Thursday 31 January 2008

Mexican Feast – Carnitas!


My inspiration for this Mexican Feast was David Lebovitz, who posted this wonderful story and recipe recently. As soon as I read it, I invited some folks over, bought the pork, salted it and started planning a wonderful Mexican evening for us all. We had a lot of fun!

The Carnitas was simple, a few spices, and it basically sat in the oven for an afternoon. I then took up the kind offer of one of our guests to pull it apart, which made my work even easier!

So we had delicious frozen margaritas, guacamole with pita chips, the soft and tasty Carnitas (which seemed a lot like pulled pork to me), spicy corn relish, chunky tomato salsa, tortillas, sour cream and a little shredded lettuce. Can you taste it? Oh ye all together, it was glorious! The margaritas must have been filling as I could only fit in one tortilla with all the trimmings. I was the only one though, as most of it disappeared before me eyes followed by many moans and groans and belly rubs throughout the night of because they were so full! I knew what was for dessert you see! Hehe – Lemon Meringue Pie, ye I know it’s not Mexican, but it was the January Daring Bakers Challenge.

Carnitas is a Spanish/Mexican tradition of braising meat in lard and roasting it. David’s recipe was with water and spices and then roasting, and it worked perfectly. I still thought it was very fatty! I can’t imagine what it’d be like preparing it in the lard!?

This recipe (or evening) is well worth it, the gorgeous mixture of flavours and textures combined with some good company makes for a memorable evening.
Here's what I did:
2.5 kg boneless pork should, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
1 tbs coarse sea salt
2 tbs canola or neutral vegetable oil
water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced

Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt. Refrigerate for 1 to 3 days. (You can skip this step if you want. Just be sure to salt the pork before searing the meat in the next step.)

Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel, then pour in about a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits. Add all the spices, garlic etc.

Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3rd's submerged in liquid.

Braise in the oven uncovered for 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.

Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, about 7 cm, discarding any obvious big chunks of fat if you wish.

Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized. It will depend on how much liquid the pork gave off, and how crackly you want them. Mine took about 45 minutes and left it crispy and nice and brown.
S

Tuesday 29 January 2008

January Daring Bakers Challenge - Lemon Meringue Pie

Jen the Canadian Baker is the hostess with the mostess whom set January's Daring Baker's challenge. This is my sixth challenge with the wonderful group of supportive and inspiring bakers from all around the world.

Jen set us a Lemon Meringue Pie as something lighter after all the holiday treats. It was great. I didn't struggle with this challenge, which means this scary dare I set myself to join this awesome group has taught me something. I think the main reason I am having more success in the baking department, is to do with confidence and following the instructions to the letter. I'm one of those eh, I'll throw a bit f this or that in, so baking was never my forte.

We had people over the night I made this and I managed to make each part at different stages through my day in the kitchen and then assembled it as we sat down for dinner, set the timer jumped up 15 minutes later, allowed it to cool and served it about 2 hours later and it was a hit! Everyone loved it. So, thank you Jen for the gorgeous recipe and challenge and thank you fellow Daring Bakers for all your help and support in the last 6 challenges.

For the Crust:
180 grams cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup iced water

For the Filling:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
½ cup cornflour
5 egg yolks, beaten
¼ cup butter
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extrac
t¾ cup sugar

For the Crust: Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt. Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with the iced water, let rest 30 seconds and then process very briefly just until the dough begins to stick together and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board roll the disk to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Cut a circle about 2 inches larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about ½ inch. Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool before filling.

For the Filling: Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated.

Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

For the Meringue: Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

S

Wednesday 23 January 2008

Pizza Scrolls


Here’s something easy and fun and really tasty. Watch out when you take them out of the oven - they’ll burn your mouth!

You can obviously use whatever fillings you prefer to please the crowd at your place.

4 sheets of ready-made puff pasty
6 tbs tomato paste
150g sliced ham
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Dried oregano
½ onion, finely diced
Red capsicum, finely diced
2 tomatoes, sliced


Preheat the oven to 200C.

