Every New Year arrives with hopes,
dreams and aspirations.
We pray for health, love and progress for those whom we cherish.
We dream of a better world, where peace,
sanity and prosperity prevail.
We hope for new wonder drugs that will cure fatal
diseases.
We trust that this will be a year without
credit crunches or natural disasters.
We might be asking for Utopia but, at the beginning of each year, we certainly have the privilege of dreaming.
As for aspirations, just like last year, I
still intend cultivating a small vegetable patch in my garden.
On New Year's Day, I invited my sisters-in-law, Dolly and Cleo, and a few dear friends over for lunch. I served old fashioned dishes, to match our years. Here is the menu:
Prawns and Mushrooms in Shells
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Chicken with Tarragon
Smashed Potatoes
Glazed Carrots
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Cheese and Biscuits
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Chocolate Dessert
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PRAWNS AND MUSHROOMS IN SHELLS 
This is a lovely first dish for a dinner party.
12 scallop shells, buttered
1.250 kg (2½ lbs) prawns, shelled and
de-veined, heads and tails reserved
500 g (1 lb) fresh white mushrooms, sliced
Court bouillon:
500 ml (2 cups) tasty chicken stock
500 ml (2 cups) dry white wine
4 sliced shallots or spring onions
3 celery stalks with leaves, cut into
pieces
6 parsley stalks
1 bay leaf
The reserved heads and tails of the prawns
Sauce:
120 g (4 oz) butter
1 bay leaf
75 g (2½ oz) cornflour
The reduced court bouillon
250 ml (1 cup) hot milk
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
250 ml (1 cup) cream or a little more
4 eggs, separated, whites whipped to the
soft peak stage, with a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice, to accentuate the taste
Salt if necessary
White pepper
60 g (2 oz) or more grated Gruyere and
Parmesan, in equal amounts
First make the court bouillon. Bring the ingredients to the boil over high
heat. Then reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock into a large, deep frying
pan. Add the prawns and mushrooms and
simmer for 5 minutes, then remove them, with a slotted spoon, and place them on
kitchen paper to dry. Boil the court
bouillon over high heat and reduce it down by half, about 500 ml (2 cups) and
reserve.
For the sauce, melt the butter, over medium
heat, add the bay leaf, and when the foam subsides stir in the cornflour and
cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not
brown. Add the hot court bouillon, the
milk and the nutmeg, and keep on stirring constantly, until the sauce comes to
the boil and thickens. Then remove from the stove. If the sauce is
too thick, thin it down with a little cream In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with 4 tsp of
cream. Very slowly stir 2 cups
of hot sauce to the eggs. Pour this
mixture back into the saucepan with the hot sauce, stirring constantly,
and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove
from the heat, discard the bay leaf, stir in the remaining cream and mix well, add the lemon juice and stir again. Add 2 tbsp of grated Gruyere, sprinkle with
white pepper, stir and taste. Add a
little salt, if necessary
Place the prawns and mushrooms into a bowl,
add enough sauce to coat them, and divide the mixture, evenly, into the
shells. Fold the egg whites into the remaining sauce.
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Mask the prawns and mushrooms with the sauce,
sprinkle with cheese and bake in an oven, preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about
20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve immediately.
CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON
This is an easy and light dish, very
popular with almost everyone. You may use any fresh herb that's available. We love it with sage.
1½ kg (3 lbs) chicken, skin removed, cut in
8 serving pieces
4 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with ¼ tsp
salt, freshly ground white pepper and a 1/8 tsp
ginger powder
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large-sized onions, peeled and sliced
525 ml (¾ of a bottle) dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) hot chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
½ cup light cream
Dredge the dry chicken pieces in seasoned
flour and shake to remove the excess flour.
Over moderate heat, sauté the chicken in butter and olive oil, until it
is slightly browned, on all sides. Add the onions, stir and simmer very, very gently, covered, for 10
minutes. Pour in the wine, add the
tarragon and cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes, until the alcohol
evaporates. Place the lid on the
saucepan, lower the heat and simmer very, very gently, for about 35- 40 minutes,
turning the chicken frequently and adding hot chicken stock, if required.
Check the chicken breasts, and if cooked,
remove them to prevent them from hardening. Cover the saucepan, simmer the
remaining chicken until tender, and remove the pieces. Reduce the sauce a little, sieve through a
fine strainer, pressing with a spoon to extract all the taste of the onion, and
pour it back into the saucepan. Add the
chicken pieces, check the sauce for seasoning, and adjust accordingly. It should
have the thickness of single cream, so add more chicken stock or hot water to
thin it down, if necessary. Simmer until
the chicken is piping hot. Then add the
cream but do not boil.
Serve with saffron rice or smashed potatoes
and garnish with a tarragon sprig.
I had promised the following recipe in the Christmas post.
I had promised the following recipe in the Christmas post.
CHOCOLATE DESSERT
You can prepare this delicious dessert,
drenched with a chocolate cream sauce garnished with strawberries or any other
fruit of your choice. You can, also
serve it as a cake, just dusted with icing sugar.
200 g (6 2/3 oz) good quality dark
chocolate cut in small pieces
200 g (6 2/3 oz) butter
6 eggs, separated, whites stiffly beaten
with a pinch of salt and 4 tbsp sugar
300 g (10 oz)) caster sugar
1 scant tsp vanilla
100 g (3 1/3 oz)) self-raising flour mixed
with
1 tsp baking powder
Chocolate Cream Sauce:
100 g (about 3 1/3 oz) dark chocolate, cut
into small pieces
100 g (about 3 1/3 oz) cream
1 tsp honey
Melt the chocolate and butter over simmering
water and stir until thoroughly blended.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar
and vanilla until light and fluffy, and pour in the cool chocolate and butter
mixture and stir well. Add flour and baking powder, and stir the
batter lightly, until well combined.
Carefully fold in the whipped egg whites and pour in a cake tin, lined
with baking parchment.
Bake
in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for about 40-50 minutes, or until a
skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean. Reverse the cake
and set it aside to cool.
For the sauce, place the chocolate pieces
in a bowl. Heat the cream just below
boiling point and pour over the chocolate, add the honey and stir very well
together until the sauce is cold, smooth and glossy.
Place the cake on a platter, spread the
chocolate sauce evenly over the top, and garnish with either fresh strawberries
dipped in melted chocolate or marrons deguises, or chocolate curls or nuts.
NEW YEAR’S CAKE
Βασιλόπιτα
This
cake is usually prepared for New Year’s Day.
It is customary to insert a coin in the vassilopita, and whoever gets
the coin has good luck all the year round.
600 g (4 cups) strong flour
1 tbsp dried yeast
180 ml (¾ cup) warm milk
4 eggs
180 g (¾ cup+ 2 tbsp) sugar
The freshly grated rind of 1 orange
½ tsp mahleb seeds, crushed
½ tsp powdered mastic
125 g (½ cup) butter, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp of water, and
reserved
1-2 tbsp halved almonds
Place
all the ingredients (except the butter and salt) in a mixer and beat for 2-3
minutes. Then add the butter gradually, and the salt and beat until the dough
is smooth and shiny. Remove the dough
from the mixer, cover it with a cloth and let it rise, in a warm place, until
doubled in bulk.
Punch
the dough and place it in a deep, round baking dish, 30cm (12 in) in
diameter. Cover and let it prove for 30
minutes, until almost doubled in bulk.
Brush
the cake with the reserved egg wash and form the number of the year with the
halved almonds, or butter icing. Bake in an oven,
preheated to 290 C (375 F) for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t forget to insert the coin.
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