125 g/4 oz cream cheese, softened
220 g/7 oz canned tuna, drained and flaked
2 Hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 to 2 drops Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
9 slices of wholemeal bread

4 spicy Italian sausages
250 g/8 oz pork fillet, cut into 2 cm cubes
1 red pepper, cut into 2 cm squares
1 green pepper, cut into 2 cm squares
2 tsps soy sauce
315 g/10 oz canned whole sweet corn, cut into 2 cm pieces
1/4 loaf of day-old bread, crusts removed, cut into 2 cm cubes
90 g/3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 2 cm wide strips

4 ripe, firm pears, peeled
6 rosehip tea bags

CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1/4 cup/30 g cocoa powder - use a quality one
1/4 cup/60 ml water
125 g/4 oz cream
60 g/2 oz butter
1/4 cup/45 g brown sugar
1/2 cup/125 g sour cream
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

1 Place cream cheese in a food processor. Process until smooth
2 Add tuna, eggs, dill, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice and season to taste
3 Process to combine. Chill.
4 Just before serving, toast bread then remove the crust.
5 Cut into triangles and serve with the pate.
6 Provide extra lemon wedges for guests' optional use and make sure your pepper grinder is full.

1 Cook sausages in boiling water for 8 minutes
2 Drain and cut into 2 cm pieces
3 Thread sausage, pork, red pepper, green pepper and sweet corn pieces — alternately — onto 8 lightly oiled skewers.
4 Finish each skewer with a cube of bread
5 Cook skewers on a preheated medium barbecue, or under a grill, for 5 minutes each side or until pork is cooked
6 Wrap a strip of prosciutto around each pork cube.
7 Cook for 1 minute longer, each side. Serve immediately.

Accompaniment: Simple jacket baked potatoes and a green/lettuce salad.

1 Place pears in a saucepan, cover with water, add teabags — no labels !
2 Bring to a simmer over medium heat
3 Cook for 20 minutes or until tender, remove teabags

SAUCE
4 Combine cocoa powder with water and set aside
5 Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat
6 Stir in sugar, sour cream and condensed milk
7 Stir in cocoa mixture and bring to simmer
8 Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Serve with pears.

55g butter
2 tbs olive oi.
2 red onions, very finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
400g fresh chestnuts, peeled and halved
200g EACH of 4 to 5 mushroom varieties: button, field, portobello, shitake, etc.
1 heaped tbs fresh thyme, chopped
100g low-fat yoghurt
3 tbs port
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 lettuce, for serving.

500g pork fillets
1 tbs tomato sauce
2 tbs honey
1/4 tsp five spice powder
2 tsps soy sauce

SHERRY SAUCE
2 tsps cornflour
1/2 cup / 125ml chicken stock
1 tbs dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oyster sauce

MANGO SAUCE
1 mango, flesh chopped
1/4 cup / 60ml orange juice
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp orange liqueur

ICE CREAM
Give yourself a break
You've prepared a busy entree and a tasty main.
Just buy a premium grade vanilla or French vanilla ice cream. (We won't tell)

1 Heat oil & butter in heavy-based frying pan and soften onion & garlic for 5 minutes.
2 Add chestnuts and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Nuts should cook through but not lose their shape.
3 Add thyme and cook a further 30 - 40 seconds.
4 Add the yoghurt & port*** and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5 Season with salt and pepper to taste
6 Serve (warm or cold, later) on lettuce leaves with crusty bread on the side

*** For richer taste, also add 150g chestnut puree at this point.

1 Place pork in a shallow glass or ceramic dish
2 Combine tomato sauce, 1 tbs of the honey, five spice powder and soy sauce
3 Pour over pork and tun to coat. Marinate for 1 hour.
4 Drain pork and place in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 180^oC
5 Brush with remaining honey. Bake for 10 minutes longer

SAUCE
6 Combine cornflour, stock, sherry, sugar and oyster sauce in a saucepan
7 Cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until sauce boils & thickens
8 Slice pork and serve with sauce.

Simple accompaniment: Boiled / steamed new potatoes and green beans

SAUCE
1 Puree mango, orange juice, lemon juice and liqueur in food processor & chill
2 Serve ice cream balls in parfait glasses / stemmed glass bowls
3 Pour sauce over — garnish with mint sprig optional — and serve.

1 cup / 125g flour
1 cup / 155g buckwheat flour
2 tsp dried yeast
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups / 315ml warm milk
1 1/4 cups / 315ml double cream, lightly whipped
125g smoked salmon
60g red or black caviar, or fish roe
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 Spring onions, broadly chopped
3/4 cup / 185g sour cream

Flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup / 125g dried breadcrumbs
90g/3 oz butter
1/4 cup / 60ml dry white wine
1 cup / 250ml double cream
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs green peppercorns (canned or bottled) drained

Assorted fresh fruits — think pears, white grapes, figs, kiwifruit — for colour and tast

STRAWBERRY SAUCE
250g/8oz tofu, drained and roughly chopped
250g/8oz strawberries, roughly chopped
2 tbs honey

1 Combine flour, buckwheat flour and yeast in a bowl
2 Make a well in centre of mixture. Whisk egg yolks into milk. Pour into well.
3 Mix to make a smooth batter. Cover and stand in a warm place for 1 hour until mixture is frothy.
4 Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites and cream into batter. Stand for 15 minutes.
5 Pour 2 tablespoons batter into a lightly greased heated frying pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden. Repeat with remaining mixture.
6 Serve blinis with smoked salmon, caviar / roe, eggs, spring onions and sour cream.

1 Toss veal in flour to coat. Shake off excess. Dip in egg and coat with breadcrumbs.
2 Melt butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
3 Add veal and cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Put aside & keep warm.
4 Place wine and cream in a clean frying pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
5 Stir in mustard and peppercorns and simmer, stirring, for 3-4 minutes more or until sauce reduces and thickens.
6 Serve with veal.

Simple accompaniment: Mashed potato. Tomato and Basil salad.

1 Place tofu, strawberries and honey in a food processor
2 Process to combine. Cover and chill.
3 Serve with fresh fruit (and a nice sauterne/dessert wine)