Spread each pastry sheet with the tomato paste, sprinkle with a little grated cheese, oregano, next top with a little of the chopped onion and capsicum. Place the ham and tomato slices on top and sprinkle with a little more grated cheese.

Starting from a long side, roll up firmly to form a log. Brush the edge with a little extra milk and press down firmly to seal the log. Cut crossways into equal portions, about 3cm thick.

Place scrolls on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
S

Monday 21 January 2008

Beef Vindaloo


Yep, that's the really hot one. This recipe goes out especially to Liam, the chilli challenger. On a recent curry night at our place, I wanted to make a curry I’d never made before and thought the spice tolerance of the invitees was high, so why not. The vindaloo was great! It was easy to prepare and the flavour was spot on. I struggled to add the amount of cloves and pepper, but I did and it paid off. Vindaloo is actually a Portuguese dish. The Portuguese introduced it to Goa, India, so yet again I learnt something new about curries. Food knowledge is never ending!

1 kg diced beef
200 mls white vinegar
2-4 tsp dried chillies (depending on how hot they are)
1 heaped tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 tbs black peppercorns
4 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tbs tamarind pulp
1 rbs brown sugar
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
300 mls water
salt


Marinate the beef in 100 mls of the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt for 20 minutes and then drain and dry well.

Grind the cumin seeds, cloves and peppercorns to a fine powder.

Add the ground spices, cinnamon stick, fresh chilies, garlic, ginger, tamarind, vinegar, chilli flakes and sugar and process to a smooth paste.

Brown the beef in some oil and then set aside.

Fry the onions in some oil for 20 – 30 minutes.

Add the spice paste and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan with the water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt.

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer and cover and allow to cook for1 ½ - 2 hours, stirring from time to time, until the beef is tender.

S

Friday 18 January 2008

Scrumptious Chicken Wings


Recently, we were steered in the direction of a particular café that had sensational bbq rolls. They were so good we went back again! Long story short, it came up in a discussion with another friend and they had the recipe! The recipe listed barbeque sauce, which I’d never made from scratch before. I did a bit of research and mixed and matched and added the spices from the café’s bbq rolls recipe and hey presto – we had ourselves some finger-licking good wings. You must try, they’re highly addictive!

2kgs chicken wings
3 teaspoons chilli powder
1 onion, finely diced
1 ½ cups water
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
3 ½ tbs honey
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1 tbs cinnamon
2 tbs Dijon mustard

Cook the onion in the oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, honey and Worcestershire.

Season with 2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, garlic and 1 teaspoon chilli powder. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 ¼ hours, uncovered, or until sauce thickens.

Preheat 200C and cut the chicken wings into 3 at the joints and discard the wing tips.

Toss the wings with approximately ½ cup of the bbq sauce. Arrange chicken in roasting tray in a single layer and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, turning at the half way point.

Remove from the oven and toss again with more bbq sauce ad serve.
S

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Another take on Lasagne

There are so many ways to make lasagne and everyone has their own personal favourite. Being a true Libran, I sway and sometimes like my lasagne with this style cheese sauce and sometimes the traditional béchamel. I like béchamel as it creates such a gorgeous silky texture, but sometimes I cannot be bothered with all that stirring in the preparation.

This recipe includes the way my Mum does the cheese component in her lasagne. Its quick, its easy, and its really tasty and especially cheese. Mmm.

2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
700 minced beef
2 cans of tinned tomatoes, diced
½ cup red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
Dash of worcestershire sauce
375g fresh lasagne sheets
300 grams cottage cheese
1 large handful of grated cheddar cheese
100 grams grated parmesan
2-3 tbs milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Salt and pepper


Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion over medium heat until softened. Add the mince and brown well, breaking up any lumps with a fork. Add the tins of tomatoes, wine, worcestershire and oregano, and season. Bring to a simmer for 15-30 minutes.

