We Love Cooking! [Search results for entertaining] 

This is another one of my favourite dishes from the book. Food that is full of flavour for only a tiny amount of effort is ideal for entertaining. Most of the time all you need is the basic ingredients in order to create wonders! Although chicken on the bone is a little bit more effort on the plate, I truly believe there is far more flavour going on than plain old chicken breasts. Not only that but it is cheaper to buy thighs, wings and legs it's far tastier! More often than not you can get them at special offer also. To be honest if you buy whole chickens and get your head around learning to cut them up into thighs, drumsticks, wings and breast pieces you will save a fortune. Stick the meat you don't need in freezer bags and pop them in the freezer and dinner will never be too far away! Chicken thighs are a handy ingredient and this recipe really makes the best of them. It's a hearty dish packed with mouth watering flavours!

Chicken Thigh Supper

This is a super dish for a big group of people, served with a tasty salad; it’s perfect for weekday entertaining. If you can’t get a hold of chicken thighs, you can use any other cuts as long as they’re on the bone. This gives the meat a really great flavour.

Serves 4
6–8 chicken thighs
200g pancetta, diced, or bacon bits
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
75ml/3fl oz red wine
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 red onion, chopped in half moons
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
2 teaspoons of English mustard powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil

In a large deep frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and brown the chicken and pancetta, until you get a nice colour on the thighs. Set aside on plate covered with kitchen paper.
In the same pan, add the rest of the oil and fry the garlic, onion, rosemary and thyme for 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the mustard powder and stir through.
Add the tinned tomatoes and red wine, and bring to the boil. Add the chicken and pancetta pieces back to the pan, turning the chicken pieces to coat.
Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes over a low heat or until the chicken is cooked through. You may need to extend the cooking time depending on the size of the chicken thighs. I don’t add salt to this recipe as the pancetta can be quite salty, but make sure to taste it and add seasoning if needed.
Serve with a tasty salad and some hearty wholemeal bread.

Below is a piece about cookclubs I wrote for the Irish Independent from the week before last. I know there are quite a few of you out there who are already running cook clubs quite successfully and if you are, I would love to hear from you. Starting next month the Irish Independent will be featuring different cookclubs with their stories and recipes from around Ireland. If you would like to get involved and potentially be featured in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine email weekendcookclub@independent.ie telling them about your cookclub, new or old, the food you like to cook, your style of entertaining and any tips you have to share!

Cook clubs are fast becoming the hottest way to dine. With regular nights out becoming few and far between, people are looking for cost-effective ways of socialising. The cook club is an alternative to the book club and shakes up the regular home-cooked dinner party format. Although there are many home cooks out there who have started clubs with friends and family, I've discovered that they come in many different formats.

Generally, a guest list of six to eight people is agreed upon and, each week, a different person takes it upon themselves to cook a meal for their guests, but formats vary, with some clubs bringing different courses for each dinner.

"Come Dine With Me" has a lot to answer for in terms of introducing a competitive streak to the table. The show invites strangers to cook for each other over the period of a week and the person with the highest scoring meal walks away with a cash sum.

TV hype aside, cook clubs can be used to discover new ingredients. Myself and my friends ran one where we decided to try a different meat each. A lot of effort went into sourcing the likes of rabbit, ostrich and venison, not to mention the time it took to figure out how to cook them! But the result was a fantastic meal each week, which we all looked forward to.

Whatever you decide on for your cook club, make sure you keep things interesting. Some people like to plan a year in advance and commit to cooking certain dishes; some people mark each other out of 10. The most important things to remember, of course, are to enjoy the food, your company and yourself! I absolutely love entertaining at home and, although there may be a little extra pressure to ensure that you pull the whole night off, it is worth the effort.

No matter how adventurous you may be in the kitchen, cooking for guests is a whole different ball game. While you might want to wrestle a lobster, your guests will appreciate your company far more than any extravagant dish. Delicious recipes which can be made ahead of time will save your bacon, and you'll be able to enjoy the night far more than if you were stuck in the kitchen sweating! After all this is a social event, so keep it simple. Choose recipes that can be kept in the fridge the night before or even thrown in the freezer to be pulled out effortlessly when required.

