Almond Macaroons

4 Large Egg Whites

70g Caster Sugar

230g Icing Sugar

160g Almond Meal

Food Colour

White Chocolate Ganache Filling

Juice of orange

1tbsp Cointreau

2 1/2cups White Chocolate melts

Put egg whites and caster sugar in a food mixer and using a ballon whisk, whisk on high speed for 8-10minutes to a stiff merengue. Should you wish to add colour to your macaroons, you should do so while whisking the whites. Sift almond meal together with icing sugar and fold in the mixture using a large metal spoon. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with 1cm plain nozzle. Line baking trays with baking paper then pipe small blobs size of 2euro coin. Dip finger in a little water and level tops down. Give the tray few sharp taps on the working top so that macaroons will not crack while cooking. Leave to rest for 15 minutes, meanwhile pre heat the oven to 150c.  Bake for 20 minutes then remove from oven and leave to cool completely before filling. Pair macaroons into equal sizes, then pipe small amount of ganache in the middle and sandwich together.

  

White chocolate Ganache

Bring Orange Juice and Cointreau to boil in a small saucepan.  Turn heat off and add chocolate, mix well till chocolate melts completely.  Use when mixture cools and thickens.

Veal Liver with Cherry tomato and Balsamic Glaze, Smashed Potatoes and Zesty Carrot mash.

This Sounds long and complicated, but all components to this dish can be prepared ahead, leave just 15 minutes before serving to prepare the liver.

2 medium Carrots
1 tsp Orange Zest
1 tbsp butter
500g Veal liver cut into 1 cm slices
1 small punnet Cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
4 sage leaves
1 tbsp Honey
1 Small Cabbage
Salt & Pepper
500g small new potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil

Cut cabbage in half then shred into thin strips.  Put in a pan, add 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt then  cover with lid and bring to boil. Boil for about 5 minutes turning about twice till just cooked.  Remove water and leave covered aside.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the carrots, add 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup water and bring to boil.  Simmer covered till carrots are cooked.  Process carrots and remaining liquor in a liquidiser( or hand blender) to a smooth paste.  Put carrot mash back to casserole, add 1 tbsp butter and stir till butter melts completely.  Check for seasonings then cover and keep warm.

Pre heat oven  to 200c. Boil new potatoes in salted water till just cooked.  Drain and squash each one with the back of a fork or masher.  Season baking pan with salt and pepper.  Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil, then arrange potatoes. Season again with salt and pepper and drizzle another tbsp olive oil on top.  Bake for 30-40minutes till tops are golden and crispy.

Drizzle the remaining tbsp of olive oil all over the veal liver.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with crushed garlic and roughly chopped .  Heat a large frying pan and add veal liver to dry fry. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Lift and place on a warmed plate.  Glaze the pan with balsamic vinegar, add 1/4 cup water and halved cherry tomatoes.  Add honey and give the pan swirls so that all mix well.  Add back liver and bubble up for just 1 minute.

Spoon 1 tbsp carrot mash, then arrage cabbage on the other side. Layer liver over cabbage and spoon glaze over the top. Allow three to four small potatoes per person on the plate but make sure to have more ready in a separate bowl.

Smoked Salmon and Mushroom Salad

Finally, a healthy dish to make up for all the Season's indulgence.  Serves 3-4

1 Medium Broccoli

250g Smoked Salmon

4 Eggs Poached

1 small Romane Lettuce

1 Carrot

300 g button Mushrooms

1 tsp Honey

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Capers in Vinegar

1 tsp English Mustard

1 lemon

50g Pine Nuts

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

Sea Salt and Freshly ground pepper

Cut Broccoli into florets, then cover with enough water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil.  Boil for 5 minutes then lift with a slotted spoon and give them a run with cold water to hold their vibrant green colour.  Set aside. In the same water, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon then add sliced mushrooms.  Boil for 1 minute. Drain but leave in the pan. While still hot add honey, capers, mustard, olive oil  and squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon.  Season with salt and pepper cover pan with lid shake well.

Heat a small frying pan, add pine nuts and toast for 2-3 minutes till golden. Tturning pan all the time for an even colour.

Arrange lettuce on a large serving bowl, scatter broccoli over.  Shave carrot with potato peeler and add to salad.  Layer with smoked salmon slices, arrange poached eggs on top, then  spoon warm marinated mushrooms all over.  Finally sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsely

Salt'n Pepper Diamond Rolls

Seasoned with Salt & Pepper these rolls are ideal for any Wine Party!! Prepare a rustic board with cheese and olives and enjoy la Dolce Vita!!

