Tag Archives: party food

Cooking for the Holiday Season

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With less than a week to go till Christmas everyone is busy shopping and cooking. A week later many of us will be at it again for New Year’s Eve. Here are some links to Café Cat recipes to help you through the holiday season.

If you want to make your own Christmas cake or pudding it’s not too late – just give it a good drizzle of brandy a couple of days before serving and it will be nice and moist. And this cheat’s recipe for Quick Individual Christmas puds, made with crumbled shop-bought cake, is a sure winner for end of year gatherings.

Sausage rolls and mince pies are traditional Christmas finger foods which can be baked ahead until just slightly under-done, then frozen (or refrigerated for a day or two) and reheated for a few minutes on the day.

At this time of year I always make a Glazed Ham and some Gravlax with Sweet Mustard Sauce because they both slice into a lot of servings and last for several meals. Cook the ham a bit longer than the one shown in the photo, so the glaze goes a darker brown. I must have been in a rush that day! Make double the Sweet Mustard Sauce recipe and keep it in a jar in the fridge. You’ll find it goes well with ham as well as Gravlax or Smoked Salmon. Here you can see a platter of sliced Gravlax next to some cooked asparagus surrounded by good old-fashioned devilled eggs, garnished with a small piece of anchovy.

Here are some more ideas for a cold buffet:

And a few cold starters for a sit down meal:

For an impressive dessert you can’t go wrong with one of these:

And if you’re short of time try one of these:

I would like to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe New Year. I look forward to sharing many more recipes with you in 2025.

Cucumber Avocado & Smoked Salmon Rolls

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You may have seen variations on this recipe on Pinterest and Instagram. I made them for a recent potluck French lunch which I attend every month in order to keep up the lingo. Learning a foreign language is a lot of work, so having put in all that effort it makes sense to keep it up.

As you can see from the final product, I didn’t roll it up tightly enough, so I will remember that for next time.

 

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1 long telegraph cucumber
250g cream cheese at room temperature
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small avocado, or ½ a large one, sliced
3-4 slices smoked salmon
A few chives
To garnish:
Balsamic glaze
Sesame seeds

Choose a nice thin cucumber – you don’t one one with a lot of seeds and moisture.

Use a vegetable peeler to slice the cucumber lengthwise. Arrange the slices, slightly overlapping on a piece of baking paper, as shown in the photo. Mix the garlic, if using, into the cream cheese and season. Spread the cream cheese over the cucumbers to cover the top 10 cm or so. Also spread a tiny bit all along the opposite end, to help to stick everything together when you roll it. Either lay the chives under the avocado, whole, which is what I did. Or chop them finely and mix them into the cream cheese, which is what I think I will do next time. Arrange the smoked salmon, chives and avocado on top of the cream cheese, as shown in the photo.

Starting from the loaded end, use the baking paper to help you to roll it up as tightly as possible, then wrap in plastic wrap and leave in the fridge till serving time. Up to a few hours is ok. This helps to firm everything up.

To serve, use a very sharp serrated knife to cut the roll into slices 4-5cm thick. Arrange them on a plate, cut side up. Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a few sesame seeds.

Makes about 10

Cream Cheese Log with Dried Fruit & Nuts

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Invite some friends round for a drink and serve this delicious cheese log with your favourite crackers. It can be made a day or two before serving. If you want it to keep for longer, leave out the chives and maybe add some dried herbs. Then it will keep for a week or two.

Try different combinations of fruit and nuts. The photo shows cranberries and pecans, but glacé ginger or diced apricots, or both, with walnuts or pecans is a great combination.

Just before serving I cut the log in half, so what you see in the photo is one of two small logs.

150g dried cranberries (or apricots, dates, seedless raisins, figs, glacé ginger, or a mixture)
125g pecans (or walnuts, pistachios or macadamias, or a mixture)
4 Tbs snipped chives (use scissors)
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the cranberries and pecans, both finely chopped, in a mixing bowl with the chives. Mix well. Place cream cheese in another mixing bowl, add the grated cheddar, about half the cranberry and nut mixture and season to taste.

Place a large piece of plastic wrap on the kitchen bench. Tip the remaining cranberry and nut mixture onto the middle in a rectangle.  Use a spatula to scrape the cream cheese mixture onto a plate or chopping board, in a rough log shape. Use damp hands to form it into a neater log shape, about 3cm in diameter. Or you can make two smaller logs.

Place the log on the cranberry and nut mixture and roll it around, patting it into the log until it’s completely covered, including both ends. Use a clean piece of plastic wrap to wrap the log and once it’s securely wrapped, roll it on the counter a few times to improve the shape.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving with your favourite crackers.

