Each week Mark from Dingle Cookery School has a simple and tasty recipe for you to sort out, and this week he picked out the best for a dinner party.
Mark also shared his top tips on how to prepare for a dinner party so you don't get stuck in the kitchen while your guests enjoy themselves!
STARTER
Roast Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 20 ml cider vinegar
- ½ tsp mustard
- salt and pepper
For the salad:
- 4 pears, quartered and cored
- 50g butter
- 1 tsp honey
- handful of walnuts, toasted and chopped
- mixed salad leaves, washed and dried
- 100g good blue cheese, crumbled
Method:
For the dressing:
- Mix the oil, vinegar and mustard together in a bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
For the salad:
- Heat a pan over medium heat and add the butter and the pears. Cook the pears until they have softened and browned then add the honey and cook for two minutes. Keep the pears warm while you finish the salad.
- In a bowl mix the salad leaves and walnuts and half of the blue cheese. Add in some of the dressing and mix this all together.
To serve:
- Take a handful of the dressed salad and place in the centre of four bowls. Arrange the warm pear on top of each bowl and sprinkle the remaining blue cheese over the bowl.
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MAIN
Pork Wellington, Buttered Cabbage, Carrot Purée and Cider Sauce
(Serves 4 - Most can be prepared the day before)
Ingredients:
For the pork:
- 1 pork fillet
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 200g mushrooms, diced
- 150g black pudding, diced
- 5 slices of Parma ham
- 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg for egg wash
- salt and pepper
- oil
For the cabbage:
- 1 head of green cabbage, washed and finely sliced
- knob of butter
For the carrot purée:
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- knob of butter
For the cider sauce:
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 200ml cider
- 150ml stock
Method:
For the pork:
- Season the pork with salt and pepper, put a little oil on a hot pan and add the pork. Let it brown on all sides for about 3-4 minutes. While hot, brush with the mustard. Meanwhile add a little oil to a pot. Add the mushrooms and pinch of salt. Let this cook for about 10 minutes, you will need to stir every now and then. This will help to remove as much moisture as possible from the mushroom, add the black pudding and cook for another minute or so. Put this in a blender and bring to a purée.
- Wipe the counter with a damp cloth, lay some cling film down. Place the Parma ham on the cling film, allowing each one to overlap slightly. Spread the mushroom and black pudding mixture over the top of the Parma ham leaving a slight gap at the ends. Place the pork on top and use the cling film to roll it tight. Once rolled tight tie the ends. Leave this in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or longer if possible. This helps it to keep its shape.
- Once ready, roll out the pastry and place on parchment. Brush with egg wash.
- Remove the cling film from the pork, and put the pork on top of the pastry. Roll this up. Neatly fold over the ends and cut off any excess pastry. Put the pastry on a tray, making sure the part where the two ends are joined is put on the bottom, use a knife to score the top of the pastry (leftover pastry can be used to make little decorations such as leaves – if using these, just egg wash them to glue them to the pastry). Brush the pastry with egg wash.
- This can be prepared ahead of time if needed.
To cook:
- Preheat the oven to 180º
- Bake for 25 minutes, remove and add more egg wash. Bake for another 25 minutes. Use a thermometer to check if it is done (72ºC). Once done allow it to rest for 15 minutes (this is very important).
For the cabbage (can be prepared ahead of time):
- Add the cabbage to a large pot of boiling salted water. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Once cooked, strain the cabbage (this can be done ahead of time). Add to cold water to cool. Once cool, strain and add to a pot (or a container to be put in the fridge if doing ahead of time). Add some butter, salt and pepper and heat for 2 minutes. This can be done while the meat is resting.
For the carrot purée (can be prepared ahead of time):
- Place the carrots in a small pot of water with a pinch of salt. Bring this to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Once soft, put the carrot with some of the cooking water and some butter in a blender. Bring this a smooth purée. Season and keep until needed. Heat for about 2 minutes before serving.
For the sauce:
- Add the shallot to a pot with some oil and salt. Soften the shallot, add the cider and cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, once this has reduced add the stock and cook for 15 minutes or so. The sauce should have thickened, strain and season.
To serve:
- Place some of the cabbage in the centre of the plate, put some of the purée to the side and use the back of the spoon to spread it across the plate. Slice the pork wellington and place a slice beside the cabbage. Drizzle some sauce over it.
- Serve with a side of potatoes of your choice.
DESSERT
Chocolate Fondant, Vanilla Ice Cream and Raspberry coulis
Ingredients:
Vanilla ice cream (or Raspberry Sorbet)
For the fondant:
- 50g butter, melted
- 50g cocoa
- 200g dark chocolate, best quality you can get, chopped into small pieces
- 200g butter, chopped into small pieces
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 200g plain flour
- 40g melted butter
For the coulis:
- 200g raspberries
- 50g caster sugar
- ½ lemon, juiced – to taste
Method:
For the coulis:
- Put the raspberries and sugar in a small pot and place over a medium heat. Cook this gently for about 10 minutes. Put this in a blender and bring it to a smooth purée. Add the lemon juice to taste. Put this in a small container and keep refrigerated until needed.
For the fondant:
- Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of nine 150ml pudding molds. Place them into the fridge or freezer. Once they are chilled, brush more melted butter, and then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mold. Tip the mold so the cocoa completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa out.
- Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about ten minutes.
- In another bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail. Sift the flour into the eggs, and then beat together.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.
- Tip the fondant into a jug, and then evenly divide between the molds. These can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. If not freezing, chill for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.
To cook the fondant:
- Heat the oven to 200ºC.
- Place the fondants on a baking tray then cook for 10-12 minutes until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their molds. Remove from the oven, and then let them sit for 1 minute before turning out.
- Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the molds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know that it has come away, then tip back into the mould, put a plate on top and turn it over.
To serve:
- Place the fondant in the centre of a plate. Pour the raspberry coulis around the outside and place a quenelle of ice-cream on top or to the side.
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