» Cooking For Two

I would like to cover every aspect of this topic. Though in order to keep things short I have only included the major topics detailed as good as possible. We all love to eat wonderful foods that are presented to us in stunning displays. While it is relatively easy to create meals for families of four, it takes a number of ingenuity to make a meal for only two people. Today’s supermarkets, specialty food shops and ethnical food stores all seem to have produce meats, poultry and fish in quantities for large families. This fact solely sometimes makes cooking for two a challenge. As you have to take into account the likes and dislikes of your partner you might want to test the culinary waters by devising a small side dishful of a new formula that you are dying to try out. When you know that the repast has been to the full gratifying then you can be bolder and more ingenious in your cooking for two. There are many avenues that you can search which may have cooking recipes that will pay off your fancy. From these you can prefer the different dishes that you want to have in a meal and bargain the necessary ingredients to create your cooking for two masterpiece. The best place to find challenging recipes from assorted parts of the world is in cook books. The other avenue to research is that of the WWW. Here you will find ample of recipes that you can download or print. I will also sometimes write about delicious diet food recipes. There are also www sites that are devoted exclusively to recipes from one particular type of food dish. You will find tips and hints on how to make cooking for two an enjoyable venture that will not cost you an arm and a leg. With a little imaginativeness and some creative cooking you can make any meal for two people an enjoyable adventure that will tickle your senses.

Also some forethought will let you make cooking for two a wonderful experience. So you should comprehend in details your chance to do some interesting and sensuous cooking for two and see what this meal brings to your life.

Watercress and Potato Soup

1 small onion 2 bunches watercress
¾ lb (350g) old potatoes 2oz (50g) butter or margarine
1 pt (600ml) milk salt and pepper
1 pt (600ml) well flavoured chicken stock to serve salted almonds

1. Peel the onion and chop finely. Chop the watercress finely, reserving a
Few whole leaves for garnish. Peel the potatoes and cut into dice.

2. Melt the butter or margarine in a pan. Add the onion and watercress.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

3. Stir in the milk, stock and salt and pepper to taste, then add the potatoes.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover the pan
with a lid. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are
tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Puree soup until
smooth in a liquidiser or work through a sieve.

5. Return the soup to the rinsed out pan and reheat gently. Taste for and
seasoning and add more milk if the soup is too thick. Pour into warm
soup bowls garnish with reserved watercress leaves. Serve hot with a
dish of salted almonds served separately, if liked.

Jolly Roger Parcel

Ingredients:

6 Fillets of plaice or sole
12 mussels with their shells
12 prawns with their shells
4 tbsp (60ml) dry white wine
4 tbsp (60ml) single cream
1 tbsp (15ml) chopped parsley
1oz (50g) shelled shrimps
salt and pepper
oil

1. Set oven at 350oF (180oC) or Mark 4

2. Line a small deep baking tin with foil and brush the base with a little oil.

3. Roll up each fillet and stand upright on oil base. Shell prawns
But leave on heads and tails and put 2 in the middle of each
Roll. Clean mussels thoroughly and arrange between rolls.

4. Moisten each roll with a wine and cream. Sprinkle with parsley
and shrimps. Season. Fold up the foil to cover the rolls and
bake in the pre-set oven for 20-25 minutes.

Lemon and Dill Turkey Escallops on Carrot and Tarragon
Potato Mash with Beetroot

Ingredients:

zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 turkey escalope, well flattened

300g (10½ oz) potatoes scrubbed
300g (10½ oz) carrots, peeled and sliced
freshly chopped tarragon (to taste)
1 tablespoon skimmed, soya or rice milk
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method

1. Mix the lemon zest and juice with the chopped dill and olive oil and spread over each side of the turkey escalope. Leave to stand until required for the hob.

2. To make the carrot and tarragon potato mash, steam the Potatoes in their skins. After about 10 minutes add the carrots to the steamer, taking in the size of the potatoes cook for another 15-20 minutes until both vegetables are tender.

3. Take the peel of the potatoes and mash with the carrots, tarragon, milk and olive oil. Mash the lot until smooth.

4. To prepare the Beetroot Relish, peel the beetroot, shed on the finest part of the grater. Now mix the other ingredients well together.

5. Put the escalope under a hot grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Checking that the mead is cooked right through. Make sure there is no pinkness in the centre. Serve the escalope on a bed of Carrot and Tarragon Potato Mash with the Beetroot Relish on the side.

Dessert:

Apricot Flan

Ingredients:

1 cooked flan case made of sweet short crust pastry
9 inch (23cm) in diameter
3 egg yolk
quantity confectioners’ custard
1lb (450g) fresh apricot
redcurrant glaze
chantilly cream
sugar syrup
vanilla pod

1. case with the confectioners’ custard.

2. Poach apricots. Slice fruit in half and remove stones. Place
the halved fruits in a single layer over the base of a wide shallow pan. Cover cover with stock syrup, add a vanilla pod, and poach very gently over a low heat.Remove vanilla pod and wipe and store. Remove apricots carefully so that they retain a dome shape.