Time to think outside the box!
Here are seven British-themed food ideas for your Royal Wedding viewing party, that are much more than just an afternoon tea – from Roast Chicken Sandwich Bites to Eton Mess Scones, there is something here for everyone. What better way to celebrate true love?
ENGAGEMENT ROAST CHICKEN SANDWICH BITES
MAKES 24
PREP TIME 15 MINS
½ barbecued chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
½ cup egg mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped chives,plus extra, snipped, to serve
¼ cup walnuts, toasted,chopped
16 slices wholegrain bread
40g butter, softened
3 baby cucumbers,peeled into ribbons
METHOD
1 – In a large bowl, combine chicken, mayo, sour cream, celery, chives and walnuts. Season.
2 – Spread bread slices with butter. Using a 4.5cm cutter, cut 3 rounds from each bread slice and arrange on a board. Top half the rounds with a little chicken mixture. Arrange remaining bread rounds, butter-sidedown, on top of the chicken mixture.
3 – Top with cucumber ribbons attached with toothpicks.
ENGAGEMENT ROAST CHICKEN SANDWICH BITES
SALT & PEPPER PRAWNS WITH SWEET CHILLI SYRUP
SERVES 8
PREP TIME 15 MINS
COOK TIME 20 MINS
1kg uncooked medium prawns
¾ cup panko crumbs
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 ½ tsp piri piri seasoning
2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 egg white, beaten lightly vegetable oil, for deepfrying
1 long red chilli, sliced thinly
coriander leaves, to serve
SWEET CHILLI SYRUP
½ cup white sugar
½ cup water
½ cup sweet chilli sauce
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 small piece fresh ginger,chopped finely
2 coriander roots and stems,washed, sliced thinly
METHOD
SWEET CHILLI SYRUP
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and stir over medium heat 1-2 mins until the sugar
dissolves. Bring to the boil,reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 mins until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
Stand 15 mins, then discard the lime leaves.
MEANWHILE
Meanwhile, shell and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. 3 In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, pepper, seasoning and salt. Holding prawns by the tail, dip one at a time into egg white, then coat in crumb mixture.
Fill a large saucepan or a deep-fryer one-third full with oil.
Heat to 180°C, or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds.
Deep-fry prawns, in batches, for 1 min until cooked through and crisp. Drain on paper towel.
Sprinkle prawns with chilli and coriander leaves. Serve with sweet chilli syrup for dipping.
SALT & PEPPER PRAWNS WITH SWEET CHILLI SYRUP
APPLE & CARDAMOM TART
SERVES 6
PREP TIME
25 MINS COOK 50 MINS + CHILLING
2 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, thawed
1 ¼ cups ready-made vanilla custard
200g mascarpone
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp ground cardamom
4 medium red apples
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white sugar
pouring cream, to serve
METHOD
1 – Grease a 24cm round loose-based fluted tart tin. Roll pastry between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line tin. Lift pastry into tin, press into base and sides, trim excess pastry. Prick base with a fork. Cover, chill 20 mins.
2 – Preheat oven to 180°C.
3 – In a bowl, whisk custard, mascarpone, egg yolks, paste and cardamom until combined. Cover, chill until completely cool.
4 – Core and halve apples, slice thinly. In a medium bowl, combine apple slices, caster sugar and juice. Spread custard mixture into pastry case. Arrange apple slices into rosette shapes, slightly overlapping, on custard mixture. Drizzle with any juices left in bowl.
5 – Bake 50 mins until pastry and apples are golden. Cool. Chill 1 hour. Serve sprinkled with white sugar and accompanied with cream.
APPLE & CARDAMOM TART
STRAWBERRY & PASSIONFRUIT MILE-HIGH LAYER CAKE
SERVES 12
PREP 50 MINS
COOK 1 HOUR + COOLING
250g butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups plain flour
¼ cup self-raising flour
¾ cup milk
750g strawberries
1 tbsp icing sugar
PASSIONFRUIT CREAM
600ml thickened cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
¹⁄3 cup passionfruit pulp
MERINGUE FROSTING
²⁄3 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp glucose syrup
2 tbsp water
3 egg whites
1 tbsp caster sugar, extra
METHOD
1 – Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line the bases of 3 x 20 cm round sandwich cake pans.
2 – In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter, caster sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in sifted flours and milk, in two batches. Divide mixture evenly into pans.