In a bowl mix the cottage cheese, cheddar, parmesan, milk, parsley and salt and pepper to make a cheese spread.

Preheat the oven to moderate 180.Start with a thin layer of meat sauce over the base and top with a thin layer of cheese spread. Lay the lasagne sheets on top, gently pressing to push out any air. Continue the layers, finishing with cheese spread. Bake for 30-45 mins or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

S

Monday 14 January 2008

Streusel topped Blueberry Muffins

A dear friend of mine was in hospital recently and not having a great time. I decided those blueberries I had in the fridge would be put to good use and transformed into fantastic blueberry muffins. The crunchy streusel topping is what made them fantastic!

1 ½ cups plain flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
¼ cup butter, cubed
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200C and line a muffin tin with muffin-cups.

Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder.

Measure out 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and pout into a 1 cup measuring cup on top of this add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture and then gently fold in blueberries.

Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

For the Streusel Topping - Mix together ½ cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, ¼ cup butter, and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

S

Friday 11 January 2008

Special Beef with Balsamic Glaze


By the time I made this I was full of gorgeous French champagne and delight of seeing a long lost girlfriend, plus setting the tea towel alight and all the mayhem that goes with that, this beef is all a haze. I’m surprised I remembered to take a photo! Thankfully it’s a half decent one.

What I do recall was the delicious flavour and texture as well as many comments around the table of how good it was. My first beef ever. Not bad really!

1kg beef eye fillet, trimmed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup oregano leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons brandy or beef stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup caster sugar


Preheat oven to 180°C. Season the beef fillet and add to a pan with 2 tablespoons for hot oil and seal each side.

Mix the parsley, oregano and thyme and press into the top of the fillet. Mix 2 more tablespoons of oil with the brandy and pour over beef. Cover the pan with foil, tightly and roast beef for 20 or till it is cooked to your liking. Remove from oven and set aside for 1 hour (keep it covered).

Remove the fillet from the frying pan onto a warm serving plate and add the balsamic and sugar to the frying pan. Bring to the boil, stir and turn the heat to create a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (so the sauce becomes thick). Slice the fillet and pour over the balsamic sauce and serve.

S

Wednesday 9 January 2008

Homemade Bounty Chocolates

After using the coconut to decorate the mango cheesecake I made recently, I had a ¾’s left over and decided to try to make these gorgeous chocolates with fresh coconut. I have left the recipe as I found it as I think it would work better with desiccated coconut. Everyone loved them when they were served and they looked great but I think the fresh coconut made the mix a little too wet and therefore hard to handle. I just dipped them in the chocolate for a second coating! They’re very easy and a huge success compared to chocolates I have made in the past.

200 gram unsweetened desiccated coconut
100 ml double cream
70 gram icing sugar
70 gram unsalted butter
200 gram dark chocolate


In a bowl, combine coconut with icing sugar. Heat cream and butter on low heat until the butter has melted. Mix well with the coconut and icing sugar off the heat.

Form small balls, approx 1 tbsp, with your hands. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and allow to firm in the fridge for at least an hour.

Melt the chocolate and dip each coconut ball in the warm melted chocolate and cover it completely. Allow all excess chocolate to drip back in the bowl and return the chocolate covered coconut ball to the baking paper lined tray. Cover all the balls with chocolate and return to the fridge for approx 30 minute and serve.
S

Monday 7 January 2008

Haloumi, Roast Tomato and Warm Bean Salad

This is a gorgeous warm salad I have made a few times over the years. People always go nuts for it. I found it many years ago on Jill Dupleix’ site when our family had a Greek feast and it’s remained in my repertoire.

Everyone I know loves Haloumi, if you don’t know it, please try it. Just slice it and fry it for a few seconds either side and serve with a lemon wedge. This cheese from Cyprus is delicious and salty, and is perfect for cooking as it holds its shape.

Then come the soft, sweet roast tomatoes, the crispy warm green beans and the dressing brings it all together perfectly.

