34^th 
Anniversary Dinner

Starter

Salmon, Cream Cheese & Horseradish Filo Parcels

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Main Course

Cheese & Potato Pie with Cheese Pastry

Root Vegetable Mash

Peas with Honey & Mint

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Dessert

Prune & Chocolate Custard Tart

Salmon, Cream Cheese and Horseradish Filo Parcels

Pack of filo pastry sheets

smoked salmon pieces 

cream cheese

horseradish

few snipped chives

Melted butter for brushing

Preheat oven to 200c.  In a medium bowl mix the salmon, cheese, horseradish and chives, set aside.  

Cut the filo sheets into squares about 6 inches square.  Layer up 3 to 4 peices, lightly brushing with butter between each sheet.  Dollop 2 teaspoons or so of the salmon mixture in the middle of each square and gently bring up the pastry around and twist.  Brush with a bit more butter and place on a baking tray.  Cook for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm or cold with champagne.

Cheese & Potato Pie with Cheese Pastry

For the Cheese Pastry:

200g plain flour

150g cold butter, diced

50g Red Leicester cheese (grated)

2 tbsp cold water

Place the flour, cheese and butter into a food processor and whiz to form a fine crumb.  Add the water and whiz until the mixture comes together and forms a ball.  Remove from the machine and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably over night.  This makes it nice and easy to roll later.

  Roll out about two thirds of the pastry and line a well buttered 23cm pie dish.

For the Filling:

1 bunch of spring onions (white and green parts, chopped)

150g Cheshire Cheese, crumbled (or use any crumbly cheese, Wensleydale, Lancashire etc., or a mixture) 

4 tbsp Creme Fraiche

1 bunch of chives, snipped

500g potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (we used our new Mandolin; it made it so quick and easy.  Ours was a present but I definitely recommend investing in one!)    

5 rashers of smoked bacon, cut into pieces and cooked

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 180c.  Mix together the creme fraiche, spring onions, cheese and chives, season.

  Arrange the sliced potatoes in layers with a few tablespoons of the onion and cheese mixture spread between and a sprinkling of bacon bits.  Continue to layer up the pie until all the potatoes are used up.    Brush the pastry edge with a little milk.

  Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid and seal edges.  Brush with more milk.  Don't make any steam holes as the potatoes need to steam inside the pie to cook through.

  Bake for 30 minutes and then reduce temperature to 160c and cook for a further 40 minutes or until pastry is golden and the potatoes are tender.  Test by inserting a skewer.

  Leave to cool for 15 minutes before serving as it will be much easier to slice.

Root Vegetable Mash and Peas with Honey and Mint

Choose a mixture of root vegetables ~ I used parsnips, carrots and sweet potato.  Cook the parsnips and carrot in boiling water until tender.  The sweet potato is best cooked in foil in the oven until soft.  Mash the three together with plenty of butter, salt and pepper.

  The peas with honey and mint is lovely.  Just cook the peas in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and then stir in a couple of spoonfuls of honey, butter and chopped mint.

  Prune & Chocolate Custard Tart

Pastry:

185g plain flour

50g icing sugar

30g ground almonds

115g chilled butter, diced

1 egg

Filling:

250g stoned prunes

2 tbsp Creme de Cacao (or any liqueur you fancy)

50g dark chocolate, chopped

300ml cream

1 egg + 2 egg yolks

150g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 level tsp cornflour

For the Pastry:

Place the flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and chopped butter into a food processor, whiz to form crumbs.  Add the egg and whiz until it forms a ball.  Leave the pastry for at least an hour in the fridge, preferably over night.

  Roll the pastry to base line a  buttered 26cm flan tin, prick the base all over with a fork (just indenting not going all the way through).  Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans.  Bake in a preheated oven at 200c - fan 180c for appox 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans and place back in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes more.  Leave to cool.

For the Filling:

Place the prunes, chocolate and liqueur into a food processor and whiz to a paste.  Spread onto the base of the cooled tart.

  In a large bowl whisk together the egg and egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla and cornflour.

  Bring the cream to boiling point in a small pan.  Pour the hot cream, whisking continuously, onto the egg mixture.

  Gently pour the custard over the prunes and bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 150c - fan 130c.  Until set.

  Serve warm or cold dusted with a little icing sugar.   

June

Rhododendron  

Martha in the Rabbit pen

Lupins