The Dinner Party History Blog

...a record of conviviality by a forgetful cook ...

Chowing Down Through History

Monday 26 December 2011

Lost in paradise ...

Well, it's been a bit quiet since March, hasn't it? Thats because I've been kidnapped by rastafarian Ninjas and hidden in the bowels of a Hollow Volcano somewhere in the most remote reaches of the Caribbean!



Because I'm here, and all my cool kitchen stuff is 5000 miles away, indulging my passion for culinary experimentation has been severely curtailed, but, thanks to the inspring @sugarappleblog , I have got myself back into the saddle (for as long as my jailers in the Hollow Volcano allow).

....and being Christmas, what better way to begin than with a duet of delectable decadent desserts developed during December? 

Despite being sans cool kitchen stuff (like spatulas, cake tins, or even ingredients in some cases!) , having been invited to the lovely Squidgey's house for Christmas dinner, I volunteered to 'do' dessert.

I LOVED it... it was like meeting an old friend all over again, just to go back to planning, sourcing and cooking ... aside from the added complication of just about anything here beng imported and therefore necessarily limited in quality, quantity and availability.

So, to business... how about Dan Lepards Pecan Crust Bourbon Chocolate Tart?

That'll do. But no, lets go mad and complement it with a White Chocolate and Ricotta Cheesecake  (the festive red bits are Pomegranate Arils...fab, huh?) ...

... First problem ...finding ground pecans, here in the land of packet cake mix and artificial colouring ("no added nature")...

@sugarappleblog - the guru of culinary advice - couldn't help... so I grabbed two rocks off the beach (they let me out occasionally, to collect driftwood and download music files) and pounded my own pecans (insert inappropriate humour here)...

Everything else is available and, save the second problem of having to use tinfoil cake tins, instead of "proper" cake tins, both dishes were a success (watch that cooking time for the pecan crust, though... I got lucky: accidentally just a little longer cooking than required gave a nice coffee backtaste to the VERY rich filling, but a nanosecond longer would have been like licking a melted Mars Bars off a stick of charcoal -like I say, watch the cooking time like a hawk).

Squidgey did us proud...we watched the sun go down over the Land of The Free (just South of the Hidden Volcano) and chowed down on Roast Lamb and Roast Goose, preceded by Butternet Squash soup drizzled with a home made chopped pepper pesto... Mrs. Fod had already presented her Chicken Liver Pate as an aperitif (yes, the sheer quantity of fine Brandy therein qualifies it as an aperitif!), so we were well ready to dine....

My contributions were, of course, somewhat less wonderful than the stellar Christmas trifle that Squidgey had prepared, but I was pleased with the outcome...All in all, a lovely evening... nice to meet the "Lady Who's a Dutchman" and her very interesting partner, who seems just the kind of guy you'd want to be marooned with ... Thanks, Squidgey and Mac.

On reflection I learned two useful lessons ...

one, there's no excuse for not cooking good food, even when imprisoned in a Hollow Volcano - you can improvise and overcome most problems, provided the Henchmen leave you alone;

two, never fight a war on two fronts... one dessert at a time, otherwise your efforts at whisking egg-whites into peaks (don't bother, it's too humid here) distract you from the important timings on baking pastry... like I say, I got lucky ...

Glad to be back! Happy Christmas!