articles, recipes, ideas and tips for entertaining at home

Make the most of the season’s best fruit and vegetables. Currently in-season and available Australia -wide are:

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It’s cold outside and at this time of year I’m yearning for some good old fashioned comfort food. I devised this recipe as a change from the traditional beef stroganoff – made with chicken it’s equally as delicious and the addition of sherry gives this dish a lovely flavour. The entire dish can be made in advance – perfect if you’re having guests. It also freezes well, so make double quantity and you’ll have dinner for another occasion. Serve it with risoni (or any pasta for that matter), mashed potatoes or rice. Oh, and a glass of chardonnay.

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Due to popular demand, I have introduced this “what’s in season” column to my blog. As my regular readers would know, I am a big advocate of eating seasonally. Some of the many advantages of eating in-season fruits and vegetables are:

1. Produce is at its optimum taste
2. Better health benefits for you – produce is higher in nutritional value when it is fresh and hasn’t been stored
3. Produce is at its least expensive
4. Better for the environment – less air-miles for food to travel

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There are so many great things about a stir-fry – it’s quick, easy, healthy and tasty.  This Thai-style recipe of mine appeared in the That’s Life! Reader Recipe Cookbook last year, and its a dish I make regularly. I love the use of Kaffir Limes leaves and Thai basil – it gives it a really authentic Thai flavour. You can use chicken or prawns instead of the pork, and substitute broccoli, beans or asparagus for the snow peas. If you’re entertaining, just prep all the ingredients before your guests arrive and stir-fry up a storm just before you are about to eat. Too easy.

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This delicious dip can be put together in a matter of minutes. It’s lovely served as part of an antipasto platter, or on its own with grilled crostini or fresh crusty bread. Confit garlic is available from gourmet stores, but if you’re not able to find it it, just roast 3 cloves of garlic by wrapping them unpeeled into foil and putting them in a 180ºC oven for 20 minutes or until soft when pressed, then squeeze the garlic from the skins. The flavour of the dip improves with age, so you can make it 1 or 2 days ahead of time. Perfect for entertaining.

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Now that the weather has become chilly, there’s nothing nicer that a pot of homemade soup warming on the stove. A friend of mine gave me a gorgeous pumpkin last week that was growing wild on her property, and it reminded me that it has been a while since I cooked up a pot of my favourite pumpkin soup.  Pumpkin, creamy coconut milk and Thai flavourings combine to make a really delicious soup – and the addition of some fresh chilli gives it a nice bite! You can easily double this recipe, which I did as it was a large pumpkin weighing in well over 2kg. If you’re making this ahead of time, stir through the coriander leaves just before serving.  

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I have just launched my second blog, Noosa Foodie. Followers of this blog, Entertaining Made Easy, will know that it is all about the elements of home entertaining – easy and fail-proof recipes, ingredients, wine pairing, menu planning, time management, and table settings to name but a few! Noosa Foodie celebrates the wonderful local produce, products and restaurants of the Noosa region on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and includes recipes I’ve created from local ingredients as well as local culinary experiences. It is intended to inspire its readers to visit this beautiful part of the world I call home and discover first-hand the culinary treasures, as well as to cook and try new foods and foodie experiences.

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Today was the first day of the 2011 Noosa Food & Wine Festival. Recognised as the premier food and wine event of Australia, the festival boasts an all-star line up – think Matt Preston, Stephanie Alexander, Tetsuya Wakuda….just for starters. I was lucky enough to have tickets for today’s “Our Barossa Valley with Maggie and Saskia Beer” lunch.

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I know what you’re thinking……ten minute tiramisu, are you sure? Okay, maybe I’ve used a little poetic licence in the title, but I promise you will have this delectible dessert done and dusted in 15 minutes.

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Shapely pears standing upright in a puddle of deeply coloured syrup make an elegant dessert. These delicious Port Poached Pears taste even better made the day before and can be served either hot or cold.

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