All posts tagged: Dinner party recipes

Rack of venison with black salsify salad recipe

Rack of venison with black salsify salad recipe

Published by skeptic

A rack of venison can be treated in exactly the same way as a rack of lamb; you can also cut the rack into cutlets to fry or grill. Depending on the size of the deer, you may need to allow 2-4 bones per person.  Black salsify (or scorzonera) isn’t produced widely in the UK (look to riverford.co.uk and finefoodspecialist.co.uk to buy online), but if you grow it yourself you’ll know that, like Jerusalem artichokes, you can leave it in the ground until you need it. Once dug, it will last a couple of weeks in the fridge in a ziplock bag or wrapped in a damp cloth. Peeled and cooked, it can be served like white asparagus, sliced in a salad, or teamed with other root vegetables. Timings Prep time: 15 minutes
 Cook time: 20 minutes Serves  4 Ingredients  4 black salsify sticks, trimmed and peeled juice of ½ lemon 1-2 racks of venison with 8-16 ribs, depending on size a little vegetable or corn oil 20ml cider 80ml rapeseed oil 4 handfuls of …

Venison pie recipe

Venison pie recipe

Published by skeptic

When buying the meat for this, it’s best if it comes from a single cut or joint, so that the pieces all cook in the same time. Shoulder or neck meat works well. If you are a fan of offal, you might like to add some pan-fried heart and kidney pieces to the meat once it’s tender, in the manner of a good old-fashioned steak and kidney pie. Timings Prep time: 45 minutes, plus cooling time
 Cook time: 2 hours  35 minutes Serves  4 Ingredients For the filling 1kg venison shoulder or neck, cut into rough 2-3cm chunks 3 tbsp plain flour vegetable oil, for frying 30g butter 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp tomato purée 200ml red wine 1.5 litres dark meat stock, such as beef 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves 10 juniper berries, crushed 1 small bay leaf 1-2 tsp cornflour (optional) For the pastry 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 85g shredded beef suet 60g butter, chilled and coarsely grated 1 medium egg, beaten Method Season …

Venison keema recipe

Venison keema recipe

Published by skeptic

This is a great way to use up all of the belly and off-cuts of venison, or any game for that matter. It makes for a great sharing starter or main course, served with flatbread or poppadoms.  Timings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes Serves  4 as a starter Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable or corn oil, for frying 500g coarsely minced venison 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp ground coriander the black seeds from 10 green cardamom pods 1 black cardamom pod (optional) 4-5 curry leaves 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves 1 tbsp ghee 1 medium onion, finely chopped 5 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed 30g root ginger, peeled and finely grated or chopped 4 medium green or red chillies, finely chopped 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 litre lamb, beef or game stock 1 tbsp tamarind paste To serve 20 or so fresh or dried curry leaves a little vegetable or corn …

Pink grapefruit and basil ice cream recipe

Pink grapefruit and basil ice cream recipe

Published by skeptic

Possibly the best ice cream I’ve ever made. The recipe was inspired by a lemon and basil ice cream I’d been making for years, but this version is even better. Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to serve it so that it can soften. Timings Prep time: 20 minutes, plus infusing, cooling and freezing time
 Cook time: 20 minutes Serves 6 Ingredients
 finely grated zest and juice of 1 pink grapefruit 50g granulated sugar 300ml whole milk 35 basil leaves, roughly torn 4 large egg yolks 75g caster sugar 150ml whipping cream 1-2 tbsp lemon juice Method Put the grapefruit zest and granulated sugar in a mortar and bash with a pestle for a couple of minutes, to flavour the sugar. Heat the milk with the sugar mixture to boiling point. Remove from the heat and add the basil leaves. Set aside to infuse for a couple of hours. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and thick. Strain the infused milk into a jug, using …

Poached pears with bay and lemon recipe

Poached pears with bay and lemon recipe

Published by skeptic

This is an easy dish to make which draws its elegance from just a few simple flavours. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes, plus cooling time
 Cook time: 1 hour Serves  4 Ingredients
 4 pears juice of 2 lemons, plus 2 broad strips of lemon zest 500ml dry white wine 175g granulated sugar 1 tsp white or black peppercorns 4 bay leaves crème fraîche or whipped cream, to serve Method Peel the pears, halve them lengthways, core and immediately put into a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon, turning the pears over to make sure they’re covered in juice. Put the rest of the lemon juice in a saucepan with the lemon zest, wine, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and 500ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pears and poach them for 15-20 minutes, depending on their ripeness and size (start checking after 10 minutes if they are quite ripe). Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set …