8 tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper
sprigs of thyme
400 g green beans, topped
400g haloumi
1 tsp olive oil
1 lemon, quartered

Dressing:
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley

You need start off by roasting the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut tomatoes in half and arrange on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and thyme and bake for 30 minutes.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the green beans for 3 - 5 minutes till just cooked.
Rinse the haloumi, and cut into slices approx 1 cm thick. Heat the olive oil in a non stick frypan, and when hot, fry the haloumi slices until golden brown. Turn briefly and fry the other side.

Vigorously mix the lemon juice, olive oil, capers and parsley together. Drain the beans and toss in some of the dressing.

Arrange tomatoes and beans on large serving platter and top with haloumi. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve with lemon.
A
S

Saturday 5 January 2008

Potato Bake


For Xmas this year Andy and I were kindly invited to share the day with the Bradley Family. We were xmas orphans as my family had headed up to Queensland for the festivities with my brother and his wife. Laura's fabulous idea for xmas lunch was for everyone to bring a different dish. We were treated to so many different flavours. Marinated lamb, chicken curry, Moroccan beef Tagine, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni, and fabulous seasonal veg and salad. We sat outside in the sun under a big gum tree and ate until we were moaning in pain! We then retired to our homes for a nap and returned for trifle, cheesecake and a cheese platter! It really was a fabulous day.

And so, the point of my story... as well as preparing half of the cheese platter I decided to do a potato bake to accompany the mains. I had never cooked a potato bake and so I consulted with Sathya, mum, Laura and many many cookbooks and websites as I wanted to make an unforgettable bake!

In the end I chose a Stephanie Alexander Potato Bake. It sounded very simple and had very few ingredients, but Stephanie Alexander has not let me down yet and so I decided to put myself in her hands..

I did a trial run 2 days before Xmas and it was delicious! I served it up for lunch for Andy and me. He agreed it was a complete success. I then ate the ENTIRE bake myself in about 10 minutes flat. I could have eaten more! It was such a flavoursome, crispy yet soft, melt in your mouth, nutty flavoured delicious treat! I think it will become my signature side dish!

And on Xmas day it also received quite a few comments and was eaten in its entirety. Even Laura's mum said she'd never tasted one so good! I was very pleased and I highly recommend it to all..... Merry Xmas!

9 waxy potatoes
freshly ground pepper
freshly ground salt
nutmeg
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
200ml cream
400ml boiling milk
1 teaspoon plain flour
50g butter

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Using 20g of the butter, grease a ceramic or glass dish. Slice potatoes thinly, about half a centimetre thick. Layer them overlapping in the baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of salt, pepper, nutmeg and some of the garlic. Do another layer of potato and the seasonings, then a final third layer.

Add the teaspoon of flour to the cream and mix well. Pour a small amount of the boiling milk into the cream and stir. The add the rest of the milk and stir really well. Pour over the potato making sure not to disturb the layers or move them about. Add another layer of salt, pepper, nutmeg and garlic. Place the rest of the butter over the top in small knobs. Bake in the oven for about an hour to an hour and a half until golden and crispy on top. Serve.

E.

Friday 4 January 2008

Mango mascarpone coconut cheesecake

On the roads back to Sydney there were numerous signs for trays of mangoes. Now, let me tell you, mangoes are my absolute, absolute favourite. Yum! We bought a tray of gorgeous mangoes for $10. Nothing compared to Sydney prices, let alone the prices I used to see when I lived in Europe at this time of year.

With absolutely nothing to do on my holidays other than swim, eat, drink and sleep I bought myself a library of magazines to entertain myself. The Gourmet Traveller, had this cake on the cover. Had me at hello!

And, I had the perfect dinner party for which to make it.

