Guinness Pie

Main featured on Irish Night
Serves 7 hungry Feedlotters  

Ingredients
1.5kg good quality blade or chuck steak, trimmed of fat, cut into 3cm cubes
1 bottle (750ml ) red wine (merlot is ideal)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs (1/4 cup) plain flour
1 onion, chopped
150g pancetta, rind removed, cut into strips
1 cup Guinness
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled
12 eschalots, peeled
300g button mushrooms

Bouquet Garni 1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme 2 sprigs parsley
1 piece orange peel

Method
To make the bouquet garni, gather the herbs in a bundle, enclose the woody stems with orange peel and tie together with kitchen string.
Place the diced beef and bouquet garni in a large non-metallic bowl and pour the red wine over the top.  cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and half the butter in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium heat, add the onion and carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened.  Add the pancetta and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
Drain beef, reserving marinade, and pat dry on kitchen paper.  heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over high heat and brown beef in batches.  Transfer beef to casserole with the onion mixture, sprinkle with flour and stir.
Deglaze frypan with marinade allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, then add to casserole with the bouquet garni, stock and garlic.  Bring to the boil, cover, then cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter and oil in a large frypan.  Add the eschalots and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until light golden.  add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes to brown.
Remove casserole from oven , stir in eschalots and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Return to the oven, covered, for a further hour.  Remove bouquet garni and garlic and place beef mixture in a greased pie dish with shortcrust pastry and then cover with puff pastry.
Decorate with shamrocks made from puff pastry and bake at 170 degrees cel until golden brown.

Peach, Haloumi and Prosciutto Salad with Lime and Lychee Dressing

Favourite dish of The Cameron's... Entree for Favourites Night

Ingredients
24 peach slices, canned and drained
100 - 200g mesculum lettuce leaves
200g - 400g haloumi (can use uncooked fetta)
1tbs olive oil
3tbs fresh lime juice
Half a can of lychees, drained and cut into small cubes
1tbsp fresh dill chopped finely
1tsp fresh mint chopped finely
1tsp green peppercorns
4 large slices of prosciutto, grilled until crisp, cooled and crumbed


Method
Lightly spray peach slices with oil and cook on hot griddle pan until lightly browned with pan marks. Leave to cool before adding to lettuce and cheese.
Slice haloumi into long thin slices and lightly coat in flour and spray them with a little oil and cook on the griddle pan until cooked.
Wash the lettuce and add the cooled peach slices.
Whisk oil with lime juice and stir in mint, dill, lychee pieces and peppercorns to taste.
Add cheese to the lettuce and peaches and pour over dressing and toss gently.
Sprinkle crumbed prosciutto over and serve.

Irish Soda Bread

As featured in Irish Night
To be served with Farmhouse Sausage & Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a loaf tin.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. 
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes.

You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Farmhouse Sausage & Vegetable Casserole

Main from Irish Night

Ingredients
1 can of red kidney beans
1/4 small green cabbage shredded
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large leek, sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
4 slices bacon diced
1/2 to 1 cup of port or sherry
2 beef stock cubes disolved in 4 cups of water or 900ml fresh stock
salt and pepper
450g pork chipolatas

Method
Fry off bacon, leek and onions.
When the onions and leek are soft add the sausages and brown them off.
Deglaze the pan with the port or sherry. Put into a casserole dish and add potatoes, carrots, cabbage, red kidney beans and stock.
Place in 180 degree oven for 45mins to an hour until stock reduced and vegies are soft.

Serve with Irish Soda Bread

Bailey's Cheesecake

Dessert featured on Irish Night
When I made this cheesecake it smelt delicious, looked amazing, and the texture was perfect... but I forgot a key ingredient, so it was really just... cheesy.  I'm confident if you include all ingredients, it will be the best Baked Cheesecake EVER.  Just don't forget the sugar :)

Ingredients - Base
150g digestive biscuits
75g unsalted butter, melted or very soft
Table spoon caster sugar

Ingredients - Top
50ml (or more if you like) Baileys or any Irish Cream
800g cream cheese
6 medium eggs
145ml tub double cream
175g caster sugar
20 cm Springform tin

Method - Serves 8
Put the over on 180 grease and line the Springform tin (I grease the sides and line the base normally)
Crush the digestives add the butter and the sugar (I do this in a food processor) use this mixture to line the base of the tin, even it out, then place in the fridge.
Put all the other ingredients in a bowl (or a blender) and mix together, poor over the digestive base and place in the oven.
Bake for about 40 mins but keep checking, when the cheesecake is almost set but still has a wobble in the middle, turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in to cool down(still in the oven), i can't explain how important this is it makes the cheesecake really smooth and delicious
When the oven is cool remove and refrigerate (TIP: make the cheesecake at night, turn off the oven and remove in the morning).
Serve with ice cream or double cream

Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson.

