New Year's Eve Buffet.... Almost traditional, but with added bling

Celebrate the New Year with a relaxed and stylish buffet and treat your guests to a luxurious feast of simple yet sensational food. These no-fuss dishes will impress your guests and still leave you with plenty of time to, ditch the apron, slip into your little black dress, a touch of rouge, the crown jewels if they are handy and you are ready to party.
Whether with a contemporary reinvention of the Classics, a bit of drama in shape, form or colour, keep it simple. Not great heaped servings and an overload of luxury , but a spoonful or two of festive treats, with flavours intense and complimentary.
And don't forget, that the most basic recipe can be topped and dressed up to look fabulous and as long as you use quality ingredients, they will look fantastic too.
Here, Dinner is served on smart white china with crisp pressed napkins and Champagne , not mulled wine , is the drink of choice.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year. x

Menu :

• Cherry Gazpacho with prawns
• Tian of Castleberetown Crab & Goat's bridge trout caviar
• Winter pears, goat's cheese & hazelnut dressing
• Maple syrup and mustard ham
• Smoked haddock, leek & gruyere tart
• Leek & Stilton tart
• Remoulade of Celeriac & green apples
• Carrot & broccoli salad with mixed seeds
• Peach & Raspberry pots
• Chocolate & chestnut log

OPIUM... Wexford street. Dublin 2 . @OpiumDublin

OPIUM on Wexford street in Dublin 2, opened a couple of months ago and is offering us an Asian Fusion menu.This type of Cuisine is constantly being reinvented and is becoming increasingly popular. The most well known one is probably Hakkasan in London, with regard to quality and creativity of Asian Fusion Cuisine and it was a firm favourite of mine,when I lived in London . Theirs was an electric approach with dishes inspired by various regional cuisines of Asia , in slick and stylish surroundings and very much courted by the fashion crowd.

Using key ingredients and cooking methods from various regions of Asia,this type of food is wonderfully fragrant and always full of fantastic flavours. I see it as very healthy food; with a real feel good factor. I certainly could eat it every day.

In contrast to the spiciness of Korean foods, Japanese cuisine is mild in flavour, with sweetness and saltiness as the key tastes. Indonesia on the other hand can be hot,sweet,sour and salty. While Thai is wonderfully fragrant , in neighbouring Vietnam, the food is typically light and refreshing and China offering us dishes from so many different regions, each varying in taste and appearance. But the common to all these wonderful cuisine, is the balance of flavours, textures and colours and a perfect balance of "Ying" and "Yang " ingredients.

Opium, with the gorgeous Martina Fox, at the helm,exposed stone walled interior,an open plan dining,deep comfy leather banquettes & seductive spot lighting; The look is warm, inviting and moody. 

Tian of Castletownbere Crab & Goat's bridge trout caviar

This delicious sweet crab's meat "Starter " is easy to assemble and will sure add the wow factor to your Christmas lunch and leave you with plenty of time to enjoy the festivities.
As long as you use quality ingredients, it will taste fantastic too. Here , I am using Castletownbere Crab meat and Goat'sbridge award winning trout caviar.


Merry Christmas.xxx

Baked Winter Pear & Goat's cheese salad, For Belle xxx

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a feast. And this is for my friend Belle , who is always there tweeting on our behalf for @ IrishBlogs. Baked fruit is easy on the cook and easy on the waistline too... And utterly scrumptious. Whether you are a vegetarian or feel like a change this year, or just looking for something different to enjoy over the festive period, here is a dead simple starter for you to try.

Edible gifts .... Hand made by you. " What's not to love "!!!

Edible Gifts are always welcome by all during the festive season and even more so if they have been hand made with love by the giver. Here is my selection of edible gifts for you to make , all are achievable by the most inexperienced cook and as long as you use quality ingredients, they will taste fantastic too.Trawl the shops, the Internet if you prefer, for pretty wrappings, papers, ribbons and boxes or even the odd antique Cup and saucer wrapped up in cellophane. The most basic can be topped and dressed up to look fabulous.
Full fill your artistic urges with the millions of combinations and change them to go with moods and fashion. I definitely like to keep my colour schemes in tune with what's on the catwalk.

Turkey, Ham & all the trimmings " Wellington style ". All three in one

Christmas Day doesn't have to be a stressful affair, here is a contemporary reinvention of the Classic, that is achievable at home, with a degree of minimum effort, that will still bring the wow factor to your table.

While keeping it simple , it is very tasty and easy to do. Not great heaped servings and an overload of luxury, but a spoonful or two of festive tastes, with flavours intense and complimentary. Lighter and done afresh, the most basic recipe can be topped and dressed, in shape or form, to look fabulous by the most inexperienced cook and as long as you use quality ingredients, they will taste fantastic too.

Here; Dinner is served on smart white china with crisp pressed napkins and champagne, not mulled wine is the drink of choice. Inexpensive too and most ingredients are from Lidl ... Ireland.

