The Dinner Club

Week three of the challenge has begun, and I am looking today as a fresh start, the weekend involved a few too many bottles of wine... although one worth a mention - an amazing bottle of red from Redbox Vineyard (http://www.redboxvineyard.com.au/) out in Kangaroo Ground just out of Melbourne - they make an amazing Cabernet Sauvignon, the couple who run the place are gorgeous, they have awesome cheese platters, and have a homemade Cabernet Jelly that's delish. Well worth a visit (below pic of Abbie enjoying amazing platters/wine etc on site at Red Box Vineyard hosted by the lovely Mrs Spencer, maker of the previously mentioned delish Cabernet Jelly).

A few months ago a couple of girlfriends and I started what we call 'The Dinner Club', taking turns hosting dinner at home. It is a great concept, it gives you a chance to have a good gossip and try out new recipes (J is a meat and three veg kind of guy, so I have to save the gourmet for the girls). It was my turn to host on Sunday, and my three course extravaganza (it has become quite competitive) included Prawn, fish and macadamia cakes, Vietnamese beef salad, and Ricotta, apricot and walnut baked pears. All were massive hits!

Prawn, Fish and Macadamia Cakes with Mint Yoghurt

(adapted from Australian Macadamia Society recipe)

500g uncooked prawns (I used the bigger ones with the tails still on, less effort required to peel!)
400g boneless fish fillets (Basa is good)
100g (2/3 cup) roasted macadamias, chopped (dry roast raw ones in TMX for 20mins/Varoma/Sp1 then chop 4 sec/Sp 7)
1 tbsp green curry paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (TMX 3 sec/Sp 7)
Olive oil spray
2/3 cup greek yoghurt
2 tbsp chopped mint

Combine mint and yogurt and refrigerate. Peel and devein the prawns. Place in TMX with fish, and blend 20 sec/Sp 7. Add the chopped macadamias, curry paste, lemon juice, and coriander to the TMX bowl and mix 20 sec/Sp 5. Roll into small balls (I made bite sized, they cook quicker and you can just use toothpicks to eat them). Heat a non-stick frying pan, lightly sprayed with olive oil. Add balls and cook until golden on each side or just cooked through. Serve with yoghurt and mint dipping sauce.

Vietnamese Beef Salad

1kg steak (I used eye fillet)
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup caster sugar
150g thin vermicelli rice noodles
1 large carrot, peeled, finely shredded
2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup mint leaves
Fried shallots and chopped chilli to serve

Place steak into a glass bowl. Add 2 tbsp fish sauce and garlic. Toss until well combined. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour. While this is marinating you can prepare the dressing - combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil. Transfer to a bow to cool then add remaining fish sauce. When you are close to ready to serve, place noodles into a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and stand for 5 minutes or until soft and transparent. Drain. Heat a non-stick frying pan, or heat your barbecue. When hot, add steaks and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until medium rare. Transfer to chopping board. Cover and stand for 10 minutes. Diagonally slice. Place beef, noodles, carrot, cucumber and mint leaves on serving plates. Drizzle with dressing and serve with chilli and shallots on the side.

Ricotta, Apricot and Walnut baked pears
(adapted from Michelle Bridges recipe)

For these I just whipped up some ricotta and dried apricots in TMX (10 sec/Sp 7), spooned on to some halved pears, sprinkled with walnuts (crushed in TMX, 3 sec/Sp 7), and baked in the oven for half an hour.

The ingredients for the meal were all fresh from the markets, which is worth the trek for, they just taste so much better, especially the meat. Although it can be a pretty intense experience, and should not be tackled whilst hungover! I usually go to the Queen Vic markets in the city in Melbourne, but have been known to brave the Preston Markets on days I am feeling up to the battle of the bigger crowds there as they tend to have better prices.