We arrived back from our trip after a day of driving on Saturday evening. I rushed off to the supermarket to buy the ingredients and everything else we needed. I began preparing the cake. I didn’t think would take me too long. Knee deep in mangoes I was informed we were already late for the concert we were going to that night. I put lids on everything and scooted out. I returned home later that evening, very tired and rather tipsy and continued where I left off. Finally I thought I was done and it was time for bed, when I realised it had to be refrigerated for 2 hours before I could pour on the final layer!

I went to bed and set my alarm for 2 hours later. Somehow I dragged myself out of bed and poured the jelly layer on to set overnight.

The following morning I was to scared too look. In my sleepy daze I recalled the last time I poured jelly on top (of the Strawberry Mirror Cake) and it seeped through and went everywhere, so this time I put the pan on a plate. That morning, I had visions of the springform being on the plate crooked and all the jelly pooled on one side. Tony eventually coaxed me into it and it was fine. More than fine in fact, it was a good looker and delicious!

190 grams butter, softened
110 grams brown sugar
110 grams (¾ cup) plain flour
110 grams desiccated coconut


Mango jelly
500 grams mangoes, coarsely chopped (3 – 4 mangoes)
100 grams caster sugar
20ml lemon juice
1 tsp gelatine


Mascarpone mousse
750 grams mascarpone
2 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
2 tbsp milk
¾ tsp gelatine
4 egg yolks
110 grams (½ cup) caster sugar
25ml lemon juice

Start with the mango jelly - combine mango with a 1 litre of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until pulpy and fragrant. Puree using a hand-held blender or food processor, and strain through a fine sieve. You need 400ml, discard the pulp. Combine liquid with sugar in a clean saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, remove from heat and stir through lemon juice. Sprinkle on the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Stand until cool.

Next the base - preheat oven to 180C. Cream 140gm butter and 80gm brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and coconut and stir to the butter and sugar mix. Transfer to a baking paper lined oven tray and press out to approx 1cm-thick rectangle and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake this for 1015 minutes or until golden, and cool completely. Break the coconut biscuit into a food processor and process till finely ground. Melt remaining butter and add to food processor with the remaining sugar. Transfer to springform pan, lined with baking paper and press the mix to form the base and refrigerate for 1 hour.

The mascarpone mousse - combine mascarpone and lemon rind in a bowl, folding gently. Heat milk in a saucepan over low heat to just below simmering point. Sprinkle the gelatine on and stir to dissolve. Allow to stand for 5 minutes to cool, and add the to mascarpone mix. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water for 5 minutes (until thick and pale) and carefully fold through mascarpone mixture. Spoon over crumb base, smooth top and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Lastly, pour mango jelly over mascarpone mixture and refrigerate overnight or until firm.
To serve, remove cake pan ring and scatter cake with shaved coconut.

S

Wednesday 2 January 2008

Chicken Sandwiches for the road trip

This year for the holidays we went down the South coast of NSW, Australia to a gorgeous little place called Callala Beach for a week. To all of you out there in the middle of winter, think turquoise ocean, white, soft sand, warm long days of nothing much but, swimming, sleeping, eating and drinking. My idea of a perfect holiday.

For our trip I managed to rustle up some yummy chicken sandwiches. They're so tasty, we wished for more for days.

Sometimes I also add a little finely diced apple through the mix or put lettuce in the sandwich before serving. This recipe is pretty adaptable so feel free to add or subtract what you like. Not that you wouldn't anyway.

2 chicken breasts, roasted and cooled
1 stick of celery, finely sliced
1/2 spanish onion, finely sliced
3 tbs parsley, finely chopped
small handful walnuts
3 tbs good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
8 slices of buttered bread

Roughly chop the chicken and walnuts.

In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, mustard, juice and rind of half a lemon and mix with lots of salt and pepper. Taste to check seasoning and flavour.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Top a slice of bread with approx 2 tablespoons of the mix and pop another slice of bread on top, slice into 2 or 4 pieces and hey presto - you've got yourself some fine sandwiches.

This mix also works very well on top of cocktail toast as Canapés.

S