3 – Bake cakes 35 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 mins before turning, top-side down, onto racks to cool.
PASSIONFRUIT CREAM
4 – In a small bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Stir in sifted icing sugar and passionfruit.
5 – Reserve 10 of the strawberries, thinly slice remaining berries. Split cold cakes in half. Place one cake layer, cut-side up, on a plate or cake stand, spread with one-fifth of the passionfruit cream, top with one-fifth of the sliced strawberries, then another cake layer. Repeat layering, finishing with a cake layer.
MERINGUE FROSTING
6 – In a small saucepan, stir sugar, glucose and the water on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, boil 3 mins or until syrup reaches 116°C on a sugar thermometer (or when at sp of syrup, dropped into a cup of cold water, forms a soft ball when a small amount of mixture is rolled between your fingers). Remove from heat to allow bubbles to subside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks, beat in extra sugar until dissolved. With motor running, pour in hot syrup in a thin, steady stream. Beat on high speed 5 mins until mixture is thick.
7 – Spread frosting over top and side of cake. Just before serving, decorate with reserved strawberries and dust with sifted icing sugar.
STRAWBERRY & PASSIONFRUIT MILE-HIGH LAYER CAKE
BEEF WELLINGTON BITES WITH SALSA VERDE
MAKES 32
PREP TIME 20 MINS
COOK 20 MINS + COOLING
2 sheets frozen puff pastry,thawed
30g butter
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g button mushrooms,chopped
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 x 150g beef sirloin steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
100g baby green beans
creme fraiche, to serve
SALSA VERDE
½ bunch parsley, leaves picked, chopped
½ bunch watercress, leaves picked, chopped
¹⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cornichons
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp capers
grated zest 1 lemon
METHOD
1 – Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease and line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
2 – Using a 5.5cm cutter, cut rounds from pastry and arrange on trays. Prick with a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper on top of each tray, then place another tray on top (this will weigh down
pastry for a lovely crunchy base). Bake 10 mins. Remove extra trays. Bake 4 mins until golden.
SALSA VERDE
3 – In a small food processor, pulse all ingredients until finely chopped. Season.
4 – Meanwhile, in a frying pan, melt butter on medium. Saute onion and garlic 2-3 mins until tender. Add mushroom, saute, stirring, 5-6 mins until tender. Mix sauce through. Remove from pan. Allow to cool.
5 – Season steaks well with salt. Heat oil in same frying pan on high. Cook steaks 3 mins each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from heat. Set aside, loosely covered with foil, to rest 5 mins. Thinly slice.
6 – In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch beans 2 mins. Drain, refresh under cold water. Thinly slice beans on an angle.
7 – Top puff pastry rounds with mushroom mixture and beef. Dollop with a little creme fraiche and serve topped with sliced beans and drizzled with a little salsa verde.
BEEF WELLINGTON BITES WITH SALSA VERDE
ETON MESS SCONES
MAKES 12
**PREP TIME 15 MINS
COOK 15 MINS
250g strawberries,sliced
1 tbsp icing sugar,sifted
2 cups self-raising flour
30g butter, chopped
½ cup buttermilk, plus a little extra, to brush
½ cup water roughly crushed meringues, chopped pistachios, to serve
VANILLA ROSE CREAM
300ml thickened cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp rosewater essence
pink food colouring
METHOD
1 – In a bowl, combine strawberries and icing sugar. Set aside 30 mins.
2 – Preheat oven to 220°C. Lightly grease an oven tray.
3 – Sift flour into a large bowl. Add butter. Rub in lightly using fingertips.
4 – Make a well in centre of flour. Pour in combined buttermilk and water all at once. Using a butter knife, mix quickly to a soft, sticky dough. Don’t over-mix.
5 – Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly. Press or roll out to form a round about 2cm thick. Cut into rounds using a floured 4.5cm cutter.
06 – Place close together on prepared tray. Brush with a little extra milk. Bake 15 mins or until scones sound hollow when tapped. Cool scones on a wire rack.
VANILLA ROSE CREAM
7 – In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream, icing sugar, vanilla and rosewater until soft peaks. Swirl a little pink food colouring through cream (don’t over-mix) and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle.
8 – Split scones in half, top with sliced strawberries and vanilla rose cream. Sprinkle with crushed meringues and chopped pistachios to serve.
ETON MESS SCONES
