Fish Chowder

Ingredients 2 tbsp oil 1 large potato peeled and cut into chunks 1 onion, peeled and sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato puree ½ tsp dried thyme Dash Worcestershire sauce 410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed Freshly ground black pepper 500g/1lb 2oz white fish, cut into big chunks Fresh parsley chopped to garnish, optional Method Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the potatoes until they start to go brown. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently until the onion browns. Stir in the tomatoes, puree, thyme and Worcestershire sauce and allow to bubble gently for about 10 minutes to make a sauce. Stir in the beans and a grinding of black pepper. Place the fish chunks on the top stirring them gently it into the sauce. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle with parsley if using before serving.

Christmas Tart

Serves 8
Ingredients
For the orange pastry
450g/1lb plain flour
225g/8oz butter
50g/2oz solid vegetable oil or lard
l large orange, Juice and grated rind
For the filling
1 jar luxury mincemeat
small can pineapple, drained
300ml/ ½ pt double cream, whipped
toasted almonds to decorate
Method
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl, rub in the butter and vegetable oil or lard until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the grated orange rind and the juice, you may find you need more juice to mix, then gently knead until the mixture forms a ball.
Wrap in Clingfilm and chill for about 30 minutes.
Cut off a piece of the pastry and roll out to line an 8 inch flan tin.
Rest the pastry again for about 20 minutes, whilst pre-heating the oven to 220C/Gas 7, then place the tin on a baking sheet and bake the pastry case blind for about 15 minutes.
Fill with the mincemeat and arrange the pineapple on top, return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until cooked.
Remove from the oven and cool thoroughly.
Whip the cream, spread over the tart and sprinkle with the toasted almonds before serving.

Fish Stew by Lynn

Ingredients
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 Diced Carrot
1 Celery Stick, finely chopped
2 bulbs Fennel, chopped
500g small Potatoes, scrubbed
200mls White Wine
400 mls Fish Stock
Salt and Pepper
300gms White Fish
100 mixed Shellfish
50 gms Prawns
6tbs Double Cream
Small Bunch of Parsley, chopped
Method
Heat olive oil in saucepan and add the carrot and celery stick.
Add the fennel and cook for 5 mins.
Add the potatoes, fish stock and wine.
Season and simmer for 15 mins.
Add white fish, prawns and shellfish and cook for about 5 mins.
Stir in cream and parsley.
Serve with crusty bread.

Krispy Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients
50g/2oz Butter
4 tbsp Golden Syrup
100g/4oz Dark Chocolate
75g/6oz Cornflakes
Method
Put the butter, syrup and chocolate in a saucepan and melt gently, stirring until the mixture is runny.
Stir in the cornflakes until they are coated with the chocolate mixture.
Spoon the mixture into paper cake cases, approx 12.
Now place in the fridge until the mixture is cool and firm.
Store in an airtight container.

Rice Salad with Grilled Avocado and Pesto

Ingredients
Serves 2
150g/6oz Brown Rice
2tbs Pesto
3-4 tbsp Low Fat Crème Fraiche
6 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1 Avocado
1 Lemon
Salad leaves to serve
Method
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Place the rice in a pan of boiling water, simmer for about 15 minutes until cooked.
Drain and leave to cool.
Mix together the pesto and crème fraiche, stir into the cooled rice with the tomatoes.
Place the rice salad on a serving plate
Peel and de-stone the avocado cut, into thick wedges, leave this until the last minute, as it will discolour.
Heat a griddle pan and cook the avocado for about 1-2 minutes on each side until it has the griddle marks on it.
Place the avocado on top of the rice and squeeze the lemon on top.
Serve with salad leaves.

Summer Fruit Brulee

Ingredients
450g/1lb Summer Fruits, eg., Strawberries, Raspberries, Nectarines etc
2 tbsp Ruby Port
Large carton Low Fat Crème Fraiche
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Demerara Sugar
Method
Place the fruit in a serving dish, cutting the nectarine into bite sized pieces.
Pour over the port and leave to stand for a few hours.
Stir the vanilla extract into the crème fraiche.
Spread the creme fraiche over the fruit and sprinkle liberally with demerara sugar.
Now caramelise the sugar by either heating with a blow torch or placing the dish under a hot grill until the sugar dissolves.
Serve after allowing to cool for 5 minutes.

Three Cheese Chicken Breast wrapped in Prosciutto

Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
4 slices Parma Ham
2 tbs Olive Oil
sprinkling of Sea Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
Ingredients - Stuffing
85g Ricotta Cheese
85g Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, finely chopped
55g Parmesan, grated
55g Parma Ham, finely chopped
small handful of Basil Leaves, torn
pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg
Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper
Method
First make the stuffing.
Mix the three cheeses, Parma ham, basil, nutmeg and seasoning in a large bowl.
Divide the mixture into two equal portions.
Cover with cling film and set aside.
Lay one of the chicken breasts out flat, smooth side down, on a chopping board.
Remove the small arrow-shaped fillet attached to the main body of the chicken breast and set aside.
Take a sharp knife and cut a slash the length of the chicken, from the thick end to the pointed end all the way down the centre of the chicken breast, being careful to only cut half way through the meat.
Carefully make similar lengthwise cuts along the sides of the long cut and fold back the 'flaps' and open the chicken breast out.
Place the chicken breast under a piece of cling film on a chopping board. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin or equivalent gently beat the chicken until it is an even thickness all over. Don't be too heavy-handed otherwise the implement will penetrate the chicken flesh. Then beat out the small chicken fillet to a similar thickness.
Take half of the stuffing in your hand and mould it to a torpedo shape.
Place it down the centre of the beaten chicken breast, from the thick end to the thin end.
Place the smaller beaten fillet over the top of the stuffing and roll the chicken around the stuffing, trying to make sure the thick end is well tucked in so that none of the stuffing can leak out.
Rub the skin with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place two slices of Parma ham on the work surface and roll the ham around the torpedo shaped chicken. Repeat with the other chicken breast.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat on the hob and brown the chicken on all sides, seamed side down first, so that the Parma ham turns golden and crispy.
This should take no longer than 1-2 minutes if your pan is hot enough.
Note: the dish can be prepared ahead to this point.
Allow the chicken to cool and then place on a plate, covered with cling film and put it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it for your dinner party. Remember to remove the chicken from the refrigerator thirty minutes before you want to use it, to allow it to come back up to room temperature.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven to 200C/gas 6 for 15 minutes until cooked. The chicken should be quite firm to the touch; don't be tempted to cut the chicken open to check, or your cheese stuffing will leak out. Serve immediately.