Baptism Party

Well I’m back!!!  Been working on loads of new recipes that I’m soooo excited to share with you.  It will be Gelato and BBQ secrets galore…..yumm!!!

Hopefully you will have read my Christmas party post and know how crazy obsessed I am with planning and throwing great parties.  So, on that note I would like to share some pictures of my daughters recent Baptism.  Some of the food was made by myself and some was bought it.  I’ll share the suppliers I used along the way and eventually get all my recipes up on this blog.

Macaroon and mini fruit tarlets were from Marks & Spencers

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Marks-and-Spencer-Mini-Macaroons/dp/B005OT5I18

http://www.marksandspencer.com/24-Mini-Fresh-Fruit-Tartlets/dp/B00192QCUU?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_1&nodeId=1673640031&sr=1-1&qid=1338284453&pf_rd_r=01VWD2JT86ZNVDWR470N&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=1673640031&pf_rd_p=215570647&pf_rd_s=related-items-3

I bought all the meats and cheese from Waitrose and garnished with medjoule dates, cherry tomatos, baby leaf salad, grapes, walnuts and morello cherry compote.

I bought these Salmon appetisers from Marks & Spencers

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Lochmuir-Smoked-Salmon-Prawn-Appetisers/dp/B005KD37TS?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_1&nodeId=42966030&sr=1-1&qid=1338281381&pf_rd_r=175612V4D2PSBRYRR32G&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=0&pf_rd_p=215485807&pf_rd_s=center-3

The cakes came from choccywoccydoodah in Brighton

http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/product/0354/Marshmallow+Pyramid+cake+in+white+and+dark+chocolate+coating

Oh dear!!  I only turned away for a second.

The professional pics on this post were taken by Chantal Lachance Gibson of Reflections Photography http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Reflections-Photography-by-Chantal-Lachance-Gibson/179432925407046

Please look out for my next post coming VERY soon.  Jubilee party planning!!

Christmas Canape Rundown

So, here are two of my biggest crowd pleasers.  Smoked Salmon Blinis and Fried Artichokes (carciofi fritti).  Neither are particularly difficult to make however they are packed with flavour and cheap to make.

Smoked Salmon Blinis – makes 48 - 50

 

Ingredients

300g Scottish Smoked Salmon

300g Cream Cheese
150ml Sour Cream
Lemon Juice
48 - 50 Blinis – I usually get shop bought Blinis to save time when I’m throwing a party.
Garnishes – I use Radish shavings, Dill and Caviar

Method

Lightly grill the Blinis, roughly 2 ½ minutes on each side.  Let them return to room temperature before adding any toppings.
 
Prepare the creamy topping by mixing 300g of cream cheese with 150ml of sour Cream and the juice of half a lemon.  Season well.

Lay out all your Blinis on the serving trays.  Top each one a small slice of Salmon and a generous teaspoon of the creamy topping.  Once you have completed this step top half the Blinis with a small dollop of Caviar and the other half with a shaving of Radish and small sprig of Dill.  You can use any garnish you like, another option be to garnish with chives and or capers.

Fried Artichokes (carciofi fritti) – makes about 45

Ingredients

3 tins Artichoke Hearts

3 Large Eggs

Handfull of Parsley

2 Cloves of Garlic

4 cups of Breadcrumbs

¾ cup of grated Parmezan (Grana Padano will be fine for this)

Veg oil for frying

Method

Drain the Artichoke Hearts well…you’ll be frying them later so this step is important.



In a large bowl combine the Eggs, crushed Garlic cloves, roughly chopped Parsley, Salt and Pepper.

Slice the Artichokes in half or thirds depending how large they are and marinade in egg mixture.  Leave in fridge for at least 2 hours.

In a large plate combine the Breadcrumbs, Parmezan and a tsp of Salt.  Remove Artichokes from Egg mixture and roll them in the Breadcrumb mixture making sure they are all well covered. 

Fry on a medium heat until golden and crispy.  Can be served hot, cold or at room temperature.  Serve with Aioli on the side.

TOP TIP:  Substitute Artichokes with strips of Chicken breast or slices of Aubergine and serve with a salad for a delicious mid-week dinner.