Dinner Party for 4 People. Soup is a very easy Onion and Tomato Soup. This basic soup can be made ahead of time or even frozen. Entree is Seafood Skewers. You can use any type of fish so log as it is solid enough to stay on the skewer. You need to be a bit carful making this dish. Main Course is Roast Beef with Horseradish and Mustard. The red wine gives a slight wine glaze to this dish. With mustard and Horseradish the roast is very tasty. The evening finishes with a refreshing dessert of Rhubarb Fool. This is an easy dessert which can also me made ahead of time. It looks spectacular in tall serving glasses.
Soup
Onion and Tomato Soup
Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
2 onions, sliced thinly
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ french stick, broken into chunks
½ cup grated tasty cheese
snipped chives to garnish
Method
Combine all ingredients, except cheese and chives, in a large saucepan and brig to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
Puree in a blender or food processor. Reheat and serve with sprinkled cheese and chives and chunky bread.
Entree
Seafood Skewers
Ingredients
500g firm fish, cubed
500g uncooked prawns
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon tabasco sauce
400g can pineapple pieces
1 red capsicum, seeded and cut into chunks
1 green capsicum, seeded and cut into chunks
8 cherry tomatoes
Method
Place fish in a bowl with prawns. Whisk together juice, oil, dill, garlic, paprika, and tabasco. Pour over fish, coating well. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Soak 8 skewers in warm water for 20 minutes. Thread prawns and pieces of fish onto skewers alternately with pineapple, capsicum, and tomato.
Cook on a hot plate or grill for 5 to 10 minutes, basting and turning regularly. Serve with a salad.
Main Course
Wine Glaze Roast Beef with Horseradish and Mustard
Ingredients
5 to 6 pieces of bacon, rind removed
50g butter, softened
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of seeded mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1.3 kg piece topside beef roast
¾ cup red wine
1 ¾ cups red wine
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Arrange bacon rashers on a chopping board so that they are slightly overlapping. Combine butter, garlic, mustard, and horseradish in a bowl. Rub mixture over the beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place beef on top of bacon rashers. Fold bacon over beef. Secure bacon at 1cm intervals using kitchen string. Transfer to a roasting dish and roast for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven to 180C. Add red wine and beef stock. Roast for a further 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with foil. Rest 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with seasonal vegetables.
Dessert
Rhubarb Fool
Ingredients
1 large bunch fresh rhubarb cut into 2cm pieces
½ cup caster sugar
1 cup water
1 cup premium vanilla custard
300ml thickened cream, whipped
Note. It is important to use premium custard for this recipe as it has a thiker consistency compared to regular custard.
Method
Heat rhubarb, sugar, and water in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and mixture is thick. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Gently fold custard and cream together. Layer custard mixture and rhubarb into serving glasses.
