* 1 handful of Saltanas
* 1 Spring Onion (finely chopped)
* 2 heaped tablespoons of Whole Egg Mayonaise
* 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice
* Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper (to taste)

* About 4 Chicory Lettuces (I am a perfectionist and divide these up so that on each platter they are all the same size, like any lettuce the outside leaves are bigger, so I have one platter of larger leaves, one of medium leaves and one of small leaves. However if you are just doing a casual format there is no need for such precision)

- Mix Waldolf ingredient till well combined (you can make this 1-2 days before, infact I often think this is better as the juices soak into the saltanas making them extra tasty), then refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cut Chicory Leaves to size
- Place a couple of teaspoons of the Waldolf Salad in each leaf and serve!!

Note: I often cover my platters with something like rocket or lambs leaf lettuce as this provides a good base so that the leaves balance and don't roll around, it also looks very pretty!!

Summer Lasagna

I find normal lasagne a bit stodgy and heavy but my husband loves it so I decided to invent a Lasagne that works for both of us, as it is a little bit different and nice and light, I have called it ‘Summer Lasagne’. It tastes perfect with a fresh Green Salad!!

For the Meat Sauce
· 800g Good Quality Beef Mince
· 2 tins of chopped Tomatoes (the flavoured ones from Waitrose are extra good)
· 1 Courgette (finely diced)
· 2 Red Peppers (finely diced)
· 2 Spanish Onions (finely diced)
· 1 teaspoon of Chilli Flakes or Fresh Chilli (diced)
· 1 tablespoon of Muscovado Sugar
· Bunch of Basil
· 3 Cloves of Garlic (crushed or finely diced)
· Salt & Pepper to taste
· ½ a bag of Spinach
· A sprinkle of dried Mediterranean Herbs
· 400ml Cheap Red Wine

- As there are so many ingredients brown the meat first in little olive oil, then set aside along with juices
- Now cook the garlic, onions, courgettes & peppers in the juices with about 50g of butter till they start to release a strong aroma and the onions turn translucent
- Add the meat to the vegetable and combine
- Then add the tinned tomatoes and then once the mixture is bubbling reduce the heat and simmer
- While simmering add herbs, chilli and sugar
- As the mixture reduces add the red wine (about a cup at a time, and then continue to add as required)
- Cook for at least an hour, the longer is cooks the better it tastes

For the Lasagne layers
· 1 packet of Lasagne Sheets (fresh is best but dried is fine too)
· 3 Courgettes (cut length ways)
· 3 Red Peppers (cooked in hot oven till skin browns and once sweated come off easily) or you could use a jar or large tub of Marinated Red Peppers instead for convenience
· 2 Eggplants (Aubergines) cut into rounds
· 1½ tubs of Ricotta
· 200g approx of grated Mozzarella Cheese

- Heat oven to 180 degrees
- Get out a reasonably sized deep baking dish, the one I use is about 28x28cm
- Grill courgettes and eggplants in the oven with a little olive oil till turning golden
- Spread the lasagne sheets with Ricotta (about ½ centimetre deep)
- Start to layer up the lasagne; starting with pasta, followed by meat, a layer of either type of vegetable and then repeat till the dish is full. Make your final layer meat and then cover with the grated Mozzarella Cheese
- Cover lasagne with foil and bake in the oven for about 25mins, then remove and bake for a further 10mins until the cheese turns bubbly and golden.
- Serve immediately ideally, but it also comes up brilliantly the next day with a reheat in the oven.

Thai Chicken Skewers with Satay Sauce

· 10-12 Chicken Mini-breasts (tenderloins) – aiming for 2 per person
· 10-12 BBQ Skewers
Marinade
· Juice of 1 Lime
· 1 chopped red Chilli
· 1 diced Garlic Clove
· 1 Dessertspoon of Sesame Oil or Ground Nut Oil

- Marinade Chicken for a couple of hours before inserting each breast onto a BBQ Skewer ready for cooking. Note: Soak BBQ Skewers in water (if they are wooden) for about 20 mins this will ensure they do not burn on the BBQ or in the oven.
- Cook for about 5 mins in each side either on BBQ/Grill or in Oven till cooked through
- Serve with Satay Sauce

Satay Sauce
· 1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil
· 2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)
· 4 Spring Onions (finely chopped)
· 1 Lemon Grass Stalk (the white interior only, finely chopped)
· 1 Tablespoon of Thai Red Curry Paste
· 1 Tablespoon of Tamarind Paste
· 1 cup of Roasted Salted Peanuts (chunkily ground)
· 1 ½ cups of Coconut Milk
· 2 teaspoons of Palm or Light Brown Sugar

- Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry the garlic, spring onions and lemon grass for a minute of so then add the Thai red curry paste and stir together until fragrant
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan stirring slowly until it comes to the boil. Note: if the sauce is too thick add a little boiling water till it forms the right consistency and simmer for a couple of minute.