Chinese Beef with Sweet Orange Sauce

Main featured on Chinese Night

Ingredients
2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbs finely chopped fresh ginger

1.5kg rolled beef brisket pot roast

1 tbs peanut oil

1/4 cup (60ml) sherry

1/2 cup (125ml) beef stock

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

1/4 cup Sweet Orange Marmalade

Steamed rice and Asian greens, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to140°C.

Combine shallots, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl and mix well. Remove string from brisket and unroll.

Spread shallot mixture evenly over flesh leaving a 2cm border on all sides. Roll up tightly to enclose filling and secure with kitchen string.

Heat oil in a large casserole and brown meat well on all sides and ends.

Add sherry to casserole and allow it to boil until almost completely evaporated. Add stock and cinnamon, cover with lid and transfer to oven.

Cook, undisturbed for 2½ hours.

Remove casserole from oven, remove beef and set aside, covered with foil to rest for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place casserole over a high heat. Add marmalade and reduce liquid to ½ cup.

Strain through a fine sieve.

Slice beef and drizzle with orange sauce.

Serve with rice and greens.

Cucumber Salad

Entree featured on Chinese Night

Ingredients

1kg fresh cucumber
5tbs salt
5tbs soy sauce
3tbs sugar
1tbs sesame oil
3tbs vinegar
pinch of salt
3 cloves of garlic bruised then chopped

Method
Wash and cut the cucumber into 3 or 4 equal lengths of 10cm.
Lightly bruise them with a knife, rub salt all over it and let them stand for 30 minutes or until excess water comes out, drain well.
Combine soy sauce, salt, sugar, sesame oil and vinegar and garlic.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before adding cucumber.

Jiaozi (Dumplings)

Entree enjoyed on Chinese Night

Ingredients
450g pork mince
3 spring onions
1 clove garlic
1tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Dumpling wrappers

Method
Mix ingredients and leave covered in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Place a teaspoon of filling into each dumpling wrapper. Brush the edges lightly with water and fold in a
half-moon shape.  Press closed ensuring they are sealed.
Pleat the edge.
Add to boiling water for a few minutes, when they rise to the top they are cooked.

Eton Mess

Recipe from Christmas Dinner night.

Ingredients

7 eggwhites, at room temperature

200g icing sugar, plus 3 tbs extra

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp white vinegar

300ml thickened cream

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped (I used vanilla extract)

2 x 250g punnets strawberries, halved

1 tbs lemon juice

Method
Preheat the oven to 140C.  Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Using an electric mixer, whisk eggwhites to soft peaks. 
Sift icing sugar into a bowl, then add caster sugar. 
Gradually whisk sugars into eggwhites until thick and glossy. 
Add cornflour and vinegar, then whisk to combine.
Drop heaped dessertspoons of mixture onto the trays, spaced 6cm apart. 
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 100C and bake for a further 30 minutes. 
Switch off oven and leave meringues in the oven with the door closed for 1 hour or until cooled completely.
Whip cream, vanilla seeds (or extract) and 2 tbs icing sugar in an electric mixer to soft peaks. 
Whiz half the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1 tbs icing sugar in a blender until you have a smooth coulis.
To serve, break up meringues, then divide among glasses, layering with cream, remaining strawberries and coulis.

Gazpacho

Recipe from Christmas Dinner Night

Ingredients

1 red capsicum

1 tbs vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1 telegraph cucumber

1 spanish onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3kg vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/4 bunch green basil, picked

2tsp Tabasco sauce
50ml sherry vinegar

100ml olive oil

2 slices bread

720ml tomato passata

Method
Preheat oven to 180.
Cut the capsicum in half then remove the stalk and seeds.
Toss with a little vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and place on a baking tray.
Cook in the oven for about 30minutes until tender.
Transfer the capsicum to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to steam for 20 minutes.
After steaming remove and discard the skins from the capsicum.
Chop the capsicum flesh roughly and place in a bowl.
Peel the cucumber then remove the seeds.
Roughly chop the cucumber and place in the bowl with the capsicum.
Add the chopped onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil leaves, Tabasco sauce, sherry vinegar, olive oil, bread and passata, then season with salt and pepper.
Mix together until combined, then cover with plastic wrap.
Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavours to infuse.

To serve, blend the soup until smooth then pass through a sieve.  Serve chilled with croutons.  Serves 10.