Photos: Aoife Nathan

Well I would just like to say thank you for all the support and well wishes during the lead up to the release of "My Baby's Waiting", the good news is that we went number 1 in Ireland last week, so all the hard work payed off! I spent last week in LA for a little break in the sun, and totally gorged on a mix of completely unhealthy American food and some over the top healthy salads, so I am glad to be back to some sort of food normality. Settling back in today before life takes over, so here's a tasty recipe!

Tesse's Cheesy Salsa Baked Tortilla Chips
There are a few little entertaining dishes I always have up my sleeve to impress with minimum effort. These tasty baked tortilla chips are just one of them, got the idea from my lovely friend Tesse- made in a matter of minutes they are perfect for serving with drinks. Feel free to experiment trying different types of cheese here but more often than not I use cheddar- I also sometimes add some sliced red onion to give them an extra kick.

Cheddar cheese.
Salsa sauce.
Plain tortilla chips.

Preheat the oven to 200oC.
Place as many tortilla chips as you can on a large baking sheet. Spoon a teaspoon full of salsa on each tortilla chip and top with a little grated cheese. Place in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese goes a nice golden brown. Serve straight away and enjoy!

Originally a middle eastern ingredient bulgar wheat is made from cracked wheat kernels. It's an excellent store cupboard ingredient which is highly nutritious and can be stored for long periods of time. This wholegrain product is packed with fiber and protein, but is low in calories, plus it's so easy to make. If you have never tried it before I would describe it as mix between couscous and brown rice.

Bulgarwheat Chicken Rocket and Parsley Salad
This sort of recipe is perfect for entertaining, it can easily be made the night before and stored in the fridge.

Serves 4-6 people.
200g bulgar wheat.
1 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder.
3 chicken breasts.
A large handful of parsley, roughly chopped.
A large handful of rocket, roughly chopped.
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and roughly chopped.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.

Place the bulgar wheat in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir through the vegetable bouillon powder, cover with cloth or a cling film and allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the water is soaked up. Brush the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and just before it begins smoking add the chicken breasts. Reduce the heat slightly and cook on both sides for approximately 6-7 minutes either side depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken from the pan and roughly chop into bitesize pieces. Add the chicken, parsley and rocket to the bulgar wheat and stir through to combine. Season with a good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper and stir through the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!

Ok so hands up you got me, burritto's are not exactly gourmet cuisine, but if you've been at work all day, and have little time to prepare for guests, sometimes this is perfectly acceptable. After all, if it's healthy and fresh, there can't be too many complaints really, can there? I have in the past spent a lot of time in preparing for having guests over, but as time has gone on the easiest and most enjoyable nights are the ones, that seemed almost efortless.

Here is a quick recipe for speedy burritto's!

Mood Food Burrito's!

1. 250g of Minced Beef or a packet of Quorn Mince
   
2. 2 Garlic Cloves minced
3. 1 tablespoon of Chili Powder
4. 1/4 tablespoon of Oregano
5. A good pinch of salt and pepper
6. Half a glass of water
   

1. 1 Packet of Wholemeal Flour Tortilla Wraps
2. 2 Peppers sliced thinly
3. 1 Red Onion sliced thinly
4. Punnet of Cherry Tomatoes halfed
5. 1 bag of mixed salad leaves
6. 1 Tin of Sweet Corn
7. Half a cucumber sliced thinly

To start, brown the the meat in a large frying pan, and season with the garlic, chilli, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the half glass of water and let simmer for about 8 mins.

Prepare the vegetables and heat the flour tortilla's.

And that's it, serve everything on the table and people can assemble their own burritto to their taste!

Well I did think my plan to have a party on Saturday night, based purely on drinking Mohito's, was good one, however it's now Monday and my head still hurts. After not drinking for almost two months, the alcohol had me in a pretty bad way, and the drinking games most certainly did not help! (Damn you Paulie!) But I have to say the one thing that tickles me pink about having people over, is making dainty party food! It can come in so many different forms, a large sit down meal, a buffet style banquet, and even my favourite, finger food. Entertaining for me has to be easy, it has to be quick, and it's gotta be tasty! I have some more recipe's from Saturday night but here is just one of the quick snacks I came up with:

Basil Pesto with Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes on Toast

For the Pesto:

1. One large handful of basil leaves.
2. One large handful of pine nuts.
3. 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
4. One large handful of grated Parmesan Cheese.
5. A good sprinkle of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper.

