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Oldies but Goldies

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As we roll into another new year I find myself thinking about things I can add to the Chairman of the Breadboard repertoire. ‘New’ dishes are all very well and good – they help zhoosh-up a menu and get the creative juices flowing – but I sometimes think that ‘new’ and ‘innovative’ are overrated. This happens when, as each new year come and then goes, I see some old favourites remaining as popular as ever.

As it happens, I glean a great deal of pleasure from preparing and serving these ‘oldies but goldies’ for reasons that are very close to my heart. And what could be closer to a girl’s heart than her mother, right?

It’ll be no surprise to hear that my mum was an entertainer and homestyle cook of some repute. She left me with volumes of recipe books that I dip into all the time for Chairman of the Breadboard catering. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because Mum was also a chronic over-caterer, a habit I just cannot seem to shake! Some of her best recipes are also the ones I get asked to include on menus for returning customers, such as:

Chicken CanneloniChicken Cannelloni, a creamy elegant main meal dish that’s a joy for me to make and a staple in my repertoire year in and year out. It’s a great way to use leftover BBQ chicken meat and combined with a luscious French mustard, cream & parmesan laced sauce (weight watchers of course!) it is super easy to make and universally enjoyed.

 

 

Arancini balls with spicy tomato relishSpicy Tomato Relish is always a smash-hit particularly when served with the Arancini balls. It’s uses can be varied, from the best salsa for Nachos you have ever tasted, to a sensational base for a chicken pasta – just ask my adult nephews who have independently created this dish! Their grandmother would be proud.

 

 

 

Prawn&Mango saladA very Queensland Salad with prawns, mango, macadamias and snow peas.  One of my Sydney-based clients (who’s a Brisbane girl) has served this salad at her Christmas functions three years running.  Must remind her of home.  It certainly reminds me of my dear mum.

 

 

 

Yours in good food and great events,

Kellee

The Surprise Wedding

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Chairman of the Breadboard recently catered a surprise wedding. Yep – you heard right.  The nuptials were a surprise to all the guests apart from the bride and groom, the party organiser (in this case the bride-to-be’s sister), me and my helpers on the day.

I’m not sure how long the lady who engaged us as the caterer at this event (originally billed as an engagement party) had been in on the secret. My guess is a lot sooner than we were told about it, which was pretty much at the last minute.

I can’t say I blame them for late notice, though. It seems any time one mentions the words ‘bridal’, ‘wedding’ or ‘marriage’ the price of everything jumps by at least 30 percent. And the fact that this was to be a wedding instead of an engagement party really didn’t change the menu or the serving scenario at all. All we had to do was keep mum and not spoil the surprise for the guests.

It went off without a hitch – the guests were suitably taken aback yet delighted at the surprise and the happy couple were clearly more interested in getting married than staging an expensive, stressful wedding. And as I watched the brief but love-filled ceremony I was reminded of Billy Crystal’s line from the movie When Harry Met Sally:

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”


Here’s to more surprise weddings, I say.

Treacle Tart

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Preparation Time – 10 minutes (the day/night before baking) 10 minutes (assembly on the day of cooking)
Cooking Time – approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • 1 Egg
  • 150 ml of Thickened Cream
  • 1 cup of Golden Syrup, warmed slightly (microwave for 30 seconds)
  • 1 1/2 cups of Fresh Breadcrumbs, finely processed
  • 1/2 cup of Almond Meal
  • 1 Lemon, juice and zest
  • 1-2 sheets of Shortcrust pastry, (depending on size of tin) – 1/2 packet of Careme Vanilla bean shortcrust may also be used.

Method:

  • Whisk egg and cream together in a medium size bowl.
  • Whisk warmed golden syrup into egg mixture, along with bread crumbs, almond meal and lemon zest and juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Line tart tin (with a removable base) with pastry.
  • Pour treacle filling into the pastry case and place in preheated oven (180°C). Cook for 50 mins.
  • Cool a little in tin before removing, and serving with either fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.

 Serves 8-10