Dinner Party Archives - Page 5 of 11 - Gimme The Recipe - You came for the food now stay for the romance!

Mini Cheesecake Pots

Posted on March 22, 2012March 22, 2012 by sheila kiely

This is a dessert for the time-pressed cheesecake lover. The kind of person who doesn’t prepare things the night before and doesn’t like to wait while things set or bake.

You can take this in any direction that you like and the flavour combinations here are a variation on some classics, just think about your favourite flavour parings and then interpret them into biscuits and fruit. If you’re a lover of oranges perhaps a jaffa cake base, then some mandarin slices mixed in with the cream and cheese all topped off with a couple of Terry’s chocolate orange segments. (Now why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? I do think that would look very pretty and be sophisticated enough to grace a dinner party table.)

I recycled some glass yoghurt pots and some glass ramekins that I think had been bought filled with pate once upon a time. You could pretty things up with some co-ordinating ribbon but I did say these were ideal for the time-pressed so perhaps not.
If you’d like to reward all your hard work with a break away there’s a fabulous competition running with some great prizes from now until the 30th of March 2012. Just follow this link.
There’s also some great opportunities to win copies of my book ‘Gimme the Recipe‘ on a number of other competitions that I’ve linked to on my gimme the recipe facebook page – and while you’re over there I’d appreciate a Like, thank you!
Now back to these beauties:
First up I give you the Lemon & Crunchie Honey Pot:

Lemon & Crunchy Honey Cheesecake Pot — Lemon & Crunchie Honey Cheesecake Pot

Next to grace the table is Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers & Raspberry Pot:

Cadbury's Fingers & Raspberry Cheesecake Pot

& finally the Oreo & Strawberry Pot:

In the interests of being the ultimate time-saving dessert I used Avonmore pre-whipped cream. Did you know there was such a thing? I’m not talking the long-life cream in a can but a tub of whipped fresh cream straight from the supermarket chill cabinet, handy or what?
Mini Cheesecake Pots:
Makes 6.
You will need:
For the base*:
Cadbury’s crunchie bars
or
Cadbury’s chocolate fingers
or
Oreo cookies
For Filling:
250g mascarpone cheese (or any cream cheese)
1 tbsp icing sugar
350ml fresh whipped cream ( I used Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream)
For Flavouring Filler:
Half tsp lemon juice & 1 tbsp honey
or
mashed raspberries
or
mashed strawberries
To garnish:
Lemon zest & slices
or
Dark chocolate to grate & extra chocolate fingers
or
Whole oreo biscuit
Method:
Place your chosen base in a sandwich bag and bash until crumbled with a rolling-pin.
Mix the mascarpone cheese in a bowl with 1tbsp icing sugar and whatever you have selected to flavour the mixture.
Once the flavouring element and mascarpone cheese have been combined then gently fold in the whipped cream.
Assemble your cheesecake pots by layering the crumbled base first then the flavoured filling and finally garnish at will.
Can be served immediately or chilled in refrigerator if prepared ahead of time.
Note: I toasted and bashed some hazelnuts for the lemon & honey version and I added extra whole raspberries and slices of strawberries on top of the biscuit base and under the filling in the other ones.
*Quantities per base: Allow approx half a crunchie per pot or 4 chocolate fingers or 2 oreos
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.

Dinner Party

Irish Angus Fillet Steak with Portobello Mushroom

Posted on February 14, 2012February 14, 2012 by sheila kiely

Fancy cooking a magnificent Valentine’s Day feast in less than 20 minutes?

All you need is some first-class Irish ingredients and off you go; Portobello mushrooms from Monaghan, succulent Irish Angus Fillet Steaks from your butcher and handmade country butter from Glenilen farm.

To up the flavour stakes in the portobello mushrooms Glenilen butter is mashed with parsley to make parsley butter and then crushed garlic added with a dollop being placed in each mushroom. Garlic bread is made by rubbing the cut side of a garlic clove onto one side of the crusty bread and then buttering generously with parsley butter.
If you’re after a wickedly indulgent dessert to go with this then check out last week’s Chocolate & Raspberry Fondant. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Irish Angus Fillet Steak with Portobello Mushroom.
Serves 2.
You will need:
50-75g Butter (real Irish butter)
Curly parsley
2 cloves garlic
Rapeseed or olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms
Crusty bread
2 Irish Angus Fillet Steaks
Rocket leaves
Chives to garnish
Method:
Heat the fan oven to 200C / Gas Mark 7.
Mix 50g-75g of butter with finely chopped parsley using a fork to mash well.
Take 2 tsps of the parsley butter and mix it with a crushed garlic clove to make a herby garlic butter.
Put two small drops of oil on a baking tray and place the upturned portobello mushrooms (stalks facing up) on the oil on the tray.
Place a knob of the herby garlic butter onto each mushroom and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile cut a garlic clove in two and rub the cut side onto thick cut slices of crusty bread. Butter the bread with parsley butter and set aside.
When the mushrooms have been cooking for 10 minutes place the steaks on a plate and drizzle over with a little oil and season with ground sea salt and black pepper.
Heat a dry non-stick griddle pan or frying pan to high and sear the steaks for a minute on each side.
Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook for approx. 2 minutes more on each side for a rare steak. (The steak I cooked was fairly thick and with a 6 minutes total cooking time was rare. Cooking time will vary according to thickness and your preference so ask your butcher for advice on this.)
Toast the garlic bread under a hot grill for a minute or two until the butter melts and edges are getting crispy.
Serve the steaks on a bed of rocket leaves, spoon some of the garlic butter juices in the mushrooms over the steak and garnish with finely chopped chives.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.

