Cheese, ham and olive loaf

We've adapted this from a recipe we cut out of a magazine ages ago. We think it may have been Sainsburys.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

100ml good quality olive oil

250g self raising flour

125ml white wine

150g cooked cubed ham

150g grated cheese (gruyere, cheddar and parmesan are nice)

100g sliced pitted green olives

pinch of salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and line a loaf tin with baking paper or grease it with butter
• Mix the white wine and eggs together until frothy
• Add the olive oil, flour and seasoning and stir well
• Finally add the dry ingredients and make sure everything is mixed thoroughly
• Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the hot oven for 1 hour until it has risen slightly and the top is slightly browned
• Allow to cool before slicing
• Serve with salad and chutney

Other nice additions to the loaf are spring onions and sun dried tomatoes.

Onion and cheese tarts with walnuts

Ingredients:

8 shallots

pinch of sugar

knob of butter

puff pastry

blue cheese (we used roquefort)

walnuts

salad

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees
• Peel and halve the shallots and cook in butter for around 10 minutes until soft, adding the sugar after about 5 minutes
• Line the individual dips of a muffin/yorkshire pudding tray with baking paper. Cut it into circles beforehand so that each circle is around twice the size of each circle of the tin
• Spoon the onion mixture onto each circle of baking paper, pressing down so that it fills the dip
• Cut the puff pastry into circles a little wider than the tray circles
• Carefully place the pastry over each mound of onion mixture, tucking the edges in so that none of the onion mixture is visible. Make sure that the pastry is tucked inside the baking paper layer
• Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes until the pastry is risen slightly and crisp
• Very carefully invert the tarts onto warm plates. Top with slivers of blue cheese and scatter with walnuts
• Serve with a green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar

Wedding food

It's only 4 months until we get married now! We're very excited and need to decide on food and wine choices soon.

The venue is Belle Epoque in Knutsford, Cheshire and is the perfect setting for a winter wedding. We've opted to have the ceremony and reception in one venue. We want candles, log fires, elegant Christmas decorations (no tinsel!) and preferably a bit of snow (please please snow). There's a roof terrace which will be lit with storm lanterns and fairy lights.

We're planning on offering champagne or mulled wine on arrival before the ceremony. This will be followed by canapes (we need to pick 4 from the list below) and then a main course of 'tasting of lamb' which consists of... Individual Shepherd’s Pies, Cutlet of Lamb and Confit of Lamb shoulder served with Savoy Cabbage, French Beans and Confit of Garlic.

Dessert will be sticky toffee pudding if I get my way, with coffee, port or brandy, and either chocolate truffles or mini mince pies.

We've not decided on the evening buffet yet but we do want a tower of chocolate and cinnamon doughnuts if possible (damn Krispy Kreme for not being able to deliver).

Then honeymooning (is that a word?) in the Lake District followed by Mexico. CANT WAIT!

Canape options:

Downstairs room next to the bar and dance floor where canapes will be served:

Upstairs room for wedding breakfast with roof terrace through French windows at the back:

Exterior:

http://www.thebelleepoque.com/

Seafood mixed grill

Bream, salmon, tiger prawns, squid and scallops, served with salad, crusty bread and garlic and parsley mayonnaise. And a bottle of Chablis. Mmmmm

Nasi Goreng

We use cooked rice for this - either cooked ourselves and then cooled or one of those microwave pouches of cooked rice. You could use whatever veg takes your fancy in this. We tend to use either strips of lean pork or chicken and prawns in ours.

Ingredients (serves 2):

cooked rice

2-3 chicken thighs, diced

handful of prawns

1 onion, chopped

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

4 spring onions, chopped

1 chilli, chopped

1cm piece ginger, minced

1 green pepper, chopped (optional)

1 courgette, chopped (optional)

6 mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 tea sp curry powder

1/4 tea sp ground coriander

1/4 tea sp ground cumin

sesame oil

soy sauce

1 egg

• In a little sesame oil fry the onion, garlic, mushrooms and peppers for a couple of minutes, then add the chilli, ginger and spring onions.
• Brown the chicken pieces in a separate pan and then add them to the veg. At this stage you can also add the curry powder, coriander and cumin.
• Continue to fry the chicken and vegetables for another couple of minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
• At this stage add the prawns, peas and a splash of soy sauce.
• Beat the egg and make a plain omellette. Cut it into strips and set it aside.
• Add the cooked rice to the chicken and veg and season to taste and then add another splash of sesame oil. Stir everything well and make sure the rice is hot.
• Garnish with the omelette strips and serve.

Scallops and prawns with Mojo sauce

Searching for Mojo sauce on the web brings up loads of different recipe variations, with suggestions that it originates from Cuba, The Canary islands and Mexico amongst other places.

I have no idea how authentic ours is but it tastes good!

Ingredients:
Approx 75ml olive oil
Juice of half a lime
1 large garlic clove, crushed
½ tea sp cumin
A small bunch of parsley, chopped
Splash of tequila (optional)
Splash of chilli sauce (or add a pinch of dried chilli)

Serve with grilled meat or fish

• Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl before heating through gently in a saucepan for 5 minutes or so.
• Serve in a separate mini bowl per person so that it can be dipped in or poured over food as preferred.

Chocolate Martini

This is a great alternative to dessert :-)

Measurements are approximate but should produce a couple of glasses...

50ml vodka (preferably vanilla vodka)

50ml creme de cacao

50ml Bayleys (optional)

1 mug of hot chocolate (optional)

lots of ice

• If you want a proper chocolate martini simply shake the vodka and creme de cacao in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy.
• If you want a slightly less potent version you can do the following... prepare the hot chocolate as you would usually but don't add sugar and don't make it too thick.
• Allow the hot chocolate to cool slightly and then pour into the cocktail shaker with the vodka, creme de cacao and baileys. Add plenty of ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass and serve.

Bruschetta

Ingredients:

baguette or ciabatta

4 tomatoes, diced

2 spring onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, 1 minced and the other peeled and cut in half

basil leaves - approx 10, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
• In a bowl mix together the tomatoes, spring onions, minced garlic and basil. Season and add a good glug of good quality olive oil. Put to one side for 15 minutes or so.
• Slice the bread and bake in the hot oven for a couple of minutes.
• Remove the bread slices from the oven and rub the halved garlic pieces on each slice. Drizzle with a little olive oil and top each slice with a spoonful of the tomato mixture. Cook in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the edges of the bread are starting to crisp.
• Arrange the bruschetta on a plate and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.