Salmon with Hollandaise Sauce

This is a wonderful dish for late spring and early summer as the potatoes and the asparagus are fresh and in season so taste their best.

· 4 Salmon Fillets (pan fried in butter till brown on the outside and pink in the middle
· 12 New Potatoes (cut in half)
· Handful of chopped Spring Onions
· Juice of 1 small Lemon
· 300g Butter
· 3 Egg Yolks
· 2 Bunches Asparagus or roughly 24 stems (boiled or steamed)
· Salt and Pepper to Taste

Crushed Potato Mash Instuctions
* Boil Potatoes (leaving skin on) till soft and tender.
* Gently fry the spring onions in 50g of butter till the onions are all soggy and edges slightly crisp.
* Once potatoes are cooked roughly mash with 100mm of butter then add your butter and Spring Onion combination and stir through.

For the Hollandaise Sauce
* Melt 300g of butter
* Put the Egg Yolks & Lemon juice together and blend with bamix or similar implement
* While blending slowly add the melted butter till the sauce develops into a creamy yellow consistency.

For the Salmon
* Pan fry in a little butter until cooked to your liking, if you like your salmon with skin on I would recommend cooking skin side down in hot butter for about 8 minutes till skin is crispy and then turning over and cooking for another 3 minutes, your salmon should be cooked through but not over done.

And finally
* Place Salmon on top of the Cruched Potatoes with Asparagus to the side and dress with the Hollandaise Sauce. Note: If I was cooking for a dinner party I would garnish with a few baby watercress shoots.

I have made several variation of this dish in the past, for a flash dinner party I made the Hollandaise with 2/3rds Pink Grapefruit Juice and 1/3 Lemon Juice and garnished the Salmon with Baby Watercress Shoot and Pink Grapefruit chunks, I served the Salmon on top of the Asparagus and used Baby New Potatoes as a side dish drizzled in Butter and a good quanity of chopped Spring Onions (see picture below).

Winter Salad

This Salad can stand on it’s own for a Girly Lunch or alternatively but used as an accompaniment to most meat dishes.

· 1 butternut squash or similar (roasted in long thin slices ) you can roast it any size really but presentation wise I think this is the best way
· 1- 2 Avocados (tea-spooned out of their shells)
· 2 broccoli flowers ( cut into pieces then steamed or boiled but better under cooked than over cooked for this recipe)
· 6 roma tomatoes –cut into about 6 wedges per tomato and then sprinkled with herbs, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar on each wedge – then slow roast them in the oven for about an hour


Dressing
· 1 tablespoon of honey
· 100mml Red Wine Vinegar

Combine these together till honey has melted—leave to cool

Garnish
· 180g Roasted Pine Nuts

Stack the salad together; broccoli on the bottom, followed by pumpkin, roma tomatoes and then avocado – dress and sprinkle with pine nuts

Pesto Roast Chicken

· Waitrose easy cook chicken breast (one of these feeds between 2-4 people depending on their hunger).
· Pesto (makes enough to stuff 2 chickens).
- Small tub of semi sundried tomatoes
- 1 packet of grated parmesan cheese (180g)
- 1 large bunch of fresh basil
- 1 packet of pine nuts (200g) (you’ll need to toast them in the pan)
- About 2/3cup of olive oil – you’ll just need to keep adding it until you get a good sticky paste.

To Make the Pesto blend all these ingredients together with a Barmix or in a Magimix till a sticky paste has been created.


Stuff underneath the chicken skin with the pesto – and cook at roasting temp for around an hour and voila!!

The chicken tastes particularly good with Roast Potatoes:
For roast potatoes I use 1-2 bags of baby new potatoes and pre-cook them till they are soft inside, before adding them to the chicken roasting pan about 30-40mins before the end - they taste delicious roasted in the pesto juice!!

I would then serve the above with My Winter Salad as the combination of ingredients works well with the chicken.

Smoked Salmon & Dill Frittatas

For the Frittatas (make approx. 24)
· 3 eggs
· Bunch of Dill (save a little bit to garnish the end product)
· 200ml Single Cream
· Teaspoon of Lemon Zest

Whisk together in a bowl till ingredients have combined, then bake in a mini muffin tray for approx 15min per batch.

Allow to cool.

For the toping
· 1/2 a Spanish Onion cut in half and chopped into thin slices
· 1 tub of cream cheese
· Juice of 1/2 a lemon
· 2 smoked salmon slices cut into quarters (approx.)

Mix the lemon juice and cream cheese together to form a paste.

Place a portion of salmon on each frittata, then top with a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture and a couple of slices of onion.

Present beautifully on plate and then sprinkle with the remaining dill.

