Hi there everyone!

So, this is again from the original Dinner Party Cookbook, so very, very old.

The first thing I must say is that the success of this dish comes down to the quality of your veal.  It must be the real deal and if cooked quickly it will remain tender.

I was told that they were rather “bland”.  So what could I have done to liven them up?  Probably a little more sugar in the custard and more alcohol in the sauce but at the end of the day the pastry itself is bland.  I think in fact it is suppose to be a more subtle flavour.  Well, that’s what I am telling myself anyway.  I will make them again but not for this spoilt lot who only gave them 7/10.

Until next week.

From my table to yours with love.

Veal with Crab

Impressive but easy Veal topped with crab and a mushroom sauce

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 6 Veal steaks
• flour
• salt & pepper
• 3 eggs
• packaged bread crumbs Panko recommended
• 90 g butter
• 155 g can of crab
• 3 shallots
• 60 g butter
• 3 shallots
• 60 g mushrooms
• 2 tsps cornflour
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup cream
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tsps french mustard
• salt & pepper

Method

 

1. Pound out veal steaks thinly. Coat veal in flour seasoned with s & p. Dip into beaten eggs, then coat veal in dry breadcrumbs. Heat butter in pan, add veal, cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, approx 8 minutes total. Remove from pan, keep warm while making sauce. To serve, put veal on serving plate, spoon sauce over, top with drained, lightly-flaked crab and chopped shallots.
2. Heat butter in pan, then add chopped shallots and sliced mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are just tender. Blend cornflour with water, add to pan with crumbled stock cube and wine, stir until sauce boils and thickens. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered 2 minutes. Combine lightly-beaten egg yolks, cream mayonnaise, mustard, s & p in bowl; mix well. Add cream mixture to pan, whisking well until sauce thickens. Do not allow to boil.

Notes

Source: Women's Weekly Dinner Party Cookbook Pg. 88

Potato and Onion Casserole

super easy potato bake

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg potatoes
• salt & pepper
• 2 large onions
• 300 ml cream

Method

 

1. Peel potatoes and slice thinly. Put a layer of potato in base of greased ovenproof dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Peel onions, slice thinly, arrange a layer of onions over potato slices. Put cream in saucepan, stir over medium heat until cream is heated through. Spoon approximately 1/4 cup cream over onion slices. Continue in layers of potato, salt, pepper, onion and cream, finishing with a potato layer. Bake, covered, in moderate oven 30 minutes. Remove the cover, cook for a further 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and golden brown.

Notes

Source: My own adaptation

Avocado and Bacon Salad

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 iceberg lettuce
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• bottled french dressing
• 2 rashers of bacon
• 1 tbsp parsley chopped

Method

 

1. Wash lettuce, dry thoroughly; put in plastic bag in fridge to crisp. Cut tomatoes into quarters. Peel avocado, cut in half and remove seed; slice avocado thinly, dip in french dressing to prevent discolouration. Chop bacon finely, fry until crisp, drain on absorbent paper. At serving time, tear lettuce into pieces, place on individual serving dish, add tomatoes and avocado, sprinkle with french dressing, top with bacon and parsley.

Profiteroles with Brandy Alexander Sauce

Fill these yummy little puff balls with cream or your favourite home made custard

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 150 g plain flour
• 185 ml water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75 g butter, diced
• 3 eggs plus 1 extra egg

Method

 

1. Sift the flour onto a sheet of baking paper
2. Combine the water, salt and butter in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until just boiling. Remove immediately from the heat, add all the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Return the saucepan to the heat and beat vigorously over a low heat for 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan and a flour film forms on the bottom of the pan. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3-5 minutes or until cooled slightly.
4. Use a fork to whisk together the 3 eggs. Add about one-quarter of the whisked eggs to the flour mixture at a time beating well with the wooden spoon until well combined and smooth after each addition. Use a fork to lightly whisk the extra egg and gradually add to the flour mixture a teaspoon at a time and beating well after each addition until the mixture is thick, shiny and falls heavily from the spoon. You may not need to use all of the last egg.
5. Pipe and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to moderate bake a further 15 - 20 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from oven, make a small slit in side of puffs to allow steam to escape; return to oven for a few minutes to dry out. When cold fill with cream or your favourite home made custard and drizzle with Brandy alexander sauce.

Brandy Alexander Sauce

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 125 g dark chocolate
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 C Water
• 2 tbsp Creme de Cacao
• 1 tbsp brandy
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 C thickened cream

Method

 

1. Put chopped chocolate, egg yolk and water in top of double saucepan. Stir over simmering water until chocolate has melted and mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, add Creme de Cacao and brandy; allow to cool. Mix cornflour to a smooth paste with the milk, add to chocolate mixture, stir until smooth. Stir over medium heat until sauce boils and thickens, reduce heat, simmer 2 minutes. Add cream, reheat without boiling.