Cashew Chicken with a Burnt Chilli Paste

Recipe from Chilli Night

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
350g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
2 tbs water
2 tsp sugar
1 red cayenne chilli, thinly sliced
10 Thai basil leaves, torn up
4 Kaffir lime leaves, shredded
100g cashews, unsalted

Burnt Chilli Paste
3 tbs peanut oil
7 dried chillis, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs small dried prawns
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs tamarind water (30g piece tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water and strained)
2 tbs brown sugar

Method
To make the burnt chilli paste, heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry the onion until softened, then remove and set aside.
Add the dried chillies to the pan and fry until blackened.  Set aside.
Add the garlic and fry until golden.
Grind the dried prawns, half of the fried chillies, the onion and garlic together with a pestle and mortar to create a coarse paste.
Add the resultant mixture to the pan with the fish sauce, tamarind water and sugar.  Heat gently for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then set aside.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok and fry the sliced garlic until brown.  Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes on each side to seal. 
Crumble the remaining fried chillies into the wok and add 2 tbs of the burn chilli paste, then the fish sauce, water, sugar and sliced chilli.  Fry over a high heat.
Add the basil leaves, kaffir lime leaves and cashew nuts and fry for another minute.

Garnish with red chilli and basil and serve with coconut rice.

White Gold & Sweet Potato Hot Red Chilli Salad

A delicious salad with a kick, enjoyed on Chilli Night...

Ingredients
Juice of 2 large limes
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 fresh medium-hot to hot red chillies (New Mexico, Cayenne, Hot Banana or Cubanelle), seeded and minced
2 - 4 fresh medium hot green chilli peppers (jalapeno or serrano), seeded and minced
1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cup good-tasting  extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 large sweet potatoes or yams, boiled until barely tender, peeled and diced large
Seasoning to taste

Method
Put the lime juice, garlic and onion in a large bowl and let stand 20 minutes. 
Gently blend in the rest of the ingredients, seasoning to taste.
Serve the potatoes right away, or keep them at room temperature for up to two hours.

Mustard Maple Sausages

Recipe from Finger Food night

I whipped this up for Finger Food night, but this recipe originally came from my adventure working as a Chalet Host for Nomadic Ski in the French Alps.  These Mustard Maple Sausages were a hit canape with guests of all ages, everytime!

Ingredients
Thin sausages
Maple syrup
Grainy mustard

Method
Pan fry the sausages until cooked, set aside
In a separate bowl, mix a few tablespoons of maple syrup and mustard together
Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces, and return to the fry pan on low heat
Add the maple and mustard mixture to the pan, toss to coat sausages
Heat sausages through (1-2 minutes) and serve warm with toothpicks

Carrot & Parsnip Fritters with Persian Feta

Recipe from Finger Food Night

Ingredients

60g rice flower

125ml water

2tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/2tsp ground cumin

1.5 cups grated carrot

1.5 cups grated parsnip
1/4 cup flat parsley leaves
sea salt and cracked pepper

60ml vegetable oil

Persian feta

Method

Place the rice flour, water, baking powder, egg, cumin, carrot, parsnip, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine.

Heat oil in a large fry pan

Place tablespoons of mixture in the pan, flatten slightly

Cook in batches for 1 - 2 minutes each side or until golden

Serve warm topped with feta and extra parsley leaves

High Top Apple Pie

Recipe from Pie Night

Ingredients
12 Granny Smith apples
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 batch basic pastry
1/3 cup almond meal
1 eggwhite lightly beaten (for brushing)

Method
Prehead oven to 180.  Place apple and lemon juice in a large deep frying pan over medium heat.  Cove and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until just tender.  Set aside to cool.  Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, and mix to combine.  Set aside.
Half pastry and roll out 3mm thick.  Line the base of a 22cm metal base pie tin with one piece of pastry.  Sprinkle with almond meal, and pack the apple mixture tightly into the pastry shell.  Top with remaining pastry, press the edges to seal and trim the excess.  Cut several slits in the top of the pastry, brush with eggwhite and sprinkle with extra granulated sugar.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until pastry is golden and crisp.  Serves 8.

Basic Pastry Recipe
1 2/3 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
180g unsalted butter
1/3 cup iced water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place flour, sugar and baking powder into a food processor and process to combine. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With blender running, gradually add the water and vanilla and process until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30min before using.

Recipe courtesty of Donna Hay, made by Ems on Pie Night.

Mini Lamb Pies

Recipe from Pie Night

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 diced brown onion

1 crushed clove of garlic

Salt and pepper

500g lamb mince

150g tomato paste

¼ cup of chicken stock

5 sheets of shortcrust pastry

1 egg

Method
Cook onion, garlic, salt and pepper in frying pan over high heat until tender. 
Add lamb and cook until well browned.
Add tomato paste and stock.
Cook for 3-4 minutes and allow to cool.
Cut 12x9cm circles from pastry and press into lightly greased muffin tray.
Spoon in mixture.
Cut 12x7cm cicles and place on top of pies.
Press the edges with a fork and brush with lightly beaten egg.
Score a cross in the centre of pie.
Bake for 15minutes or until golden brown in a pre-heated 200C oven.

And remember... always blow on the pie!