Serves a crowd

Spinach and Feta Pastries

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This recipe for Spinach and Feta pastries was one of my most popular posts, so here it is again. I’m travelling in Europe so there will be a few repeat posts while I’m away.

These are a great addition to lunch boxes, picnics and buffet lunches. They are also great to serve with drinks. Most kids love them and it’s a good way to get them to eat more green veggies.

Once cooked and cooled, if not serving immediately, you can keep them in the fridge for a few days or freeze them. They will just need a few minutes in a hot oven or an air fryer to heat up.

1-2 sheets bought puff pastry
Filling:
About 225g frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used half a 450g pkt of spinach nuggets)
100g feta cheese, crumbled
¾ cup thinly sliced spring onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Extra:
1 beaten egg to brush

Preheat oven to 200°C. Squeeze any liquid from the spinach then mix it with remaining filling ingredients. Cut out 12 squares of puff pastry, approximately 8cm or 3 inches square. I got nine from one sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry.

Lightly but thoroughly (mine got a bit stuck) oil a 12 hole muffin pan and place a pastry square in each. Place a rounded tablespoonful of filling in each, then go back and use the rest to top them up. If you have too much you could use another muffin pan and make a couple more but I found the mixture made exactly 12.

Pull the four pastry points over the top of the filling and pinch lightly together. Brush with beaten egg, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheated for a few minutes in a hot oven or frozen.

Makes 12

Scotch Eggs in the Air Fryer

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A hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried becomes a Scotch egg.

There are various explanations regarding the origin of the name of these traditional British snacks. They were first mentioned in Britain in publications from the early 1800s, so they have been around for quite some time.

The advent of the air fryer makes cooking them so much easier and healthier. Instead of deep frying, just give them a quick spray with a can of oil before they go into the air fryer.

Served at room temperature they make a perfect addition to lunch boxes, summer buffets and picnics.

Serve with Spicy Tomato Sauce (recipe below) for dipping.

6 large eggs, hardboiled and peeled
600g pork sausages
1 very small onion, grated (optional)
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup (or maybe a bit more) panko breadcrumbs (or ordinary breadcrumbs)
Fresh herbs or thinly sliced spring onion to garnish
Spicy Tomato Dipping Sauce:
½ cup tomato ketchup
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbs vinegar
1 small onion, grated
1½ Tbs honey
½ tsp hot English mustard
2 tsp grated fresh ginger

While the eggs are boiling, remove the casings from the sausages and discard them. Mix the sausage meat with the onion, herbs, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into six and flatten each portion into a circle about four inches (10cm) in diameter. Place an egg on each, wrap the sausage meat around the egg and pinch to close any holes an make a nice oval ball. Roll each one in beaten egg then breadcrumbs, patting them in to cover evenly. Can be made ahead to this point and kept refrigerated for up to several hours. My eggs were not very big so I hardboiled 7 rather than 6.

Place the Scotch eggs in an air fryer in one layer and preferably not quite touching. Spray lightly with oil then cook at 200°C for about 20 minutes. After 10 minutes turn them over and spray again.

Remove from air fryer when cooked and leave to cool. Serve cut in half, garnished with herbs or spring onion and with the sauce for dipping.

Makes 12 egg halves

Sauce: heat ingredients together in a saucepan, then cool. Use as a dipping sauce for Scotch eggs, sausage rolls and empanadas.

Salmon Poke Bowl

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According to Google, poke bowls (pronounced pokee) originated in Hawaii but are now deeply-rooted in Japanese cuisine. Poke means “cut into pieces” and refers to the slices or cubes of raw fish that are served in a bowl, along with rice, vegetables, dressing and seasoning.

A poke bowl is usually an individual serving, with the various ingredients arranged in groups. In this version, which I created as part of a buffet lunch where I had been asked to bring a plate, I made one large poke bowl, with the ingredients evenly layered in the serving dish.

I have always made my own salad dressings but this roasted sesame dressing is an exception. I buy it from Woolworths and we always have a bottle in the fridge. If you have never tried it I should warn you that it’s addictive. Guaranteed to perk up any salad!

