Kathy's Menu for July 2000

Starter : Pastrami Toasts

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Main Course : Salmon with Cous Cous

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Pudding : Marscapone and Lime Cheesecake

Pastrami Toasts
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoons double cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6oz (175g) thinly sliced pastrami, cut into strips
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices rye bread, toasted and buttered
2 large dill pickles, thinly sliced

To garnish :
Sprigs of watercress

Method

1. Heat the cream and mustard in a pan until hot and just bubbling, but do not boil. Stir in the strips of pastrami and toss gently, heat for a further 1 - 2 minutes until hot.
2. Arrange a lettuce leaf on each slice of toasted rye bread. Cover each with a layer of sliced dill pickle and top with the warm creamy pastrami mixture.
3. Garnish with watercress sprigs and serve immediately.

Salmon with Cous Cous
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boned and skinned salmon filets, about 5oz (150g each)
5oz (150g) cous cous
7floz (200ml) dry white wine
1 egg beaten
salt and black pepper

For the Tomato and Olive Vinagrette :
8oz (225g) tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped small
5oz (150g)pitted black olives, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2floz (50ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and black pepper

Method

1. Put the cous cous in a bowl. Heat the wine until just simmering and then pour over the cous cous. Leave the cous cous until it has absorbed all the wine. Fluff it up with a knife.
2. Season each salmon filet with salt and pepper and dip in to the beaten egg and then coat it with cous cous grains on all sides. Put the coated salmon fillets on to a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and refridgerate until ready to cook.
3. To prepare the tomato and olive vinagrette, mix together the crushed garlic, mustard vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and a good seasoning of salt and pepper.Just before serving add the tomatoes, olives and chopped parsley.
4. To cook, put the fillets in to a pre-heated oven at 190C (375F, Gas Mark 5) and cook for 20 minutes.
5. To serve, place a salmon filet on each plate with a pool of tomato and olive vinagrette over it. Serve the rest of the vinaigrette separately. Serve with new potatoes and fresh garden peas.

Marscapone and Lime Cheesecake
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

8oz (200g) pack of digestive biscuits, crushed
2oz (50g)butter, melted
2 x 9oz (250g) tubs marscapone cheese
1.5oz (40g) icing sugar, sieved
finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes

To decorate :
2oz(50g) dark chocolate
2oz(50g) caster sugar
a few grapes

Method

1. Mix together the crushed biscuits and the melted butter. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a 7inch (18cm) spring sided or loose bottomed cake tin.
2. Place the marscapone cheese, icing sugar, lime zest and juice in a bowl and mix together. Spread the mixture over the biscuit base. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. To decorate, melt the chocolate according to the instructions on the pack. Use the melted chocolate to make leaf shapes. To frost the grapes, dip in water, shake off the excess water and dip in the caster sugar. Decorate the cheesecake with the chocolate leaves and frosted grapes.

Cookery Book Recommendation of the Month

Elizabeth David Classics
Elizabeth David's cookery books have inspired generations of cooks and Grub Street's new "Elizabeth David Classics" is a 600-page reprint of her writing on Mediterranean, French and Summer cooking. It's a wonderful gift for anyone who loves good food or the perfect replacement for worn-out original editions.

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