I'm really liking having friends around to sample my Tuesday efforts - not to say Mark's not enough, but its great to sit around the table with others, and between courses, have a good chit chat!
This Tuesday I had my girlfriend, Laural, over. I had posted my menu on my Facebook status, and she commented how good it sounded, so I took that as an opportunity to invite her over.
I'm so glad she came, the timing on the Yorkshire puddings was completely off in the original recipe, so she actually saved the main course with her great Yorkie-making expertise! Yay, Lo to the rescue :)
Oysters on the Half Shell
Preparation
Scrub oysters with a brush under cold running water (do not
soak).
Shuck oysters with an oyster knife, cutting the muscle to
remove the top shell.
Leave oysters in their shells.
Arrange opened oysters on a platter of crushed ice with
lemon.
Suggestion
Do not open oysters more than three hours before
consumption. Ideally, they should be opened 15 minutes ahead of time and served
over ice on a large oval platter.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Ingredients
4 large red peppers
1 tbsp ( 15 mL) olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
2 onions, chopped
3 cups ( 750 mL) chicken broth or bouillon
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Place whole peppers on a baking
sheet and roast, uncovered, about 18 minutes. Turn peppers and continue
roasting about 18 more minutes, until skin is blistered.
Remove from baking
sheet and place in a heavy paper bag. Seal bag and let stand until peppers are
cool, about 10 minutes. Remove peppers and peel off skins.
Slice in half and
remove seeds. Cut into large chunks and set aside. Refrigerate if making ahead.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic
and onions. Sauté until onions are very soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in roasted
peppers and continue cooking until peppers are very soft.
Add chicken stock. Then whirl in a
blender or food processor, using an on-and-off motion, until smooth. Return to saucepan. Cover and cook over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until soup is warm, from 8 to 10 minutes.
Loaded Yorkies
Ingredients
Yorkshire Pudding (recipe follows)
6 oz (180 g) shaved beef
Red Wine Gravy (recipe follows)
2 oz creamy horseradish
Chives, for garnish
Yorkshire Puddings
½ pint (885 ml) milk
4 oz (125 g – approx ½ cup) flour
Pinch salt
3 eggs
Vegetable oil for muffin tins
Red Wine Gravy
1 tbsp flour
½ cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400. In a bowl, mix milk, flour, salt and
eggs. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat muffin tin with ½ inch oil in 6 sections.
Divide rested batter into muffin tin. Cook for about 40 minutes, or until crisp and fluffy. Do not open oven door.
Heat the pan the beef was cooked in over medium heat and
stir in flour. Deglaze pan with wine and whisk until gravy is smooth. Season
with salt and pepper.
Make a pocket in the centre of the Yorkies and stuff with a
couple of slices of beef. Add a dollop of horseradish and drizzle with gravy.
Garnish with minced chives.
Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
1 ⅓ cups (325 ml) All Purpose Flour
½ tsp (2 ml) salt
½ cup (125 ml) Vegetable Shortening, chilled and cubed
3-6 tbsp (45-90 ml) ice cold water
Filling
1 can (300 ml) Eagle Brand® Dulce de Leche Caramel Flavoured
Sauce
3 large bananas
1 ½ cups (375 ml) whipping cream
2 tbsp (30 ml) Icing Sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Shaved Milk Chocolate for garnish
Directions
In food processor, blend flour and salt. Work
in shortening until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle 2 tbsp (30 mL) water.
Mix until dough is slightly moist. Add remaining water if
needed. Shape dough into a ½” (1.3 cm) thick disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and
refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll
dough into a circle measuring 11” (28 cm).
Loosely roll dough around rolling
pin, and then unroll, easing dough onto a 9” (23 cm) pie plate. Crimp edges.
Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove pie shell from
fridge and prick bottom with a fork. Bake 16-20 minutes, or until lightly
golden. Remove from oven and cool completely, 20 minutes.
Bring caramel flavoured sauce to a boil over
medium heat in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly, cook 5 minutes. Remove from
heat and pour into baked pie shell. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
Cut bananas into ¼” (0.6 cm) thick slices and place over
caramel flavoured filling.
Using an electric mixer, beat whipping cream with icing
sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Place cream over bananas and garnish
with shaved chocolate.