Jo Lives To Eat

Normally on Sunday evenings I like to sit on my couch and watch TV while eating, in my opinion, the ultimate in Sunday night dining - dippy eggs and marmite soldiers.  There is nothing better.

However, this was not to be last Sunday as it was the third instalment of our Come Dine with Me dinners.  I was particularly excited for this one as it was at my friend Steph's house.  She is my oldest friend in the world and we have always shared an absolute obsession for food in all its forays.  She also happens to be the best domestic Goddess I know so I knew the calibre would be high tonight.

We were greeted with a beautifully pink and feminine looking cocktail as we milled around the kitchen.  A vodka and lychee concoction that actually reminded me of my favourite cocktail at Cocoon - a "passion flower" which also has lychees in it.  It was hard not to gulp it down as it was extremely drinkable but then we were greeted with a little treat as there was a whole lychee at the bottom to nibble on.

The very fresh and fruity cocktail complimented the hors d'oeuvres of tuna ceviche and avocado toasts excellently.  These were just absolutely stunning little morsels; very fresh, very simple and looked stunning.  I am such a fan of ceviche ever since I first tried it in its hometown of Peru and think it makes such a great appetiser.  Just look how pretty! - and with the matching pink drink! (I am such a girl).


After milling with all the pinkness we sat down for our starters of cheese souffle.  Cheese souffle is an excellent CDWM dish to do because it looks impressive, if done right and hard to do.  Actually it can be very easy to make but the trick is making it light and airy.  Although the souffles could have risen more in my opinion, they tasted great and also didn't fill me up too much.


After a nice little pause for a chat and some wine we moved onto the main course.  Stuffed seabass with mushrooms, piped potatoes and layered steamed vegetables.  Now even though I used to hate fish, I have over the last few years learnt to like it so am very very happy to eat it (apart from a few exceptions) and am actually always very pleased when people cook fish for me as I would never really order it in a restaurant.  The white fish was filled with mushrooms and dill and worked very well together.  I have to confess I didn't eat it all as it was just a tad fishy for me but it was cooked beautifully and I loved the layered vegetable cake.  There was a small issue with the piped potatoes not looking as elegant as Steph had hoped but it didn't detract from the taste.



The piece de resistance was definitely the dessert - apple tarte tatin with raspberry coulis.  It really was that perfect mixture of soft apple sweetness with crispy, flakey pastry and the addition of the coulis and some whipped cream was just gorgeous.  I had a second helping and could have had more.


Considering the norm this was an exceptional treat and a culinary triumph for Sunday night dining.  Our Come Dine with Me continues to flourish.  Nicole's to come soon.

Well firstly let me say Happy New Year to you all.  Last night was New Year's Eve and I had a rather hectic night out.  However, the hecticness was preceded by a rather lovely dinner at mine with some friends.  I decided I didn't want to do a fancy schmancy affair, just something simple, hearty - pure foodie goodness (perhaps in an effort to soak up the alcohol?!) There was only one thing I could do - something that my Mummy taught me and my Grandma taught her - meatballs and mushrooms.  My Grandma was from Poland and this is classic Polish fodder.
I made a huge bowl of it with rice, a green salad and some roasted red peppers and the whole thing got polished off.

Eating this only confirms to me 100% that as much as I like going to haute cuisine restaurants and eating piddly little dishes for £50, they don't even come close to a big plate of grub that you can really get your teeth into and mop the juice up with some crusty bread or rice - it seems to make us feel comfortable somehow and perhaps brings back good family memories - or at least it does for me.

I have some great memories from when I was a child.  I used to sit on my Mum's kitchen table, peering over her, constantly asking questions about what things were and why things needed to be folded, mixed or whisked while she cooked and I attempted to help.  I kind of imagine that thats what my Mum did with my Grandma when she was little and that thought makes me happy that that bond has passed on and I have a similarly close relationship with my Mum.

I did toy for about 5 seconds about revealing the recipe to the world but I realised I could never do such a thing - this is a secret family recipe that I hope to one day pass on to my daughters.  No one else.  But, as always, here's a couple of pictures to wet your appetite.