For the Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes:

1. Two punnets of Cherry Tomatoes.
2. 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
3. 1 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar.
4. 1 tbsp of Dried Oregano.
5. A pinch of Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper.

To finish the dish, toast slices of good hearty bread under the grill, and allow to cool. Spread the pesto generously on the bread, and add a few of the cherry tomatoes on top. Garnish with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve! Delicious!

I was interviewed earlier this year for a blogging feature in Irish Tatler and a few weeks after I was offered the chance to become a regular contributor. This is the recipe I wrote for the October issue!

Asian Chicken Salad with Chilli, Ginger and Lime Dressing

Packed with tasty ingredients, this recipe is perfect for entertaining. You can prepare all the ingredients separately, stick them in the fridge and assemble the salad when your guests arrive. Don’t be afraid to add other vegetables here, peppers, cucumber, spring onions and bean sprouts are all tasty additions.

Serves 4
Marinade:
2 tablespoon of soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
½ thumb sized piece of ginger minced

Dressing:
3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter
Juice of ½ lime
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
½ red chilli, finely chopped
½ thumb sized piece of ginger minced

4 chicken breasts, sliced thinly into strips
1 Chinese cabbage, slice thinly
3 carrots, sliced thinly
1 red onion, sliced thinly
100g of sugar snap peas, sliced thinly
100g of chopped peanuts to serve
A handful of chopped coriander to serve

Add the chicken strips to a mixing bowl with the marinade ingredients and mix through. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the salad and dressing.
In a small bowl add all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk to combine.
Place the Chinese cabbage, carrots, red onion, and sugar snap peas in a large salad bowl. Add half the dressing and combine until all the vegetables are well coated.
Fry the chicken strips until golden brown and cooked through. Approximately 2 minutes either side.
Serve the salad in individual bowls topped with the chicken, a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, a little chopped coriander and a extra drizzle of the dressing.

This week I was on The Afternoon Show cooking up some diabetic desserts and in preperation I did a lot of research on the topic and spoke to lovely Sinead from Diabeties Federation of Ireland who gave me the low down on some fantastic dessert ideas for people with diabeties. This delicious panna cotta is one of the desserts recommended and it’s an absolutely perfect one for entertaining!

Simple Panna Cotta with summer fruits and dark chocolate!
If you have never made this type of dessert before, don’t be put off, it is super easy and this is a wonderfully light and fruity dessert which is the perfect little pick me up after a heavy meal. The advantage of panna cotta is that you can make them ahead of time and stick them in the freezer allowing you time to prepare the rest of your meal. I particularly like them because they really look impressive when you slip them out of their moulds and serve them with the delicious fruit.

Makes 2 Panna Cotta
4 gelatine leaves
2 tablespoons of artificial sweetener
4 tablespoons milk
500g natural yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To serve:
200g strawberries, hulled
2 squeezes lemon juice
1 tablespoon artificial sweetener
200g raspberries
100g blueberries
A small handful of dark chocolate shavings

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water in a shallow dish.
Put the artificial sweetener and milk in a small pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring up to the boil, then take off the heat. Take the gelatine out of the water and stir into the hot milk. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla extract and pour into 2 moulds or you could use ramekins.
Chill in the fridge until set, this usually takes about 3 hours.
To make the sauce, puree the strawberries with the lemon juice and artificial sweetener. Sieve to remove pips. Mix the raspberries and blueberries in a separate large, pretty serving bowl.
To serve, dunk each mould into warm water for about 10 seconds, swiftly dry the base, then turn the panna cotta out on an individual plate.
Spoon a little of the strawberry sauce and berries around each pudding, sprinkle with some dark chocolate shavings and serve.

Every year for as long as I can remember I have always received at least one or two cookbooks every Christmas. I guess it's what really kept my interest in food through the years! To be honest cookbooks make great presents and on Christmas Eve I can more often than not be found in a bookshop in Dublin doing my last minute shopping! This year there are a great selection of new books out there (wink wink nudge nudge) but here are the ones on my wishlist!

Seasons By Donna Hay

From my knowledge I don't think Donna Hay has really hit the mainstream over this side of the water. But that doesn't stop my love for this Aussie cook, her photos and simple recipes have inspired me so much over the years and I absolutely love her style! This book is split into chapters based on seasonal recipes which is becoming quite common in the world of cooking.

