Great thread Maggie, The Lemon tart one sounds nice. (I always had a thing for tarts..erm) I worry about the mess all the keyboards and mice will be in when people get halfway through cooking and need a reminder...probably similar to the old pics for guys threads I guess. *S*
(Those soups sound ace, Lo, I'll have to send Mel out shopping)
Thank you. But this thread is all thanks to the Genius Blurred.
The Lemon Tart one has a "history", was made out of desperation and ever since has been successfully shammed as Tarte au Citron. A kid you not.
My best mate Kath was determined to make this as a pud for a dinner party. Did everything to perfection, and then when she was carrying the excellent object to be chilled, tripped over the dog and fell on the pud.
I'll draw a veil over the rest, but the result of it was I lashed together stuff which I had in the cupboards to great effect. And I have since passed it off as Tarte au Citron to great effect. Yay.
Anyway. Today's stuff. With others for tomorrow and Sunday, since its very unlikely I'll be physically online and unable to post, as opposed to being physically online and not being arsed/lapsing posting. Which I believe stays within the spirit of my resolution. Or something.
Anyway.
Cod and Bacon Kebabs with Rosemary DressingServes 4The rectangular frozen cod portions are ideal for this as they cut into perfect cubes for threading, and don’t tear as unfrozen cod would. Just let them defrost slightly for a few minutes to make them easier to cut - they don’t have to be thawed completely.
4 frozen cod portions
15ml/1tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 smoked streaky bacon rashers, rind removed
1 small ready-to-cook garlic baguette
For the dressing
5ml/1tsp dried Rosemary, crushed
90ml/6tbsp honey and mustard dressing
15ml/1tbsp lemon juice
15nl/1tbsp mayonnaise
Bag of salad leaves, 12 cherry tomatoes, halved, lemon wedges - to serve
Note
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 20 minutes beforehand.
Cut each cod portion into 6 cubes. Toss in the oil and lightly season.
Stretch the bacon rashers with the back of a knife and cut each into three equal pieces.
Separate the garlic bread into the slices. Give the two ends to the birdies, and then cut the other slices into bite sized chunks, to make 24 in all.
Thread a cube of cod, then a slice of bacon folded concertina-fashion, then a cube of bread onto a skewer, then repeat the threading. Make seven more kebabs the same way.
Preheat the grill - moderate heat. Turn the grill rack over, so the kebabs will be lower under the grill. Lay the kebabs on foil on the rack. Cook for about 6 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through.
All you need do to make the dressing is just to whisk all the ingredients together.
Add a little dressing to the salad leaves, toss and pile onto four plates and scatter the tomatoes around. Lay two kebabs on each bed of leaves and spoon the remaining dressing over. Garnish with wedges of lemon.
Corn and Chive Fritters100g/4oz self raising flour
½ tsp salt
150ml/¼ pint tepid water
1 x 350g/12oz/medium can of Sweetcorn
10ml/2tsp dried chives
Oil for deep frying
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Gradually mix in the matter to form a thick batter that will drop (as opposed to pour) off a spoon.
Stir in the corn and chives.
Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or pan to 190C/375F or until a cube of day old bread browns in 30 seconds. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil and fry for about 3 minutes, turning once or twice, until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.
Ratafia and Cointreau Ice CreamThis is a no hassle in the making ice cream, and it slices straight from the freezer. If you want to use the loaf tin for other purposes, then just loosen it from the frozen ice cream as I‘ve said, (you can leave the cling film on or remove it as you please), and re-wrap the ice cream in foil until you want to use it. The heat used for the separation from the tin is only brief and won’t affect the ice cream at all.
Sunflower oil, for greasing
100g/4oz ratafias
600ml/1pt whipping cream
50g/2oz icing sugar
A pinch of salt
75ml/5tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur of your choice
Oil an 900g/2lb loaf tin and line with clingfilm so the film hangs well over the edges all round. Brush the clingfilm thoroughly with the oil.
Put the ratafias into a plastic bag and finely crush them. Coat the base of the loaf tin and half way up its sides with half the crushed ratafias.
Whip the cream with the sugar and salt until softly peaking. Whisk in the remaining half of the ratafias and the liqueur until the mixture is standing in soft peaks again.
Turn the mixture into the prepared tin. Level the surface and then gently fold the clingfilm over. Wrap the tin completely in foil and freeze until firm.
Just before serving, unwrap the tin and unfold the clingfilm and tuck it back against the sides of the tin. Dip the tin briefly in hot water, then invert it onto a serving plate. Hold the plate and tin firmly and give it a good shake to loosen the ice cream. Lift away the tin and gently peel off the clingfilm.
I served this as part of a buffet, and it looked very nice served with the slices running down the centre of the plate, and with a few whole ratafias and fresh physalis, their papery covers peeled back to reveal the orange fruit within, laid in clusters either side.
Preserved Clementines in Brandy or Liqueur12 Clementines
6 cloves
100g caster sugar
625ml brandy, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
You will also need 2 x 500ml preserving jars
Preheat the oven to 140C/gas1/Fan120c. Wash the two jars in very hot soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly and put them in the oven for 20 minutes, so that they are sterilised and completely dry before you use them.
Peel the Clementines and remove all the white pith from them. Using a potato peeler, strip the very top of the peel from about four of the Clementines. Slice that into very fine strips. Divide the Clementines between the jars, leaving space at the top. Add the sliced peel and cloves.
Put the sugar in a pan with 4 tablespoons of water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, the simmer for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from the heat and add the brandy or liqueur. Pour over the Clementines and seal the jars. Keep in a cool dark place for up to three months.