Come Dine with Me - Part I

Come Dine with Me on 4 on Demand. Watch Come Dine with Me online when The host for the third part of the culinary The amateur chefs all come LOL me too, mine would be simple. I do make the best lasagne, even if I do say so myself!!!! Earlier this year I decided to apply to be a contestant on the reality television programme Come Dine With Me. If you have escaped its afternoon

What an amazing time we had away with my family in Kiama over the Christmas/New Years break! It was so nice to be at the coast and be able to walk down to the beach each morning for a swim, then visit the local fish markets for some delicious treats for lunch, followed by another swim in the afternoon (potentially a nap, maybe a board game or two) and then a fabulous dinner.

We (and by 'we' I mean me) created a sea-inspired 'Come Dine with Me' menu for our night with family and friends. Although I must admit that I was extremely grateful for all of Phillip's help peeling prawns and cooking an amazing BBQ.

Our menu consisted of:

• Entree: A new aged prawn cocktail
• Main: Croatian BBQ - consisting of BBQ'ed gem fish (because we weren't able to get our hands on any whole baby snappers), cevapi (Croatian sausage), and cutlets with a variety of salads
• Dessert: 'The Sound of the Sea - a little bit tropical' inspired by Heston Blumenthal 's original 'The Sound of the Sea'.

NEW AGED PRAWN COCKTAIL

I know that everyone loves a prawn cocktail, so why not spice up what we love. Throw away those iceberg lettuce cups and don't even think about filling a Martini glass with shredded iceberg lettuce - you have way more style than that! And do not, I repeat do not halve an avocado, remove the seed and fill the gap with those tiny, frozen, rubber prawns.

This my friend is a new aged prawn cocktail that uses all those flavours that you love - with some inspiration from modern culinary flavours. This prawn cocktail is a little bit Mexican, but a lot of AWESOME.

2 kgs of green prawns

3 avocados 4 nectarines 1 small bunch of spring onions 1 small bunch of coriander 2 limes 1 teaspoon of olive oil salt and pepper
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes 1 small brown onion 1 tablespoon of brown sugar 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons mayo

In a bowl, mash the avocado flesh with a fork until smooth. Add to the smooth flesh the finely chopped roots and stalks of the coriander, juice of a lime, olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.

Cut the nectarines into wedges and then arrange on a plate. Add the avocado mixture to the plate along with wedges of lime, the coriander leaves and a small bowl for the seafood sauce. (You will allow everyone to compile their own prawn cocktail to their taste at the table.)

In a saucepan, place the halved cherry tomatoes, finely chopped brown onion, brown sugar and olive oil, allow to simmer until the tomatoes break down. Remove from the heat and stir in the tabasco sauce and lemon juice. Then mix in the mayo, transfer to the serving bowl and refrigerate all elements of your prawn cocktail.

Peel and de-vein your prawns. Place all of your clean prawns in a bowl, season with a drizzle of olive oil, the zest of your juiced lime, salt and pepper. Cook on a hot BBQ and serve immediately with your prawn cocktail accompaniments.

Posted by Hodie J