1Kg Plain flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
6 tsp Dried Active Yeast
4 heaped tbsp Dried Skimmed Milk Powder
600ml warm water
50g melted butter
Sea Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp Milk
1 tbsp Olive Oil

In a food mixer (fitted with hook) add flour, yeast, sugar and salt and give one stir.  Dissolve milk powder in warm water and add to flour mix. Mix on low speed for 10 minutes till dough is smooth and elastic.  Remove hook, cover dough with cling film and leave to improve for 45 minutes or until dough is double in bulk.  Remove cling film, lower hook and mix dough for another 5 minutes.  Remove dough from bowl and transfer to a working top.  Roll out dough to a rectangle approx 1 cm thick.  Using a pizza cutter cut dough into strips approx 6cm wide, then make cuts diagonally to form the diamond shape. Place on a baking tray, leaving some space to improve between one another. In a small bowl, beat 1 egg, add milk and olive oil, then using a sharp knife make slits to and from distant points of each roll and brush with egg mixture.  Sprinkle each roll with salt and pepper and put bread in oven.  Turn oven to 205c and bake till golden brown. (Do not pre heat the oven).  Rolls can be frozen when cooled completely and then re crisped when necessary.

Beef Wellington

Although this recipe is long and usually described as difficult, I find that with a bit of thought all preparations can be made a day ahead.  On the day of serving, all  you have to do is encase the beef and bake! Pancakes are necessary so that they will keep the beef juice from ruining the pastry....There is nothing worse than uncooked puff pastry.

1.25 kg Beef fillet
3 large pancakes(recipe)
300g button mushrooms
1 onion
2 clove garlic
sprig thyme
2 tbsp ground pistacio nuts
1 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp chicken powder
2 tbsp brandy
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
500g Ready made puff pastry sheets(home made recipe)
(or 1 packet, 2 rolls)
1 egg 

Massage 1 tbsp oil over the beef fillet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat non stick frying pan and dry fry fillet, giving approx 1 minute on every side to seal including ends. Transfer to warm plate and leave to rest.

Finely chop onions and crush the garlic. Heat butter in a medium casserole over low heat, add onions, crushed garlic and thyme and cook till mixture caramelise.  Add chopped mushrooms and cook for further 3 minutes turning frequently. Sprinkle chicken powder and stir, then add brandy and give a final stir.  Turn heat off.  Add bread crumbs and nuts and transfer mixture to food processor.(remove any wooden bits from thyme)  Process to obtain coarse paste.  Season with salt and pepper and leave mixture to cool.

Heat oven to 185c. Layer two pancakes on a working top, overlapping each other. Put beef in the middle and cover generously with the mushroom paste. Lift pancakes and then put the other pancake on top closing beef securely.  Transfer beef over puff pastry and close puff pastry over. Seal all ends with a little water. Use pastry trimmings to make decorative design on top.  Beat egg and add 1 tbsp water and brush all over pastry.  Bake in a 185c oven for 30-45minutes till pastry is richly golden.  Remove from oven and let wellington rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Rum'n Raisin Cheese Cake

Biscuit Base

150g Digestive Biscuits
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
50g melted Butter
1 cup roasted Hazelnuts
1 1/2 tbsp Icing Sugar

Cheese Mix
2 tsp Gelatin Powder
3/4 cup boiling water
360g Mascarpone Cheese
2 Passion Fruit
2 tbsp icing Sugar
250ml Fresh Cream

Rum & Raisin  Topping
150g Plain Chocolate
1 tbsp Malibu
2 tbsp Rum (Bacardi)
1/2 cup Golden Raisins
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Fresh Cream
1 tbsp Honey

Add raisins, Rum and Malibu in a small casserole. Bring to boil and simmer till all liquid is nearly evaporated and raisins plumps up. Add milk and Fresh Cream and bring to boil.  Turn off heat, add chopped chocolate, and stir to melt.  Add honey and continue to stir for about 1 minute to obtain a shiny mix.  Set aside to cool.

Prepare the biscuit base by adding roasted hazelnuts to food processor and process to obtain fine mix.  Add biscuits cocoa powder and icing sugar and continue processing to obtain fine crumbly mix.  Add melted butter and give a few pulses.  Transfer mixture to a 9 inch spring form cake base and press with fork to even out the biscuit base.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool.

In a small bowl dissolve gelatin powder in the 3/4cup boiling water.  Pass Passion fruit pulp through a sieve and reserve the juice. Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining seeds back to juice to add a crunchy texture to the cheese mix. 

In a large bowl add mascarpone cheese and icing sugar and beat with a spoon to a smooth thick cream, add gelatin water and passion fruit juice and mix well.  Whip fresh cream  and fold half into mascarpone mix.  Then fold the remaining half and spoon the cheese mixture over cooled biscuit base and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Finally spoon over the room temperature chocolate topping and chill for at least 5 hours before removing from tin to serve.