Olive Crusted Chicken with Gremolata

This makes a lovely lightish lunch as it is but when I have a hungry Husband to feed and want something more substantial I accompany it with finely diced roasted potatoes cooked with olive oil, garlic cloves and rosemary. It makes a wonderful Italian style meal.

For the Chicken
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 2 Slices of Stale White Bread ( to make breadcrumbs)
- About 20 Small Pipless Black Olives
- 1 Egg- Dusting of Plain Flour
- Vegetable Oil (for shallow frying)

For the Gremolata
- 2 Punnets of Cherry or Baby Plum Tomatoes (quartered)
- 1 large Garlic Clove (crushed or finely diced)
- the Zest of half a Lemon
- The Juice of half a Lemon
- Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley (roughly chopped)
- Bunch of Basil (roughly chopped)
- Cracked Pepper and Sea Salt (to taste)

* Combine all the Gremolata ingredients together well mixed and season to taste (set aside until ready to serve)
* Combine bread and olives in Magimix until the particle size is small and consistant (place in large bowl) Flatten out the chicken breasts between Cling Film (Glad Wrap) with a rolling pin or heavy implement till they are nice and thin and doubled in size.
* Whisk one egg in a decent size bowl
* Cover a plate in plain flour
* With each flattened breast, cover in a light dusting of flour, then coat in egg and finally dip in breadcrumb mixture untill all covered then set aside.
* Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan, you can test it it is ready to add the chicken by placing in the oil some of the left over crumbs and waiting for them to start to sizzle.
* Once hot enough add the chicken breast and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until crumbs are a golden brown. Then place on kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.
* To serve place a chicken breast on the centre of a plate and pile the centre with the Gremolata

St Patrick's Day Feast

A lot of things in this feast need to be prepared in advance but once underway can be left to their on devices - if you plan on making it for St Patrick's day tomorrow and need to work on the day I would advise making the Mousses the night before along with the starting the Stew - this means at all you is heat up the Stew and make the Drop Scones!! So not as complicated as is sounds!!

Feeds 6

* Potato Drop Scones with Smoked Salmon
* Irish Stew
* Stout & Guinness Mousse

Potato Drop Scones with Smoked Salmon

Drop Scones
- 200g of Mashed Potato (cooled)
- 1 egg
- 80g of Self-Raising Flour (sifted)
- 100ml Milk
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Salt & Pepper to taste

Topping
- About 6 Slices of Smoked Salmon (preferably Irish for authenticity)
- ½ Granny Smith Apple (finely diced)
- ½ Red Onion (finely diced)
- Handful of Chopped Dill
- 150ml Sour Cream

Combine Apple, Dill & Onion and set aside

Mix together Drop Scone ingredients till well combined

Pan fry Drop Scones (make them about bite size) till golden on both sides

Arrange cooked Drop Scones on a plate then place a generous helping of Salmon on each, followed by a dollop of Sour Cream and finally sprinkle with the Apple, Onion and Dill mixture.

Serve as canapés or alternatively give each guest 3-4 on a plate

Beef & Guinness Irish Stew

- 800g Diced Beef (stewing beef or top-rump)
- About 20 mini Chantray Carrots (grated but tops left on)
- About 20 mini Button Mushrooms
- About 20 Shallots (peeled)
- 1 Jar of mini Pickled Onions
- 2 Cans of Guinness
- 1 Tablespoon of Horseradish
- 1 Tablespoon of Wholegrain Mustard
- About 100g of Salted Butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Lightly braise beef on all sides in Casserole Dish with a little butter and set aside

Add the remaining butter to the dish along with the Carrots, Shallots and Button Mushrooms and lightly fry till the vegetables start emitting a fragrant and tasty smell

Add beef to pan along with 1 can on Guinness, Horseradish, Mustard and Pickled Onions, cover and reduce heat to that it is lightly simmering or alternatively place in warm oven (about 150 degrees)

Cook for at least 3 hours (until beef and vegetables are falling apart) and add additional Guinness as needed as the juices reduce

The finished product should be dark brown and slightly thick and slightly running and melt in the mouth juicy

Serve with Buttery Mash Potato

Chocolate & Stout Mousse

(This is not my recipe, I found it in House & Garden but thought it was the perfect completion to a St Patrick’s Day Feast – alternatively you could do some kind of apple pudding – Ireland being one of the homes of Cider!!)