Supper For A Song by Tamasin Day-Lewis

I wasn't a fan of Tamasin Day-Lewis at first but she is in the same vein as Nigel Slater when it comes to a good foodie read and has a beautiful ability to allow her readers to taste the food while reading! In this book she aims to create really delicious meals for even the most cost conscious cooks!

No Time To Cook by Donna Hay

Another Donna Hay book on my list. No Time To Cook is full of brilliant speedy recipes which are packed with flavour. If you haven't heard much about Donna Hay before you should check out her website which features recipes and photo's of her fab food!

Forgotten Skills Of Cooking by Darina Allen

I grew up watching Darina Allen on Irish tv, she is one of Ireland's most well known Irish cooks and runs the world famous Ballymaloe House. I have really enjoyed Darina's recent book's and am thoroughly looking forward to getting my hands on her latest collection of recipes.

Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten

Not only do I have a not so secret addiction to cookbooks I also have an addiction to TV cookery shows! Barefoot Contessa is definitely one of my favs, Ina is a really inventive cook and the queen of entertaining. Not only that I love the sequences with her hubbie Jeffrey, always make me chuckle! I am looking forward to adding an Ina Garten book to my collection as I still don't have one!

Tender by Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater is by far one of my favourite food writers, he is probably one of the only cookbook authors I actually read from start to finish. Nigel transformed his back garden into a little allotment recently and Tender is all about the produce from it. Having just grown my own vegetable garden this year, this should be a great read!

The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rodgers

I don't know why they stopped making the River Cafe tv show, but I always enjoyed it when I was younger. Maybe it's because Jamie Oliver stole the limelight when he was working there or something. Anyway this latest River Cafe book is about classic Italian cooking and having leafed through it recently it looks absolutely superb and full of brilliant recipes.

What cookbooks are on your wishlist? Tell me on twitter or leave a comment below!

This is a great recipe for entertaining with an Asian twist. You can make the noodles ahead of time and pop them in the fridge the night before, they should be just as tasty the next day.

Teriyaki Salmon with Noodles
Salmon is an extremely healthy ingredient to cook with. It's low in calories, has immune system boosting properties and contains omega-3 essential fatty acids which the body does not naturally produce. If you have any leftovers, this tasty sauce can also be used tossed through a crunchy asian salad.

Makes 2 portions.
2 salmon fillets skinned.
3 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce.
150g of egg noodles.
A small handful of sesame seeds.

1 red chilli deseeded and chopped finely.
3 cloves of garlic chopped finely.
5 tablespoons of soya sauce.
1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar.
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
The juice and zest of 1 lime.

Slice the salmon into bitesize chunks and place in a bowl with the teriyaki sauce. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate. While the salmon is marinating prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cook the noodles according to instructions on the packet, drain and toss with a little bit of sesame oil and sesame seeds. In a small sauce pan fry the chilli and garlic in the vegetable oil over a high heat for approximately 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, soya sauce, lime juice, zest and sesame oil and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and allow the sauce to bubble away gently for about 6-8 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, in a large frying pan fry the salmon pieces in a little vegetable oil over a medium heat until browned on all sides. Serve the salmon pieces on top of the noodles and drizzle over the teriyaki sauce.

This one goes down really well when entertaining! It's an easy one to make ahead of time and stick in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.

Spinach and Riccotta Stuffed Pasta Shells
This is a delicious pasta dish, which is packed with fresh ingredients. It is a little bit tricky but the tastes are great and well worth the effort!

Serves 3-4 portions.
1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3 cloves of garlic chopped finely.
A good glug of red wine.
2 cans of chopped tomatoes.
A handful of fresh herbs chopped coarsely (Oregano, Parsley, Basil)
250g of large pasta shells.
250g of Ricotta cheese.
250g of steamed spinach.
A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.

Fry the garlic in the olive oil in a large frying pan for 30-40 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and and the red wine. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and become thicker. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and make sure to stir every few minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta until al denté. While the pasta is cooking, mix the ricotta, herbs, steamed spinach, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until everything is combined. Spread a layer of half the tomato sauce in a medium baking dish. When the pasta is cooked drain and allow to cool in a colander. Spoon a heaped teaspoon amount of the ricotta mixture into each one of the pasta shells and place in the baking tray. When you have added all the stuffed pasta shells to the baking tray, cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle over a handful of parmesan cheese and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese gets a nice colour.
Serve straight away with a crispy green salad.