Mulled rosé wine.... Santa's favourite Tipple

HO! HO! HO! Why not leave these out for Santa on Christmas 's eve and he may just grant your wishes this time around..... May it be Vertiginous  heels !! Giant Cocktails rings !!!Vintage designer frocks !!!! or like Marilyn, you like and wear only Chanel no 5....!!!!!
Well, whatever you did ask for, embrace the festive season in style and forget the heavy spiced dark red mulled wine, that will have you rooting for the solpadeine or rennies on Christmas morning. 
Be kind to yourself  & Santa and give these a try instead, they are light, easy to drink yet still full of festive fruitiness .

Spiced Xmas's Eve cakes....Lighter & done afresh

These are perfect for my kind of Christmas eve. There is the traditional, that requires the little black dress, three rows of pearls & fresh holly; But for cutting-edge, think smart boutique hotel or New York loft. This requires altogether a different look.
Banished from my home are the overly sweet mince pies.While full of festive flavours,these spiced little cakes are light and will leave you with plenty of room to feast like kings & Queens on Christmas day.
And they will look pretty too on your table.

" Florentines ".... Bowls of delight & full of festive fruitiness

Florentines are festive cookies, traditionally they are made for Christmas and packed with a luxurious medley of fruits and nuts. I am using flaked almonds,raisins,cranberries,cherries, candied orange peel and diced stem ginger, but the choice is yours. I can only guarantee that your guests won't be able to resist these jewelled treats.

" A Gluten free Chocolate & Chestnut Log" , Dreaming of a dark chocolate Christmas

A flour less Chocolate & Chestnut log,this dark handsome secret of the festive season will definitely get your friends talking as it possesses a wow factor that attracts many , the way it looks is another .
If, like me , you adore chocolate, then you'll love this wicked treat, which is very easy and quick to make .Made without flour, this dessert is deliciously light and moist.

" Macaron " Sweet & Savoury ... Pretty on the plate and the perfect gift

"Macaron," Lift your spirit up with a batch of these sweet little gems. They can be topped and dressed to look like Xmas baubles and they will taste fantastic too.And, let’s not forget that the fruits of your hard labour, would be ideal for parties and for gifting. Trawl the shops, the Internet if you prefer, for pretty wrappings, papers, ribbons and boxes or even the odd antique Cup and saucer wrapped up in cellophane.
They can be both sweet or savoury. What give Macarons their flavour, apart from the shells of course is mostly the fillings ( ganache) and the shells freezes really well too.
Full fill your artistic urges with the millions of combinations and change them to go with moods and fashion. I definitely like to keep my colour schemes in tune with what's on the catwalk. 

Decorating your Gluten free Christmas cake ..." All dressed up " ( Part 2 )

Christmas is the perfect occasion for indulging yourself in dressing up and your fashion fantasies,so with a bit of drama in shape, form &colour, go for an overload of luxury .She may be Gluten free , but she is no ugly Duckling. Think outside the box for this girl, we are talking, perfectly manicured nails, giant cocktail rings, designer dresses and vertiginous heels. Do you get the picture ?????
Here this gluten free, rich fruit cake, steeped in alcohol, covered in golden almond paste,stylishly dressed in gold lamé and bronzed to the hilt, will make a stunning centrepiece on your table this Christmas.

A Gluten Free Christmas Cake & the regular kind too...." A complete new classic " (Part1)

Christmas is always a special time , but for those doing the festive preparations, it can also be extremely stressful. Yet, it needn't be like that this year. Starting with Day one, keep abreast, with some of my tips,to pre-empt the panic and bring the wow factor to your table and take the hassle out of entertaining.From Christmas cake, Edible gifts, Canapé &Cocktails and many more......
Christmas wouldn't truly be Christmas without a cake and here is a Gluten Free Christmas Cake .
Gluten free baking needn't be a daunting or terrifying affair , but with the right ingredients , it can be  extremely satisfying . I actually prefer this Gluten free Christmas cake to the more conventional one and I can assure you that most people will find it difficult to tell the difference between this one and the regular one.
Gluten is ordinarily a major factor in baking, as it holds the gases that are produced when the cakes rises and also provides an appealing texture.Hence ,this is where Xanthan Gum comes into play, it will bind,improve the texture,reduce crumbling by acting as a gluten replacement. The other ingredients are Polenta , a gluten free grain , made from dried corn kernels. It has a slight sweet flavour which makes it perfect for cakes.Rice flour, made from a blend of brown & white rice,milled together to produce a creamy flour and finally Ground almonds for flavour and texture.
The other beauty of this cake is , it doesn't require the lengthy baking time. This one is done in 1 hr 10 mins. This is why , it is one of my favourite .
Today , is all about Baking and Tomorrow will be about Cake Decorating and bringing that extra sparkle to your Christmas cake. A complete makeover.... She may be Gluten free but She's no Uglyduckling....