These small sandwiches and a glass of Champagne are a great way to start your New Year’s party.  Such little affort for such delicious bites !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012  !!!!!

INGREDIENTS

12 slices whole-meal bread

2 tablespoons drained capers, rinsed and chopped coarsely

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon of lemon zest

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 cup sour cream

500g sliced smoked salmon

METHOD

1- Combine capers, dill, zest, lemon juice, garlic and sour cream in a small bowl. 

2- Spread each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon of sour cream mixture and cover with the slices of salmon.  Continue alternating the layers with the remaining bread, sour cream mixture, and salmon slices, finishing with a slice of bread.  You can make them 3 or 5 layers, but no more than this, the sandwiches will be very difficult to cut and handle.

3- Cover them with plastic food wrap and put them in the refrigerator for one hour.

4- Put the bread sandwiches onto a chopping board, using a knife cut off the crust of the bread and then cut the bread into squares or rectangles.

5- Top small sandwiches with little extra sour cream and dill, if desired.

Tips

1- These sandwiches keep well for 24 hours so you can make them ahead of time.  They will not be soggy.

A VERY BERRY CHRISTMAS

This year I wanted to move away from the traditional Christmas puddings and cakes.  I looked for a recipe that guarantees to deliver flavor and a dish that will capture the magic Of Christmas.  This is the best-ever Pavlova, and I wish I could say it is my recipe but it was handed down to me by an old friend.

Ingredients

8 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 cups of caster sugar

3 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour

450g thickened cream

1/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, sliced to serve

Extra icing sugar or snow sugar, for dusting

METHOD

1- Preheat oven to 150C.  Line baking tray with baking paper.  Using a pencil, mark a 22cm circle in centre.

2- Put egg-white and cream of tartar in a large stainless steel bowl and whisk on medium for around 10 minutes or until firm peaks form.

3- Gradually add caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating until all the sugar is incorporated and stiff peaks form.  The mixture should be thick and glossy.

4- Put vinegar and cornflour in a small bowl and mix to combine.  Add to egg-white mixture and beat until combined.

5- Using the circle as a guide, spoon mixture  onto prepared tray to form a 22cm round pavlova.

6- Create soft, decorative peaks with tip of a spatula or spoon.

7-  Reduce oven temperature to 120C.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until dry and firm to touch.  Turn oven off, then leave Pavlova to cool on tray in the oven for 30 minutes, with door ajar.

FOR THE TOPPING

1- Put cream, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whip on medium with whisk attachment until soft peaks from.

2- Spoon vanilla cream on Pavlova, then arrange the berries on top.

3- Dust with icing sugar or snow sugar to serve.

Tips

1- Bowls and whisks should be cold and clean.

2- This recipe will make a big Pavlova or two small Pavlovas

3- In the summer you can substitute the berries with thin slices of fresh mangoes, nectaries and peaches.

INGREDIENTS

2 firm, ripe pears

juice of 1 lemon

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced finely

120gr rocket leaves, trimmed

120gr spinach, trimmed

2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

A pinch of sugar

White wine vinegar and extra virgin oil to taste

METHOD

1-  Toast the pine nuts spreading them on a baking pan in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown.  Shake them half-way through to toast evenly.  Allow to cool before using them in the salad.

2-  Core and slice the pears lengthwise and put into a serving bowl with the lemon juice.  Add the fennel slices and turn until coated with the lemon juice.

3-  In a big bowl put the rocket leaves, the spinach leaves, and pine nuts.

4-  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

5-  To the leaves add the pears, fennel slices and your vinaigrette.

6-  Gently toss the salad with your hands and serve.

TIP – For more flavor add 1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon to the vinaigrette.

At Xmas instead of having roasted pine nuts I like to add cranberries to the salad.

The summer months are for outdoor enjoyment so the less time you spend in the kitchen the better.  This is a one-dish summer salad, full of flavor, that all your family will enjoy.

 INGREDIENTS

8 Roma tomatoes, quartered

8 new potatoes, halved lengthwise

Olive oil to taste

200gr haloumi cheese. Sliced

120gr rocket, trimmed

120gr Iceberg or crisphead

120gr Butterhead or bibb lettuce 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley – Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1-     Preheat the oven, put the tomatoes and potatoes into a baking pan, season to taste and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.  Set aside and cool.

2-     Grill or pan-fry the haloumi for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.

3-     In a big bowl toss the haloumi, the potatoes, the tomatoes, the rocket leaves, the iceberg leaves, and butterhead leaves.

4-     In a small bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over the salad.

5-     Toss all the ingredients gently with your hands.  Top with chopped parsley and serve.

TIP – To add more flavor the tomatoes and potatoes could be roasted with 2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic.

I had these delicious eggs recently at a friends’ house.  My friend served the eggs fried on flat tortillas covered with rich spicy sauce. This is really the most authentic way to eat Huevos Rancheros, but I thought that to cook the eggs en cocotte will make a great brunch or a late-night supper …. with a slice of warm bread! just wonderful.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable oil for cooking

½ cup can chopped tinned tomatoes

A medium size onion, grated

1 medium size green pepper, grated

½ cup spring onion, chopped

½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

4 medium size tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon pickled jalapenos, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

6 large eggs

METHOD

1-     Start by making a good thick sauce.  Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan and fry the onion, the green pepper, the spring onion, the jalapenos, and tomatoes. Season with salt to taste, and then add the tinned tomatoes and the chicken or vegetable stock.  Bring to a simmer and gently cook, stirring occasionally.  Simmer until it looks like a thick sauce.

2-     Butter 6 ramekins and divide the sauce among them.  Make a small indentation in the sauce, and then break one egg into each dish, taking care not to break the yolks.

3-     Season with salt and pepper and scatter small knobs of butter on top.

4-     Bake in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes.  The yokes should be soft when served

5-     Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with warm bread or toast to dunk into the juices.

TIP - In the summer time you could use only fresh peeled tomatoes to make the sauce but in the winter tinned Italian tomatoes add more flavor. The sauce can be made a day or two ahead to save time.