1 cup sushi rice
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
300g fresh salmon
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 finely chopped birds-eye chilli (optional)
1 Lebanese cucumber, half  the peel removed, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded into fine julienne
1 avocado, sliced
3 eggs, hardboiled and quartered
½ red onion, thinly sliced (or spring onions)
Coriander leaves
Black sesame seeds
1 Tbs pink peppercorns (optional)
Kewpie Japanese roasted sesame dressing (see note below)

Cook the rice in boiling salted water then rinse, drain thoroughly and mix in the rice wine, sugar and seasoning to taste, while it’s still warm. Spread over the base of a large serving dish. Remove skin and trim any stringy bits from the salmon, then cut it into 1cm cubes. Mix it with the olive oil, grated ginger and chilli if using.

Arrange the ingredients evenly over the rice, in the order they are listed. Finish with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds and some pink peppercorns if you have them. Lastly drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

If preferred serve the ingredients in 3 or 4 individual bowls.

Serves 6-10 as a side dish

Note: Kewpie Japanese roasted sesame dressing is available in Australia in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. Here is a photo of the bottle so you know what it looks like and a recipe to make your own if you can’t buy it where you live.

Variations: add baby tomatoes, halved. Use raw tuna instead of salmon.

Mediterranean Baked Fish with Feta

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When we were posted to Israel we had a cleaning lady who was also called Linda. My Hebrew was pretty basic, but she spoke Italian and I speak Spanish so we communicated in a weird combination of all three. A certain amount was lost in translation, but we managed.

When Linda’s son had his Bar Mitzvah she invited us to the celebration. We got terribly lost on the way and as we pulled up at the address we had been given – a huge building in the centre of town – we were feeling somewhat frazzled. The sound of a big party was wafting down the stairs so we ran up to find a room packed with over 200 guests seated at tables for 10. Linda was nowhere to be seen, so not wanting to make a point of having arrived late we spotted a couple of empty seats in the far corner and sat down. We were onto our second glass of wine and having a jolly time when suddenly the band started to play, everyone stood up and in walked the bride and groom. “Holy Dooley” said Matthew, “wrong party.”

It was impossible to leave without shaking hands with the happy couple as they were blocking the only exit. We left them looking somewhat bemused and no doubt thinking, “Who invited them?”  We eventually found our party at the other end of the building.

Linda gave me this easy recipe for a Mediterranean all-in-one fish dish. If you have more mouths to feed, the onions and potatoes “pad it out”, as my mother used to say, but I often leave one or both of them out. If preferred, serve potatoes, rice or Israeli couscous as a side dish.

This recipe makes a quick midweek family dinner and is easy to halve or double. More people to feed? Bigger dish. It’s also great for casual entertaining and looks very colourful when you bring it to the table. I don’t usually measure the ingredients, just do it by eye.

1.5 kg firm white fish fillets
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
200-300g feta cheese
200-300g olives, stoned (black or green)
12-15 baby onions or 1 large onion cut into 8.
12-15 peeled baby potatoes (optional)
200-250g cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes, thickly sliced
½ cup olive oil
½ cup white wine or dry sherry
To serve:
3-4 Tbs chopped parsley, preferably flat-leafed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 200°C . Cut fish into 2-3 cm chunks, mix with salt, pepper and crushed garlic and spread over a greased shallow baking dish. If using, cook baby onions and potatoes separately in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until almost cooked then drain. If using a whole onion cut into 8, fry it for a few minutes in a little olive oil, or until softened.

Cut feta into cubes and evenly distribute, tucking them in between the fish to make a pretty picture. Add the olives, tomatoes, onions and, if using, the potatoes. Drizzle with the wine or sherry and then the oil. Recipe can be made ahead to this stage and kept refrigerated for up to a few hours.

Bake for 30 minutes or until fish is cooked. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle with a little more oil (optional). Serve with a crusty baguette to mop up the juices and a big green salad or some steamed green beans.

Serves 6-8

Cumquat and Almond Cake

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When a dessert comes into fashion you see it everywhere – in food magazines, on restaurant menus and served up by friends who entertain. A few years ago chocolate fondants – those tricky little puddings which are all about timing – were very much in vogue. A pool of delectable melted chocolate pours out when you stick your spoon into the middle – well that’s the theory. If you’ve managed to over-cook them, as I’ve done on more than one occasion, they’re still delicious. One of my all-time favourite desserts.

Turn the clock back even further to the 1970s and 80s and everyone was making Orange and Almond cake, where you boil two whole oranges until soft, whizz them to a purée, then add them to the cake mixture. I believe this cake made its debut in Australia in Claudia Roden’s Book of Middle Eastern Food, but recipes were soon popping up everywhere. Some versions don’t use any flour, making them good for celiacs.

Once again we have a huge crop of cumquats, so I decided to make this cake using cumquats instead of oranges and it was a great success. If preferred use two oranges or even mandarins.

