Kathy's Menu for May 2000

Starter : Venison Terrine with Cranberries

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Main Course : Turkey Breasts with Avocado

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Pudding : Nougat Ice Cream

Venison Terrine with Cranberries
Serves 4

Ingredients

8oz (225g) minced venison
8oz (225g) minced pork
4oz (110g) rindless smoked streaky bacon
15 juniper berries, crushed
1 teaspoon mixed peppercorns
2oz (50g) shelled pistachio nuts
sprinkling of nutmeg
teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3 floz (90ml) dry white wine
1floz (25ml) brandy
For the Cranberry Confit :
1lb (450g) cranberries
4oz (110g) granulated sugar
15floz (425ml) red wine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
grated zest and juice of 1 orange

Method

1. Put the minced venison and pork in to a large mixing bowl. Chop the bacon into thin strips about an eighth of an inch (3mm) wide and add them to the bowl. Add the crushed juniper berries and crush the peppercorns and add these as well. Chop the pistachio nuts in half and add to the bowl, then add the thyme, a sprinkling of nutmeg and the wine and brandy. Mix everything together with a fork, making sure it is thoroughly combined.
2. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to marinate for about 2 hours.
3. Put the mixture in to a loaf tin or terrine, it will need to be 1.5 pint capacity (900ml). Pack the mixture down firmly and cover the surface with a double layer of foil.
4. Put the terrine into a roasting tin with about 1 inch (2.5cm) of boiling water in the tin. Place in a pre-heated oven at 150C (300F, gas mark 2) for 1 hour 45 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, leave the foil on and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Put two tins or weights on top, when the terrine is completely cool, transfer to the fridge (still with the weights on top) and leave it overnight.
6. To prepare the cranberry confit, put the cranberries in a pan with the rest of the ingredients. Heat the mixture up to simmering point, stir well and allow to simmer without the lid on for about an hour, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then spoon it into a serving dish and cover until needed.
7. Remove the terrine from the fridge an hour before serving. To serve, cut in to slices and spoon the cranberry confit over the top.

Turkey Breasts with Avocado
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 turkey breast fillets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
half a teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon fresh basil
2 tablespoons medium sherry
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 floz (150ml) tomato juice
1 oz (25g) butter
1 avocado
2 tomatoes cut in to wedges
2- 3 tablespoons finely grated cheddar cheese
paprika
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Method

1. Arrange the turkey breasts in a row in a greased shallow casserole dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon rind, chopped onion, tarragon and basil. Mix together the sherry, lemon juice and tomato juice and pour over the turkey fillets. Dot with small pieces of butter.
2. Cover the casserole with a lid or foil and cook in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 180C (350F, gas mark 4) for 40 minutes
3. Uncover the casserole. Halve, peel and slice the avocado and arrange neatly overlapping slices to one side of the turkey fillets. Arrange the wedges of tomato on the other side. Return the uncovered casserole to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle with finely grated cheese and then return to the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
5. Remove from the oven and to serve, sprinkle the turkey fillet on the side next to the avocado with paprika and on the side next to the tomatoes with parsley.

Nougat Ice Cream
Serves 6

Ingredients

4 size 1 egg yolks
3oz (75g) sugar
15floz (425ml) milk
10floz (275 ml) fromage frais
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 x 100g bars of Turron (also called Torrone)
1 rounded teaspoon cornflour

Method

1. Whisk the cornflour, egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until thick. Heat the milk in a pan until it just comes to the boil and pour it over the egg mixture whisking all the time. Now transfer the mixture back to the pan and heat over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the mxiute thickens, don't let it boil. Add the vanilla and then pour it all into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
2. While the mixture is cooling, break up the turron into pieces about 0.25 inches (5mm) square. When the mixture is cold fold in the fromage frais and the turron pieces.
3. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn for about 20 to 30 minutes until ready.
4. If you don't have an ice cream maker then pour the mixture in to a shallow box (with a lid) of 3.5 pints (2 litres capacity). Put the lid on and place in the freezer for about 3 - 4 hours until the mixture is half frozen - the particles around the edge will be frozen but the middle will still be soft. Remove from the freezer and whisk the frozen bits in to the soft bits until you have a uniform texture. Put the lid back on, freeze again and repeat the same process after another 3 hours. After the second whisking the ice cream is ready.
5. Spoon the ice cream in to a freezer box and freeze until needed. Transfer to the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Cookery Book Recommendation of the Month

Delia Smith's How to Cook : Book 1
The first of two books in which Delia Smith presents a straightforward cookery course for people of all ages and abilities. It looks at the techniques and staple ingredients of traditional British cookery and includes 130 recipes.

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