My anniversary dinner
Salmon Pate
Steak Diane
Bean Bundles,
Herbed Tomatoes
Cauliflower au Gratin
Lychees with ice cream
Cava (after all, we are in Spain – Champagne just wouldn’t do)
Friday 30th March is our 44th wedding anniversary. I am cooking a dinner which I have done before. The original dinner party had a dessert of Mango Liqueur pancakes, but I thought for this special occasion, I would do Sheila’s favourite – lychees with ice cream
This simple, elegant dinner party is one that takes little time and trouble to put together. The creamy pate, mixed in a blender, can be prepared the day before and makes a great start for any dinner party, so, too, can the Cauliflower au Gratin — all ready for final reheating in the oven. The lychees were bought in Aldis supermarket during their Chinese week special, so we bought half a dozen tins. The ice cream was a Ben and Jerry’s. If this had been ‘Come Dine with Me’, I don’t think I would have scored much for the dessert – but it’s not ‘Come Dine with Me’, it’s my dinner party and I shall do what I like – and I did.
This is the original recipe for the dinner party. The lychees and ice cream are the only change.
SALMON PATE
1/2 cup hot water
1 tablespoon gelatine
1 chicken stock cube
220g can red salmon
4 shallots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt, pepper
1/2 cup cream
lettuce leaves
Put hot water, gelatine and crumbled stock cube in blender, blend on high speed 1 minute. Add undrained salmon, roughly-chopped shallots, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper, blend further 1 minute.
Add cream, blend 30 seconds. Pour salmon mixture into 4 individual lightly-oiled dishes, refrigerate until set. To serve; turn out on to lettuce leaf, serve with toast triangles.
STEAK DIANE
4 fillet steaks
freshly-ground pepper
60g (2oz) butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Pound steaks to 5mm (1/4in.) thickness. Season each side lightly with freshly ground pepper. Put butter into shallow pan; when sizzling, add steaks, cook for 1 minute. Then give steaks a move in the pan so they won‘t stick. While steaks are cooking on one side, rub crushed garlic into top of each steak with wooden spoon, turn steak over. Add Worcestershire sauce to pan, swirl steaks around in the pan juices. When cooked as desired — rare, medium or well done — quickly stir in cream and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
BEAN BUNDLES
500g (1lb) beans
chives
60g (2oz) butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper
Top, tail and string the beans. Put into boiling salted water; cook until just tender, approximately 10 minutes, drain. Divide beans into four bunches; secure each bunch with chives. Melt butter in pan; add lemon juice; stir until combined. Add beans; heat through gently. Season with salt and Pepper.
HERBED TOMATOES
4 tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper
15g (1/2oz) butter
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon basil
Slice off stem end of each tomato; put tomatoes into greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle lemon juice over cut top of tomatoes, then salt and pepper. Bake in moderate oven 10 minutes. Remove from oven, dot each tomato with butter; sprinkle combined parsley, chives and basil over; bake for a further 5 minutes.
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE
1 small cauliflower
45g (1 1/2oz) butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
60g (2oz) cheddar cheese
salt, pepper
1/2cup fresh breadcrumbs
30g (1oz) cheddar cheese, extra
15g (1/2oz) butter, extra
STEP 1
Remove stalk from cauliflower, cut cauliflower into large flowerets. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, remove from heat, drain.
STEP 2
Put butter in pan, stir over medium heat until melted. Add flour, stir until smooth, cook 1 minute. Add milk gradually, stir until smooth, stir until sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat, add grated cheese, salt and pepper, stir until cheese melts.
STEP3
Spread half cheese sauce over base of ovenproof dish, arrange cauliflower on top of sauce, spread remaining sauce over cauliflower.
STEP4
Combine breadcrumbs, extra grated cheese and extra melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture on top
of cauliflower. Bake in moderate oven 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
MANGO LIQUEUR PANCAKES PANCAKES
1/2 cup plain flour
pinch salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
FILLING
125g (4oz) butter
4 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons brandy
2 x 470g cans sliced mangoes
Pancakes: Sift dry ingredients into bowl, add eggs, stir until mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Gradually add milk, mix to a smooth batter. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Heat pan, grease well.
From a small jug pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of pancake mixture into pan, swirling batter evenly around pan. Cook over medium heat until light golden brown. Toss or turn pancake, cook on other side. Repeat with remaining batter.
Filling: Melt butter in frying pan, add sugar, stir until sugar is golden brown, add orange juice and lemon juice, stir until sugar has dissolved. Add Cointreau or Grand Marnier and brandy, set aflame.
When flames die, simmer sauce gently 2 minutes, remove pan from heat. Drain mango slices, out into small cubes. Divide mango pieces between pancakes, fold each pancake in half, then into quarters. Place into sauce, return pan to heat, simmer 2 minutes or until pancakes are heated through, spooning sauce over pancakes. Top, if desired, with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.
Enjoy your dinner party.
dinner party with Bill & Sheila
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