Cumquat and Almond Cake

Cake:
About 300g cumquats (or 2 oranges)
2 cups ground almonds (or grind your own from whole or slivered blanched almonds)
125g butter at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
5 eggs
½ cup self-raising flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
Syrup:
2 Tbs cumquat juice (or orange juice)
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup water
2 Tbs whisky (optional)
To serve:
Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line the base of a 22cm cake pan with baking paper and grease the sides. Place cumquats in a pan and cover with water. Simmer for 10 mins or until soft then cool. If using oranges they will take 20-30 mins. Cut in half and remove seeds.

If you need to grind the almonds, do them first in the food processor, then add remaining ingredients for cake, including the cooked cumquats, skin and all. Mix until smooth, stopping once to scrape down mixture from the sides. Tip mixture into cake pan and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Ovens vary so start checking after 45 mins.

Meanwhile make the syrup – place all ingredients in a small pan and simmer for 5 mins. Make holes over the top of the cake with a metal skewer and spoon the warm syrup over as soon as it comes out of the oven. The syrup will be absorbed.

Serve dusted with icing sugar, either warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of thick cream.

Serves 8-10

Variations: use macadamia nuts or pine nuts instead of almonds

Note: to make a flourless version suitable for anyone who is gluten intolerant, replace the flour with an extra half cup of ground almonds

Delicious Desserts for New Year’s Eve

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I would like to wish all my readers a wonderful holiday season and a safe, happy and healthy New Year. In the old days it was common to wish everyone a prosperous New Year, but since Covid-19 most people have come to the conclusion that there are more important things in life than money.

Whether you’re experiencing freezing cold winter weather in the northern hemisphere or hot, summer days in the southern hemisphere, a New Year gathering calls for some special desserts. Here are a few of my favourites.

If berries are not in season you can make most of these desserts with frozen ones. When using frozen berries to decorate (rather than inside a jelly or trifle) remove them from the freezer and spread them out on a plate about half an hour before serving. This way they will have just thawed when you use them and won’t have had time to go mushy.

See you next year!

Eton Mess.

Layered Fruit Jelly.

Mango and Passionfruit Ice Cream Cake.

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Tim Tams.

Chocolate Fudge Cake with Tim Tams

Raspberry Trifle.

Pavlova.

Labneh with Summer Berries.

Colette’s French Apricot Tart

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My friend Colette brought this delicious fruit tart to one of our monthly Potluck lunches where we all speak French for two hours. It’s called Tarte Bourdaloue, but I call it Colette’s Tart, because she gave me the recipe.

If you’ve ever looked at the pastries in the window of a French patisserie you will notice that they tend to almost overcook them, resulting in a few charred edges. This is what gives French pastries their authentic flavour, so when you make this tart, don’t undercook it. The original Tarte Bourdaloue used pears, but apricots, plums, apples or pears, either canned, fresh or frozen, all work well. You can even throw in a few berries.

Pastry:
250g butter, chilled
250g cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2½ cups plain flour
Filling:
2 eggs
180g almond meal
150g sugar
3 Tbs rum (optional)
Topping:
2 x 400g can apricots, pears or plums, drained (or use fresh or frozen fruit)
2 Tbs apricot jam, heated and sieved
Flaked almonds, lightly toasted
Process butter, sugar and flour until fine crumbs form, then add the cream cheese, cut into chunks and process just until pastry forms a ball. This is enough to make three tarts approximately 25-30cm in diameter. Tip out and cut the pastry into three, use one ball to make this tart and freeze the other two, wrapped in plastic wrap, to use another time.

Chill the pastry ball you’re going to use for half an hour or so. Roll it out using some extra flour and use it to line the tart tin. Mine is 30cm in diameter and has a removable bottom. If you don’t have a metal tin a ceramic one will do. If you find it hard to lift the pastry once it has been rolled out into a big circle, cut it into four and move it in sections. You can easily rejoin the seams by pressing them together with your fingers. Trim off the top edges with a knife. Chill the tart shell while the oven heats up.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the pastry shell blind (without filling) for 8-10 minutes, or until light golden. Mix filling and spread over the pastry base. Place the fruit on top, pushing it in a bit. From two tins of apricot halves I had a few left over. I probably could have used them all if I had arranged them closer together. If using pears slice them, then put them back together in the shape of halved pears, which looks nice – have a look at photos on Google.

Bake 30-35 mins at 200°C. Brush the heated apricot jam all over the tart, then sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 8 (with pastry left to make 2 more tarts)