One list, five meals
8 small, short-crust pastry cases — about 5 inches, blind-baked
250g of spinach
150g of cream cheese
½ tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of grated nutmeg
8 slices of Parma ham
8 small eggs
Wilt the spinach in a little water in a large pan. Drain and when cool put into a blender with the cream cheese, paprika and nutmeg.
Blitz until a rough paste.
Line each pastry case with two sheets of the ham, spoon spinach mixture into the centre of each.
Crack an egg into the centre and place in a pre heated oven on 150 for about 10 minutes until the egg is cooked.
1 whole ripe Baby Durrus cheese, from West Cork
3 cloves of garlic, halved
2 sprigs of rosemary, cut in two
4 slices of old bread, cut into bite-size chunks
This also works well with camembert or Mont D’Or, from the north of France.
Cut a circle into the top of the cheese, about an inch in from the edge.
Peel off the circle of skin and set aside.
Push the garlic cloves and the sprigs of rosemary into the cheese and replace the top.
Sprinkle with a little black pepper.
Toast the bread and place in a bowl.
Put the cheese into an oven-proof dish that holds it well.
Place into an oven at 180 degrees for about 12 minutes, until it is bubbling and melted.
Gently peel the circle back off with a fork and pull out the rosemary.
Put the chucks of bread on the end of a fork and dip into the cheese.
8 large vol-au-vents
A knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
100g of mushrooms, sliced
A small bunch of thyme, chopped
200g of cooked chicken
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tbsp of brandy
150 mls of cream
These always remind me of Christmas and of my grandmother’s kitchen in Tipperary.
They are the perfect retro snack at this time of year and work just as well with left-over turkey.
Cook the vol-au-vents according to the directions given.
Melt the knob of butter, and sauté the onion until it is translucent, add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they are very soft.
Stir through the thyme, cayenne pepper and chicken, and fry until the chicken is heated. Add the brandy and flame to burn off the alcohol.
Stir through the cream and season with a generous amount of black pepper.
Leave to bubble for a few minutes, and then spoon into the vol-au-vents once it has cooled a little.
200g smoked salmon
150g of cream cheese
A handful of chives, chopped
A handful of dill, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
4 slices of bread, cut into circles about 2.5 inches wide
Cut the bread into circles with a cookie cutter, drizzle with olive oil, and place under a grill until golden on both sides, turning once.
Mix the cream cheese, lemon zest, chives and most of the dill together, and season generously with black pepper.
Spread the cream cheese over a slice of the salmon and roll it up into a sausage shape.
Seal it in cling-film and place in the freezer for about ten minutes to firm it up a little.
Gently cut down the roll at 2cm intervals, so you get nice, even wheels.
Place each wheel onto a toasted circle and sprinkle with a little more dill.
100g of smoked salmon, skin removed
100g of smoked haddock, cooked and cooled, bones and skin removed
80g of smoked mackerel, skin removed
60 mls of mayonnaise
120 mls of creme fraiche
30 mls of lemon juice
The zest of 3 lemons
A small bunch of dill, chopped
1 spring onion, very finely-chopped
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz gently until a rough paste is formed.
Serve with wedges of lemon, and either toast or crackers with the spring onion sprinkled on top.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
