B&B Luncheon, December 2005

Seared Prawns with Cranberry and Pineapple Salsa, Mixed Leaves and Coriander Seed Dressing

Cranberry and Pineapple Salsa

• 1 cup dices pineapple, fresh or canned
• ¼ cup canned cranberries, drained (frozen also work well)
• 2 teaspoons diced Japanese pickled pink ginger
• 2 tablespoons freshly sliced basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt

Coriander Seed Dressing

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coriander seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Pinch of fine salt

The Prawns

• 24 raw tiger prawns, shell, remove tails and de-vein
• Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100g mixed salad leaves

Heat a large frying pan until very hot. Season the prawns with salt, add the oil to the pan then add the prawns. Cook on a very high heat until flesh turns red and then turn over. Once the prawns have coloured on both sides, remove from the pan.

Mix the leaves with the coriander dressing and arrange on flat plates. Arrange 4 prawns per plate with a large spoonful of salsa on each. Pour any excess dressing around the salad and prawns. Serve.

Steak with Walnut Sauce and Celeriac Mash served with Beans

Steak

• 4 rump steaks (250g each)
• Olive oil
• Flat-leaf parsley sprigs and blanched green beans, to serve

Celeriac Mash

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 green onions, finely chopped
• 500g peeled celeriac, chopped (or turnip)
• 500g sebago potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup vegetable stock

Walnut Sauce

• 50g (½ cup) walnuts
• 25g green peppercorns, drained
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For celeriac mash, heat half the oil in a saucepan, add garlic and green onion and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, or until just wilted, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add celeriac and potato to same pan and cook over low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Add stock and season to taste, then bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 25 minutes. Uncover and boil until liquid is evaporated and vegetables are tender. Mash with a potato masher, stir in reserved green onion mixture and keep warm.

For walnut sauce, process all ingredients in a food processor until a smooth puree forms. Season to taste.

About 10 minutes before celeriac mash is ready, brush steaks with a little oil, season to taste and char-grill or barbecue for 3 minutes on each side. Wrap loosely in foil and rest in a warm oven for 5 minutes.

Spoon celeriac mash onto plates and top with steaks, a spoonful of walnut sauce, parsley sprigs and meat juice spooned over. Serve with blanched green beans.

Chocolate, Port and Date Slice

• 2 ½ cups pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 1 cup port
• 1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
• 1 ¼ cups caster sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 160g unsalted butter, melted
• 180g dark chocolate, melted
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Icing sugar
• Chocolate sauce

Preheat oven to 180C. Heat the dates and port in small saucepan over low heat until warm. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, date mixture, butter and chocolate.
Mix in the eggs and pour the mixture into a 30 x 20 cm slice tin lined with non-stick baking paper.
Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, or until set. Allow to cool in the tin.

Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream, dusting each serve with icing sugar and drizzling with chocolate sauce.

Serve with a glass of port.

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