Gourmet meal in 1 2 3!

Starter:

Butternut Soup

Ingredients:

• 300 g peeled and chopped butternut squash
• 2 large nodules fresh ginger
• 1 small onion
• 1 stick celery
• 35 g butter
• 1 large clove garlic
• 30 ml honey
• 850 ml water
• 150 ml cream
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives to garnish

Method:

It could not be easier…

1. Peel and roughly chop all vegetables, including the ginger. Melt butter in a large pan, add the vegetables and fry gently until soft. Add garlic.
2. Add water, honey and seasoning. Bring to boil and simmer gently until vegetables are soft.
3. Liquidise soup. Rinse pan and return soup to it, passing it through a medium sieve.
4. Reserve 2 tablespoons cream. Add the rest to the soup and heat. Adjust seasoning.
5. Serve in soup bowls swirling the reserved cream with tip of knife. Garnish with chopped chives.

Main Course:

Rock Cornish Game Hens

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon (more to taste) habernero hot sauce
• 4 1/2 cups Cheri's Peach, Sausage and Wild Rice Stuffing

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. If necessary, remove neck and giblets from game hens. Wash hens inside and out and pat dry.
2. Prepare stuffing and cool slightly (or completely if you make the stuffing ahead of time).
3. Oil a large baking dish. Loosely stuff each bird (about 3/4 stuffing cup per hen). Truss the birds, folding the wings back and tying the legs together with kitchen twine. Place hens in prepared baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and place in preheated oven.
4. Prepare glaze: Combing apricot preserves, Grand Marnier, butter and habenero sauce in a small sauce pan. Heat, stirring until well blended and the preserves have melted. Use a pastry brush to baste the hens generously with the glaze.
5. Bake for about 1 hour (or until 180°F on a meat thermometer), basting with the glaze frequently. Remove to a platter and serve. Stuffing & Glaze Leftover Ideas!

Food Safety Warning: If you plan on saving some glaze for later use, separate it into a second bowl before brushing on the raw hens or meat.

Dessert:

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs
• 575 g caster sugar
• 400 g butter
• 700 g (70% coco chocolate)
• 250 ml water

Method:

1. Beat the eggs.
2. Take ˝ sugar into eggs and ˝ sugar into the water (boil)
3. Then add the butter.
4. Turn down the heat and add the chocolate.
5. Stir until smooth.
6. Add the eggs and mix into chocolate mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes on 180oC in a Baine Marie

For the more adventurous cook

Salmon Roses

Try this instead of the Butternut soup for a starter. It will tickle your taste buds!

Ingredients:

• Canadian Salmon (portion depend on the number of people to be served)
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup sushi rise
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 teaspoons of rice vinegar
• sushi mayonnaise (Kewpie) and caviar to your taste
• 1/2 cup of soya sauce
• wasabi

Method:

1. Per portion- cut 4 thin slices of Canadian salmon.
2. Cook the sushi rice and flavour with sugar and rice vinegar.
3. Once the rice is cooked add the caviar and Kewpie.
4. Roll the rice into the thin salmon slices.
5. Garnish with thin slices of avocado.

Chefs Tip: Do not over cook the rice as this will make it difficult to use the chopsticks for the sushi. Caviar and Kewpie can never be overwhelming so use it well.