Chocolate & Raspberry Fondant

Posted on February 8, 2012August 3, 2012 by sheila kiely

A chocolate fondant, a falling down cake, a molten lava cake, call it what you will what we’re talking of here is an individual pot of chocolatey heaven with a gooey, still warm centre.

mmmmmmm I hear you say. Double mmmmmm. Not only does this pot of chocolate glory have an oozing melting chocolate centre it is sumptuously combined with the tangy sweetness of raspberries.

There is nothing more to be said other than bake and enjoy.
Chocolate & Raspberry Fondant
Makes 4 large or 6 medium individual ramekins
You will need:
150g unsalted butter
150g chocolate 70% cocoa
3 eggs + 3 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
30g plain flour
20/30 raspberries
a little extra butter for greasing ramekins
Method:
Pre-heat the fan oven to 180C / Gas Mark 6.
Prepare 4 large or 6 medium sized ramekins by greasing them with a little butter.
Break the chocolate into a bowl along with the roughly chopped butter and melt in the microwave together (1.5 to 2 minutes)
Meanwhile whisk the eggs and yolks together with an electric mixer until beginning to thicken and add in the caster sugar and mix well.
Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture and mix well and then mix in the flour.
Fold in the raspberries by hand so that they remain whole keeping back a few to decorate.
Pour the mixture into the ramekins and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
To serve, turn out from ramekin and serve with some raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar.
Enjoy.
Til next time, Sheila.

Dinner Party

Christmas Day Starter – Grape and Melon with Mint

Posted on December 21, 2011December 21, 2011 by sheila kiely

The excitement is palpable now and it’s time to dust off the old reliable recipes that go to make Christmas Dinner in our homes. For as long as I’ve been making Christmas Dinner I’ve been using this Darina Allen recipe for Grape and Melon with Mint as a starter and it’s a tradition for us now.

I’m hopeful that it will bring warm memories to my children of their childhood Christmases when they eventually leave to create their own celebration of Christmas. Memories of Christmas music playing in the background as I sit up at the counter to peel the grapes and some of them join in as they drift in and out of the kitchen.
Yes, you read that correctly PEEL the grapes!!

I forgive you if you think I’m an absolute nutter for going to those lengths but I do it because Darina says so in her recipe. She also says to ‘remove the pips with the hooked end of a sterilised paper clip or hair grip.’ Bordering on lunacy I may be at times, but as I am not a complete ‘head the ball’ I opt to buy seedless grapes instead of removing the pips by hand. But peel them I do. It’s a tedious chore but it doesn’t take long to do especially if you’ve some little hands to help you. I have also made it without peeling the grapes too and it still works fine but it is lacking that tiny bit of effort that makes it extra special and more enjoyable.

Dipping the rim of the glass in juice and rolling in some sugar gives the glass a lovely frosted looking, wintry touch.

Grape and Melon with Mint
You will need:
1 small melon
2 medium oranges
1 lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar
225g green (seedless) grapes
1 tsp fresh mint
Extra sugar to decorate glass
Method:
Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds and use a melon baller to create mini balls of melon and place them in a large bowl.
Squeeze in the juice of the two oranges and the juice of the lemon and stir in 1 tbsp caster sugar.
Peel the grapes and add them to the melon and juice.
Finally add some finely chopped mint and mix well.
Serve this as a starter in some pretty glasses, first dipping the glass rim into the juice and then rolling the rim onto a plate of caster sugar to coat it.
Enjoy.

Til next time, Sheila.

Dinner Party

Cranberry, Pate & Pickled Cucumber Christmas Canapes

Posted on December 18, 2011 by sheila kiely

Well, we’re in the thick of it now. Up to our elbows in wrapping paper, scrabbling to find the beginnings of the cellotape roll and getting ourselves tangled into knots along with the fairy lights. As the frenzy of present shopping begins to subside it’s time to turn our attention to the food preparation. With visitors dropping in unexpectedly it’s a good idea to have some stand-bys to hand so that you can very quickly whip up a tasty morsel or two to serve with the mince pies.

The inspiration for these canapes came from my annual trip to the Christmas Food & Wine Magazine Show in Dublin where Moloughney’s were one of the exhibitors. To say I was inspired is an understatement as what I have done is more or less replicated one of their offerings at the show.

I’ve used their spiced cranberries along with some locally sourced chicken liver pate and a home-made pickled cucumber to produce a very simple yet impressive looking canape. I picked up the chicken liver pate at Mahon Point Farmer’s Market last Thursday. This delicious free-range chicken liver pate is made by Flynn’s Kitchen and was an award winner at Blas na hEireann 2011.

Good quality pickled cucumbers are easy to pick up pre-made or you could use this simple Clodagh McKenna recipe to make your own. It should keep well for 3-4 weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Pickled Cucumber:
You will need:
1 cucumber
1 onion
80g white sugar
250ml cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
Method:
Peel and very thinly slice the cucumber and the onion into a large bowl.
(I used a large dish (see picture) to ensure all cucumber and onion would be covered with the liquid)
Add the sugar, cider vinegar and salt and give it a stir.
Cover with cling-film and store overnight in the fridge.
Dispense into airtight containers, jam jars etc. and use within 3-4 weeks stored in the fridge.

Cranberry, Pate & Pickled Cucumber Christmas Canape:
You will need:
Thin crackers or toasts
Chicken liver pate
Pickled cucumber
Spiced cranberries or a regular cranberry sauce will work too
Method:
Spread some pate on the crackers and top with the pickled cucumber and spiced cranberries.
Simple & Delicious.
Enjoy.

Til next time, Sheila.