Note: it is essential to have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting this recipe

- 150g Plain Chocolate (70% cocoa) copped
- 35g Butter
- 8 tablespoons soft, Dark Brown Sugar
- 3 large Eggs separated
- 6 tablespoons of Stout
- 110ml Double Cream

Melt Chocolate and Butter in a glass bowl set over boiling water, then beat in 5 tablespoons of the sugar and allow to cool slightly

Beat the Egg Yolks into the Chocolate mixture one at a time, incorporating each one well before adding the next

Stir the Stout into the Cream, then using a wooden spoon add this liquid to the Chocolate mixture beating it thoroughly. It won’t come together easily but keep beating hard and it will eventually become smooth

In another bowl, whisk the Egg Whites till they form soft peaks, then add the remaining Sugar and whisk till stiff

Whisk 1/3 of the Egg mixture into the Chocolate mixture and combine really well, then using a rubber spatula fold in the rest, but be sure there are no white streaks

Pour Mousse into 6 glasses (it could be fun to use beer glasses ½ pint)

Cover in cling film and refrigerate for 6 hours till set

Serve, could be nice with a sprinkle of icing sugar or cocoa on top

Happy St Patrick’s Day!!

Caramel Slice

Base
· ½ cup of firmly packed brown sugar
· 2/3 cup of desiccated coconut
· 2/3 cup of self raising flower
· 85g of melted butter

Caramel Filling
· 30g of butter
· 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
· 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Topping
· 150g of milk chocolate

- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- Grease a 20cm square cake pan and line the base and sides with baking paper
- Stir brown sugar, coconut and flour together in a bowl till well combined. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan.
- Set base aside to cool, leave oven on.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes till slightly brown and slightly risen.
- Place butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the butter has melted, add condensed milk. Stir constantly over medium heat for about 9-12 minutes, until caramel thickens,
- Gently spread caramel evenly over base. Return to oven for a further 10-12mins (a 1/2cm border of browned caramel should form around the edges of the slice).
- Allow slice to cool at room temperature
- Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over a very low heat, stirring occasionally. Alternatively melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the saucepan. Spread the melted chocolate over caramel.
- Refrigerate slice until chocolate is just set (30mins), then remove from pan and cut in to bite size pieces.
- Store in the fridge

Light Fish and Chips

This is a lovely light meal compared with the usual oil ridden fish and chips and also tastes good served with a green salad on the side.

· 4 firm white fish fillets or about 150g of fish per person (I like to use monkfish, but you could use cod, flat head or flake)
· 1 large clove of garlic (crushed)
· 8 Courgettes (cut into thin French fry size strips)
· Plain Flour (for dusting)
· Knob of Butter
· Vegetable Oil (for shallow frying)
· Salt and Pepper to taste
· Parsley to garnish (finely chopped)

Note: Have some kitchen paper on hand to soak up any excess oil

Dust fish and courgettes in flour till covered and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a fry pan till you can feel the heat (you can test if it is hot enough by placing one of your courgette chips in and seeing if is sizzles).

Once oil is hot, shallow fry the courgettes in batches till golden (once cooked placing in a bowl lined with kitchen paper).

Towards the end of your chips cooking heat the butter in another pan and add the crushed garlic (stir through).

Then add your dusted fish and cook for about 5 mins on each side till fish is cooked through and lightly browned on the outside.

Place a handful of courgette chips and equal portions of fish on each plate.

Sprinkle with parsley and then serve.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Salad
· 2 shop bought large Roast Chicken (or approx. 4 Chicken Breasts )
· 1 Packet of Vermicelli Rice Noodles (follow instructions on the back for cooking)
· 1 Chinese or Savoy Cabbage (finely chopped)
· Bunch of Vietnamese Mint or normal mint if you can’t buy this (chopped)
· Bunch of Coriander (chopped)
· Bunch of Spring Onions (long thin slices)
· 1 Cucumber (long thin slices)
· 2 Carrots (long thin slices)

Dressing
· Handful of chopped Roasted Cashews
· Lime wedges
· Use my Sweet Chilli recipe (Asian Nibble)

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl then add about 250ml of the Chilli Sauce and mix together

Serve on a large platter and garnish the top with the chopped Cashews and some limes on the side.

This is an excellent dish for a girly lunch, accompanied by white wine of course!!

Duck with Cranberry & Mango

Serves 4 people

* 4 Duck breasts
* 1 bag of spinach leaves
* 2 ripe mangoes (cut into thin strips)
* 300g mange tout (boiled or steamed)
* 2 Spanish onions (chopped into thin strips)
* Jar of cranberry jelly
* Handful of coriander leaves (optional)
* Dash of olive oil
* Salt and Pepper/Chilli to taste

Heat up a fry pan with a little olive oil then cook the duck breasts skin side down till the skin is brown and crispy, then brown the rest of the duck breast and remove from heat.

Place duck in a hot oven (180 degrees) and cook for 20mins till well done on the outside and pink in the middle.

In your fry pan add some olive oil and then\fry the onions till they become translucent, turn down the heat and add the cranberry jelly and let it simmer until the mixture reduces – if it feels like it might burn add half a cup of water whilst reducing.

NOTE: You can serve a combination of ingredients on single plates but I think this dish looks best on a big platter where people can serve themselves.

So place spinach leaves first, then mange tout, followed by mango strips, thin slices of duck then the cranberry onions and finally garnish with coriander leaves.