Pastilla au Pigeon

Having made Pastilla with Chicken it was time to try the traditional pigeon, although pronounced a success the recipe by Sinmon Rimmer I feel needs some adjusting, I used a 25cm flan tin and had enough for two pies  that would have served 4-6 people , I also ended up using more sheets of brick/filo than he suggests , next time I'll halve the ingredients and use two pigeons to produce one meatier dish, but definitely worth repeating.

Prawn Cocktail

Relying on the Hairy Biker Recipe but making her own mayonnaise (with Mum's help) and adding a little extra mustard in the absence of salad cream, Evie's efforts were pronounced a triumph!

Spätzle and Pork by François

In München the fantastic François prepared Spätzle using a variation on the recipe (in German I'm afraid) here by using celeriac, carrot and spinach to colour and flavour.

Coq au Vin

Tried the Guardian "How to make the perfect..." recipe, I used a jointed 2kg chicken as I couldn't get a cock. I probably reduced the wine a bit more than recommended but we have a very heavy pot with a very tight lid and I left it on for the final stage. Pronounced a triumph by Evie and Véro.

Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad

I think the cooking times are on the raw side of al dente and roasting my rather large beets took some time but worth the wait. It's a Guardian "midweek supper" from Angela Hartnett.

Pork Fillet with Mustard Sauce

My effort is not exactly a picture on a plate but a great straightforward recipe, but all hail Gerard Depardieu's recipe book a great present from Basil.

From Recipes

Chicken Cooked in a Salt Crust

Mix 1kg plain flour and 1 kg of course salt add cold water slowly until you have a pastry you can roll. In your chicken add the liver of 3 chickens, salt and pepper, a branch of rosemary and a bay leaf. Wrap the chicken in the pastry and bake in oven (180 degrees centigrade) for an hour and a half for a small chicken or two and a half hours for a larger bird. Unfortunately I got it wrong and only went for two hours and had to reinsert in oven embalmed in foil (note to self don't always trust Larousse) . Serve with simple salad dressed in nut oil. This is a lovely moist "chickeny" meal and the liver is a lovely touch.

Scallops, Black Pudding and Apple

This is pretty straight forward, peel and slice some Granny Smiths into bite size chunks, fry gently in butter with a little sugar but aim not to caramelise. "Peel" some black pudding and cook in a frying pan for 5-6 minutes, layer in glass with the apple and set aside, simply season and griddle some scallops re-heat glasses in microwave, cut scallops into smaller pieces and put on top of warm black pudding and apple. Not sure this is the best way to combine these ingredients but if you have guests to look after the pre-preparation is easier than cooking the three elents at the same time.