SATURDAY CHEZ BLAKE

Not thrilled with this one. Again from a recent Bon Appetit, Halibut on Mashed Fava Beans with Mint.
Could not get fava beans so used Edemamme, possibly part of the problem. It was ok, would not rush back to it. Fish possibly a tad overcooked so Alan whipped up an impromptu tartar sauce which he and Joseph enjoyed. Oh, did not fry the fish as per the recipe, used the brown in a frying pan then finish in the oven method. Luckily just the 3 of us, better luck next week!

EASTER PARTY

The annual egg decorating event is the most popular family holiday! Katie and Jim are fabulous hosts, we had to bring an appetiser, theme was Mexican this year. "We" made shrimp cerviche. I did the shopping, prepped the shrimp and squeezed some limes. Dave did all the chopping and it was delish, as I hope you can see.

GUEST CHEF IN THE HOUSE!

Dave cooked dinner for us the next night and it was fabulous, of course! We had a salad of Tomatoes, cos lettuce, radish and avocado with an avocado caesar dressing. Then he grilled stripped bas, red peppers, slices of onion and asparagus. I was in charge of heating the tortillas while he grilled. Served with a chimichurri sauce, yum. Dessert was simple, grilled slices of Pineapple with a locally made vanilla ice cream. Come back soon, Dave!

WELCOME HOME CHELSEY DINNER!

Always pressure when cooking for the chef, Dave. Self imposed, of course, he is always very complimentary and appreciative. So, time to reach for the tried and tested, a few simple ingredients found in Ligurian Braised Chicken. Cut this out of NY Times Dining In/Out a few years ago and have enjoyed it often. Another advantage was I could pre-cook on Sunday as I was working on Tuesday the day they arrived. It was good, served with SMASHED NEW POTATOES and roasted green and yelllow squash. Not bad, Dave had seconds and the left overs for lunch the next day - clearly it was edible! Dessert was a Pavlova variation that I found in this month's Gourmet, Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Berries. Again, made the meringue and lemon curd on Sunday and put it together very quickly after dinner. It was great, not sure I will do a regular pavlova ever again! Finished the evening with some epoisse, we introduced Dave to this cheese and he is as big a fan as us.

SUNDAY - THAI GREEN CURRY WITH SEAFOOD

Caught my eye in this month's Bon Apetit and it wasn't bad at all, Joseph said 'restaurant quality', praise indeed - and he and Alan had seconds. I thought it was ok but there is room for improvement. Click here for recipe.

LEFTOVERS!

We had some Orange cake and cream but no compote, so here was Alan's 'leftovers' dessert a couple of days later. Luckily there was a Clementine in the fridge and he drizzled a little honey over it too.