Aileen's Menu
Aileen Dunn's dishes included Bloody Mary terrine and hare fillets:
Bloody Mary terrine salad leaves and balsamic dressing
Ingredients
1kg red peppers
700 g baby tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for the Bloody Mary mix
Juice of a large lemon
300 ml tomato juice
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
Half tsp Tabasco sauce
25 g basil leaves
25 g powdered gelatine
75ml vodka
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper
Halve the tomatoes, place on a roasting tin, sprinkle with chopped garlic, caster sugar, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and cook under a hot grill for about 10 minutes until some of the skins are charred. Cool.
Quarter, core and de-seed the peppers, grill skin side up for about 10 minutes (again until the skin is charred). Turn peppers over and grill for a further 10 minutes. Put peppers in a plastic bag for about 5 minutes, then peel off the skins.
Add cold water to the lemon juice to make 90 ml. Pour into a heat-proof bowl, sprinkle, the gelatine in and leave for 5 minutes. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water until the liquid runs clear. Cool.
Mix together the tomato juice, vodka, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and seasoning. Add to the cooled dissolved gelatine, then place in a jug.
Lightly oil a 2 pint mould or tin (or individual containers), then line with cling film. Put in a layer of peppers then cover with the Bloody Mary mix. Add a layer of chopped basil, then tomatoes, and again cover with the liquid mix. Continue with such layers until then containers are full. Tap the containers to distribute the liquid evenly. Fold the clingfilm over the surface and chill for 4 hours or until set. Remove from the mould and cut into slices. Serve a slice on a plate with a few salad leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (or a balsamic/red wine reduction).
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (August 1999)
Hare fillets with a port and walnut sauce
Ingredients
Hare fillets – one for each person
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp of both black peppercorns and juniper berries
Ingredients for the sauce
1 onion
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1 tbsp plain flour
300 ml chicken or game stock
25g walnuts
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
120 ml port
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
Coat the fillets with oil and press in the ground pepper and crushed juniper berries. Leave in a cool place for about an hour.
Fry the chopped vegetables in a little walnut oil till soft and coloured. Mix the flour with a little stock to make a paste then add to the rest o the stock. Add this to the vegetables as well as the bay leaf, the thyme and the chopped walnuts. Now add the vinegar and the port. Simmer until reduced by half. Pass through a sieve, then add the redcurrant jelly.
Cook the fillets in hot oil. Brown all over (takes about 2 minutes). Heat on a baking tray in a pre heated oven (220c) for 4 minutes – no longer. Remove from the tray and wrap in foil. Allow to rest for about 8 minutes before slicing. Serve with sauce, mashed potato and green vegetables (broad beans, peas and asparagus).
Recipe adapted from New British Classics by Gary Rhodes, 1999
Iced Raspberry Souffles
Ingredients
1 orange
1 lemon
700g raspberries
225g caster sugar
450ml double cream
2 large egg whites
250g plain chocolate
Mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackcurrants)
Line 8 containers (ramekins) with non-stick baking parchment, deep enough to form a collar about 5 cm above the rim
Squeeze the juice from the orange and the lemon then place about 2 tbsp of each in a processor with the raspberries and sugar. Process until smooth. Set aside 150ml of this raspberry sauce. Place the rest in a bowl. Whip the cream to a soft dropping consistency.
Fold the cream into the sauce in the bowl. Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak and fold into the raspberry cream mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared containers. Tap gently to level the surface. Freeze for at least 4 hour or overnight. Turn out the soufflés, remove the parchment, and return the soufflés to the freezer.
Melt the chocolate. Brush the melted chocolate onto the baking parchment strips which you removed from the soufflés. Take the soufflés out of the freezer. Carefully but quickly wrap each with a chocolate covered strip. Return to the freezer.
Take the soufflés from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving. Remove the strip of baking parchment and leave in the fridge. Serve decorated with the reserved sauce and berries.
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (June 1997).
Dinner Party 2: Paul Lydon
Ingredients
1kg red peppers
700 g baby tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for the Bloody Mary mix
Juice of a large lemon
300 ml tomato juice
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
Half tsp Tabasco sauce
25 g basil leaves
25 g powdered gelatine
75ml vodka
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper
Halve the tomatoes, place on a roasting tin, sprinkle with chopped garlic, caster sugar, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and cook under a hot grill for about 10 minutes until some of the skins are charred. Cool.
Quarter, core and de-seed the peppers, grill skin side up for about 10 minutes (again until the skin is charred). Turn peppers over and grill for a further 10 minutes. Put peppers in a plastic bag for about 5 minutes, then peel off the skins.
Add cold water to the lemon juice to make 90 ml. Pour into a heat-proof bowl, sprinkle, the gelatine in and leave for 5 minutes. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water until the liquid runs clear. Cool.
Mix together the tomato juice, vodka, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and seasoning. Add to the cooled dissolved gelatine, then place in a jug.
Lightly oil a 2 pint mould or tin (or individual containers), then line with cling film. Put in a layer of peppers then cover with the Bloody Mary mix. Add a layer of chopped basil, then tomatoes, and again cover with the liquid mix. Continue with such layers until then containers are full. Tap the containers to distribute the liquid evenly. Fold the clingfilm over the surface and chill for 4 hours or until set. Remove from the mould and cut into slices. Serve a slice on a plate with a few salad leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (or a balsamic/red wine reduction).
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (August 1999)
Hare fillets with a port and walnut sauce
Ingredients
Hare fillets – one for each person
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp of both black peppercorns and juniper berries
Ingredients for the sauce
1 onion
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1 tbsp plain flour
300 ml chicken or game stock
25g walnuts
1 bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
120 ml port
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
Coat the fillets with oil and press in the ground pepper and crushed juniper berries. Leave in a cool place for about an hour.
Fry the chopped vegetables in a little walnut oil till soft and coloured. Mix the flour with a little stock to make a paste then add to the rest o the stock. Add this to the vegetables as well as the bay leaf, the thyme and the chopped walnuts. Now add the vinegar and the port. Simmer until reduced by half. Pass through a sieve, then add the redcurrant jelly.
Cook the fillets in hot oil. Brown all over (takes about 2 minutes). Heat on a baking tray in a pre heated oven (220c) for 4 minutes – no longer. Remove from the tray and wrap in foil. Allow to rest for about 8 minutes before slicing. Serve with sauce, mashed potato and green vegetables (broad beans, peas and asparagus).
Recipe adapted from New British Classics by Gary Rhodes, 1999
Iced Raspberry Souffles
Ingredients
1 orange
1 lemon
700g raspberries
225g caster sugar
450ml double cream
2 large egg whites
250g plain chocolate
Mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackcurrants)
Line 8 containers (ramekins) with non-stick baking parchment, deep enough to form a collar about 5 cm above the rim
Squeeze the juice from the orange and the lemon then place about 2 tbsp of each in a processor with the raspberries and sugar. Process until smooth. Set aside 150ml of this raspberry sauce. Place the rest in a bowl. Whip the cream to a soft dropping consistency.
Fold the cream into the sauce in the bowl. Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak and fold into the raspberry cream mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared containers. Tap gently to level the surface. Freeze for at least 4 hour or overnight. Turn out the soufflés, remove the parchment, and return the soufflés to the freezer.
Melt the chocolate. Brush the melted chocolate onto the baking parchment strips which you removed from the soufflés. Take the soufflés out of the freezer. Carefully but quickly wrap each with a chocolate covered strip. Return to the freezer.
Take the soufflés from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving. Remove the strip of baking parchment and leave in the fridge. Serve decorated with the reserved sauce and berries.
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (June 1997).
Dinner Party 2: Paul Lydon