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Showing posts from December, 2021

SALMON & AVOCADO VERRINES

This entrée is a very refreshing and delicious way to start a big celebration meal. It is super simple to do and can be made earlier and kept in the fridge. Just make sure that you bring it back to room temperature about 15 minutes before serving it. I couldn't find sashimi salmon where we live, so I bought some fresh salmon and fried it with a bit of oil. I cooked it the previous day and kept it in the fridge to use it the following day. It turned out very nice and I used caviar eggs instead of salmon roe for the same reason, it wasn't available. Fantastic recipe! Ingredients 2 avocadoes, roughly mashed 2 Tbsp lemon juice 3 spring onions, finely chopped 1 1/2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, seeded, finely chopped 2 tsp wasabi paste 500g sashimi-grade salmon, finely chopped OR 500g cooked salmon, cold 2 tsp chopped dill, plus extra sprigs to serve 150g creme fraiche or sour cream Salmon roe, to serve Preparation Place avocado, lemon juice, spring onion, cucumber and 1 tsp wasabi pa

MULLED-WINE PEAR & GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD

  This is an easy yet delicious salad that can be prepared well ahead and put all ingredients together just before a meal. We had it on Christmas Day, but we had an unexpected visitor two days later, and I was able to put it on the table in no time. The second time I didn't have any watercress and used rocket and parmesan instead. It was also excellent. When making the dressing, add more poaching liquid if you prefer it. I added 2 tablespoons extra, but try it first.    Ingredients 2 cups (500ml) dry red wine 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar 1 cinnamon quill 2 star anise 4 small pears, peeled, halved, cored Buch of watercress, sprigs picked 1/3 cup (50g) hazelnuts, toasted, roughly chopped 1 cup croutons 1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 x 150g ash-covered goat's cheese logs, sliced into rounds Preparation Place the red wine, sugar, cinnamon and star anise in a saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then add the pears and poach gently over low heat for 8-10 mi

PINEAPPLE & ORANGE GLAZED HAM

This was a very easy and delicious glaze. This time, instead of cutting the fat into diamond shapes, I cut it in horizontal lines. The actual ham was a free range 5 kg half of a leg of pork. Very nice indeed!  Ingredients Glaze 150 g pineapple juice 95 g orange marmalade 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp brandy 50 g brown sugar 1 - 2 pinches ground cinnamon 1 star anise (optional) Ham 5000 g whole leg cured ham on the bone whole cloves (optional) Preparation Glaze Place all glaze ingredients into mixing bowl and cook 20-25 min/100°C/speed 3, or until glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, placing simmering basket instead of measuring cup onto mixing bowl lid.  If not using the Thermomix, just put all ingredients into a small pot and cook at a medium heat for about 20-25 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure they do not burn. Transfer glaze into a ceramic or glass bowl and set aside to cool. Ham Place an oven shelf into the lowest possible position and remove

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN & MINT SALAD

This is a super easy yet delicious salad, especially if you have leftover cooked chicken that want to use. I used a red cabbage, but any other type of cabbage can be used. A meal on its own, or it can be served as a side dish. It was really yummy! INGREDIENTS Dressing: 100 ml lemon juice 1 tablespoon caster sugar 2 tablespoon fish sauce ( or substitute for light soy sauce ) 1 bird’s-eye chili, seeds removed and finely sliced 1 clove garlic, minced Salad: 1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded 1/2 red onion, peeled and very finely sliced 2 cups loosely packed mint, roughly torn 1 carrot, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks ** 2 cups shredded chicken 1/4 cup fried shallots 1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts ** I used raw chicken thighs and fried them in a fry pan with some lemongrass butter that I already had in the fridge.  Here  is the recipe. METHOD Make the dressing: Mix the ingredients together and allow to stand for a few minutes. ** If you are using uncooked chicken, fry the chick

THAI BEEF SALAD

  This is a delicious and easy to prepare salad. This time, I didn't have time to do the Roasted rice powder, but according to the author, it is an essential ingredient in Thai cuisine, and it brings a bit of crunchiness to the dish. In the past, I also made it following a different recipe that uses noodles, but it is probably a bit too salty and the beef needs to be marinade for a while. Here is the recipe, though, if interested to see another version.  Ingredients 1 rump steak (500g) or 2 sirloin steaks (250g each) salt and pepper to season 1 tsp olive oil 3 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges or a selection of small ones, cut in half 1 Lebanese cucumber, split in half lengthways, seeds removed and sliced 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1 cup picked coriander leaves 1/2 cup picked mint leaves Lettuce leaves to serve Roasted rice powder 1 tsp uncooked jasmine rice Dressing 50ml lime juice 2 tsp caster sugar or palm sugar 2 Tbsp fish sauce 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 2 red

CHINESE BBQ PORK

This recipe of BBQ pork is just easy to make and delicious. I love it with some rice, steamed Asian greens and topped with the sauce from cooking the pork. I used to eat a similar recipe in Hong Kong as take-away from a restaurant near where I used to work. Brings back loads of memories. I also love it with Dry wonton noodles, here is the recipe. Ingredients 450g pork fillet 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 3/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder Method Marinate BBQ pork for at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut pork fillet into 5 cm wide strips. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Put pork strips into a sandwich bag.  Add the marinade and seal bag and allow to marinate in fridge. To cook, preheat oven to 200C. Put pork and marinade in a baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. Cut into thin slices to serve.