Salmon with dill salad + Prawn, berry & watermelon salad & salted caramel cheesecake

Main: Salmon with dill BBQ salad
from a friend

Main: Prawn, berry, melon & feta salad
Free recipe card at Woolworths

Dessert: Salted caramel and vanilla baked cheesecake
from a friend

Hi Everyone,

Well what interesting times we are in. We have gone from bushfires, floods to a pandemic. I do hope you are all keeping safe and out of harms way. However, if you are perhaps stuck at home for 14 days and you are feeling okay, you might like to do some cooking to fill in your time. Perhaps order your groceries on-line and do some experimenting – of course that is if you can get the ingredients but having said that it is always great to improvise.

I’ve collected recipes over the years from many of my friends so I’m featuring a couple in this week’s blog. I know you’re going to love them, especially if you like seafood. Not only are they delicious but embarrassingly easy!!

The BBQ’d salmon was the biggest hit. I just purchased fillets from Woolies and cut them into three (skin on). The marinade is so simple combining the beautiful flavours of yoghurt, dijon mustard, lemon and dill. I serve this on a bed of salad so choose the things you love. My favourites are mango, avocado, medley of baby tomatoes and some cucumber with mixed leaves. You could BBQ the fillets and serve them once cool but I love to throw them straight on top of the salad. This got a 10/10 – thanks Gabe!

With the prawn salad I was lucky enough to get green prawns on special from Woolies and I BBQ’d these after tossing them in oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. The dressing is only three ingredients and combined with the feta, watermelon, mint and blueberries it is extremely moreish. 9/10

Now of course dessert. 12/10. As you know I do love a dessert and this is a beauty (thank you Elaine!) Please start this the day ahead. Now I need to begin by saying that it suggests a 22cm springform pan – you need a 24cm one. I had so many crumbs left over and felt they were still too thick. The same goes for the mixture – stacks left over that didn’t fit into the pan. Now, quite often baked cheesecakes can be heavy and gluggy but this just seems to have a lightness about it and the flavour is mild even though there is a lot of sugar what with the cup of brown sugar and the golden syrup as well. Topped with a combination of cream and sour cream and then the drizzle of caramel and salt flakes this is one of those truly celebration desserts for a very special meal or afternoon tea or morning tea, or supper or well just any time at all really. As I write this there is none left over and I have gone into withdrawal.

Oh well, I’ll start thinking about next week. So this was certainly an easy and fantastic menu and I will do all of these again and again. As the summer comes to a close why not try them and share your recipes with friends.

Wishing everyone good health and stay safe.

From my table to yours with love. x

Salmon salad with dill

3 salmon fillets (each one cut into three)
2 tbsp greek yoghurt (be generous)
2 tbsp dijon mustard (be generous)
2 tbsp chopped dill

Salt skin of salmon, mix all other ingredients together. Spread mixture over top and sides of salmon. Refrigerate until ready to BBQ. Cook to your liking, then serve on salad (ingredients of your choice).

Prawn, berry, melon & feta salad

24 large green prawns (peeled, deveined with tails in tact)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 baby cos lettuce (leaves separated)
500 g seedless watermelon
1 125g punnet blueberries
1 c mint leaves
40 g feta cheese (crumbled)

Dressing

¼ c olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp horseradish cream

Heat a BBQ hotplate over medium-high heat. Place prawns in a bowl and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until charred and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Place lettuce in a bowl. Using a spoon, scoop watermelon into bowl with lettuce. Add prawns, blueberries, mint and feta.
To make the dressing, whisk oil, lime juice and horseradish together in a jug. Drizzle over salad before serving.

Salted Caramel and Vanilla Baked Cheesecake

Start this the day before

500 g plain sweet biscuits
½ c almond meal
150 g butter (melted)
350 g ricotta
500 g cream cheese
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp golden syrup
¼ tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c single cream
1 c sour cream
1 tbsp icing sugar (sifted)
sea flakes (for sprinkling)

Caramel Sauce

1 c single cream
60 g butter (chopped)
1 c brown sugar

To make the caramel sauce, place the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 mins or until thickened. Set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat over to 160°c. Place the biscuits and almond meal in the bowl of a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Add the butter and process to combine. Press the biscuit mixture into the base and sides of a lightly greased 22cm (I would use a 24cm) springform cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Place ricotta and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 5-6 minutes or until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes or until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the golden syrup, table salt and ½ the vanilla and beat until well combined.
Spoon the mixture into the biscuit shell. Place the tin in a baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the tin. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove cheesecake from the baking dish and allow to cool in the tin. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
Place the cream, sour cream, icing sugar and remaining vanilla in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Top the cheesecake with the cream, drizzle with the caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt flakes to serve.

Salmon with dill salad + Prawn, berry & watermelon salad & salted caramel cheesecake