Kibbeh Nayeh (Lebanese raw lamb) recipe

Kibbeh Nayeh (Lebanese raw lamb) recipe

Published by skeptic

This is basically a Middle Eastern lamb tartare and, just as with steak tartare or carpaccio, the lamb needs to be as fresh as possible. I like to serve it as a starter with a minty salsa or as pre-dinner snacks on little pieces of lightly toasted Moroccan flatbread. A few delicious salted Cambodian Kampot peppercorns on top (something I tried recently from stonygroves.co.uk) are a nice touch. Timings Prep time: 15 minutes  Cook time: 5 minutes (if serving with flatbreads) Serves 4 as a snack or starter Ingredients 4 tbsp finely chopped parsley 2 tbsp finely chopped mint 1 medium red or green chilli, finely chopped, seeds and all 3 tbsp olive oil 1 lemon 400g fresh lamb fillet from the best end or rump, trimmed of sinew and finely chopped 6 spring onions, finely chopped 1 tsp smoked or unsmoked paprika 1 tsp ground cumin 30g bulgur wheat, pre-soaked in boiling water for an hour, then drained To serve flatbreads (optional) about 20 salted Kampot peppercorns (optional) Method Mix together 1 tsp each …

Beef carpaccio with horseradish and parmesan recipe

Beef carpaccio with horseradish and parmesan recipe

Published by skeptic

Carpaccio is a simple anytime starter or light main course. It’s important to buy a super-fresh fillet or sirloin and it can help to pop the beef in the freezer for 30-40 minutes before you need it; this firms it up and makes slicing it a little easier. Some people like to slice the meat paper-thin so that the plate can almost be seen through it, but I find you can’t taste the actual beef this way; slightly thicker slices are fine. Timings Prep time: 5 minutes, plus optional freezing time Serves  4 as a starter Ingredients 400-500g trimmed beef fillet or sirloin 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle 60-80g fresh horseradish root, peeled 100-120g Parmesan Method Place the beef (wrapped in cling film if you like) in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, if you wish. Using a very sharp knife, carve the beef into slices about 3mm thick and arrange on serving plates, covering as much of the surface as possible.  Season the beef and drizzle with olive oil. Finely grate the horseradish all over the beef to taste, followed by the Parmesan. Serve immediately. …

Texas chocolate sheet cake with chocolate ganache recipe

Texas chocolate sheet cake with chocolate ganache recipe

Published by skeptic

This is often made with a chocolate fudge topping that’s poured on while still warm, but that produces something more like a pudding than a cake for teatime – so I’ve gone for a chocolate ganache instead. Buttermilk gives a lovely tang. Timings Prep time: 20 minutes, plus cooling timeCook time: 35 minutes Serves  16 or more Ingredients For the cake 175g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing 85g cocoa powder 2 tbsp brewed espresso 250g soft dark-brown sugar 185ml buttermilk 3 tsp vanilla extract 375g caster sugar 3 large eggs, beaten 300g plain flour 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda For the ganache topping 150g plain chocolate 150g milk chocolate 250ml double cream chocolate chips, chunks or shavings, to decorate Method Preheat the oven to 170C/160C fan/gas mark 3½. Butter a baking tin measuring 23 x 33cm and line the base with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl, mix the cocoa, coffee and brown sugar with 325ml boiling water and stir to dissolve. Allow to cool a little then add the buttermilk, mixing until everything …

Almond and citrus cake with citrus syrup recipe

Almond and citrus cake with citrus syrup recipe

Published by skeptic

I’ve made this cake more often than any other. It’s just the best last-minute pudding or cake for tea. It works with other ground nuts too – try a pistachio cake finished with a rose-water syrup, a walnut one with a coffee syrup, or a hazelnut one finished with an orange syrup. This version is lovely with fruit, raw or baked, depending on the season (berries in summer, pears in winter). Timings Prep time: 15 minutes, plus cooling timeCook time: 1 hour Serves  8 Ingredients For the cake butter, for greasing 45g stale bread or cake crumbs 200g caster sugar 100g ground almonds (freshly ground, if possible) 1½ tsp baking powder 215ml olive oil 4 large eggs finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange icing sugar, for sifting over the top For the syrup juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange 90g granulated sugar 1 cinnamon stick, halved Method Butter a 21cm springform cake tin. Put the crumbs, sugar, almonds and baking powder into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the oil, eggs …

Seafood salad recipe

Seafood salad recipe

Published by skeptic

This is inspired by a simple but wonderful seafood salad I cooked in Sri Lanka using blue river prawns and squid. I’ve included a wider range here. Timings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients 150g live mussels, scrubbed and debearded 250g cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into rough 2cm squares 4 scallops, shucked a handful of sea beet, sea aster or samphire 4 oysters, shucked but still in the shell For the dressing 1 red chilli, finely chopped, seeds and all 2 spring onions, finely chopped 100ml olive or rapeseed oil 25ml cider vinegar Method Put the mussels in a pan with 100ml water, cover and cook over a high heat for a few minutes until all the shells have opened. Discard any that do not.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a plate, then add the cuttlefish and scallops to the liquid and cook for a minute, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and transfer the seafood to a separate plate, reserving the liquid. Strain the liquid through …