I love living on the edge. And there is nothing more exciting than experimenting with new recipe ideas with a dining-room full of expectant diners! The thrill of the unknown. The adrenalin rush. Will it be OK? Or not? And what would I do if it turns out to be a disaster?
One of these mad moments seized me on Valentine’s Day. I decide to prepare five courses of untried recipes. Madness, you might say, but, for me, thrilling!
We started with a baba ganoush with crispy, crunchy crudités. I have made this tasty aubergine salad before but not to a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, a non-vegetarian who does wonderful things with vegetables. One of the delights of his version is the inclusion of pomegranite molasses and pomegranite seeds.
The dinner began with a butternut squash soup laced with coconut milk and with a pesto sprinkle – this was a recipe given to me by a Spanish guest. He assured me it was a divine combination and indeed it was.
My daughter created the next simple combination of avocado and langoustines, flavoured with mint and lime. Really good. And I had fun trying to figure out the decoration too.
The main dish was my take on cassoulet: confit of duck leg roasted till crispy and served with white beans flavoured with chorizo and morcilla. My guests raved about it and the combination of a sweet potato puree and redcurrant salsa.
Lovers and chocolate are inextricable so I made a tart of paté sucrée filled with apricots and a chocolate mousse. I made one extra so the kitchen could see how it turned out. It disappeared rapidly.
And so to bed.