I finally sent off the manuscript of text for the book to Mercier press last week, so things have finally calmed down a little here in the Good Mood Kitchen! I have to say the whole process has been a major learning process and has been totally enjoyable. The most exciting part of the entire project had to be spending the two days working hell for leather in September with Jocasta the lovely food photographer and Erica my lovely food stylist/sous chef/psychiatrist/ and Auntie!! I picked up so many great little tips, so I'll have to do an extra special post detailing them all. For now here's a great quick dinner, which I made the other night, it's super tasty and so easy to make.

Mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta

This is an absolutely delicious dish which is so easy to prepare and is perfect for entertaining. I roast all the ingredients in a large roasting tray and when they are cooked using a fork mash them altogether to create a super tasty thick tomato sauce. Don’t be put off my roasting the whole garlic bulb, it produces a really rich, deep and faintly sweet flavour and makes it a lot more palatable than in its raw state.

250g of Wholewheat Penne Pasta.
1 large bulb of garlic.
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes.
1 large red onion.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
3 tablespoons of olive oil.
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
An extra glug of olive oil.
A large handful of grated parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 4.
Slice the top off the bulb of garlic so that almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic in a large roasting tray. Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing them in half. A quick tip I picked up recently is that in order to always get an open faced halved tomato, look for the small dimple at the top of the tomato. Always slice across this bump and you will end up with perfectly sliced tomato faces!
Place the tomatoes in the roasting tray. Prepare the red onion by peeling and slicing into rough quarters, place alongside the tomatoes and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and using a pastry brush, brush the mix over the tomatoes, the red onion, and the garlic bulb. Sprinkle the tomatoes, garlic, and onion with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Roast the tray in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to half their size.
While the garlic, tomatoes, and onion are roasting, bring a medium sized pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.

When the tomatoes, garlic and onion are cooked remove from the oven and using a fork, mash all the ingredients together until you have a thick mushy sauce. Tumble the cooked pasta into the roasting tray and add the Parmesan cheese and an extra glug of olive oil. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!

I had planned to post both the chicken recipe and the roast beetroot starter but the terrible weather means low light conditions which in turn means terrible photos, so I will be shooting the starter recipe for the twinnerparty tomorrow morning and posting it before 12!

Yesterday both Market Kitchen and Nationwide aired and although I wasn't nervous doing them, having sit through them was another story! But thankfully it went quite well and everyone I have spoken too has been only complimentary, so I am relieved. I don't think you can see Market Kitchen online but the Nationwide interview can be seen here and here.

Herby Roast Chicken and Honey and Thyme Parsnips

Normally I make this herb paste for a full roast chicken, but I find pre-portioned chicken legs and thighs are perfect for entertaining as you don't have to fuss around with carving. The great thing about this dish is that you can prepare the two trays a few hours ahead of your guest arriving and pop them in the oven just before they arrive! If you don't grow your own herbs you can pick up little packets for about €1 in most supermarkets which are really handy for one off dishes. I love roasting whole garlic bulbs but if it's too much garlic for you just leave these out.

Serves 6
6 Chicken legs and thighs
4 red onions, peeled and quartered
2 bulbs of garlic,with the top sliced off
4 cloves of garlic
40g or a large handful of fresh herbs, basil, rosemary, thyme
6 medium sized parsnips, peeled and quartered
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of honey
A good drizzle of olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

In a pestle and mortar or a food processor, blitz the mixed herbs, garlic cloves, and a little olive oil. Add a little more olive oil until you have a loose paste.
Place the parsnips on a large roasting tray with the thyme, drizzle with honey and oil and spoonful of the herb paste. Toss together until everything is combined.
On another roasting tray arrange the chickens pieces, garlic bulbs and red onion. Add the rest of the herb paste and toss everything together until the the chicken and onions have a nice coating of herbs.
Place both roasting trays in the oven at 190°C/Gas Mark 5, for about 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked right through. The parsnips will cook slightly quicker than the chicken so you may need to take them out of the oven before the chicken.
Serve the chicken straight away, with the parsnips, red onion, garlic and an little drizzle of the juices.

I made the decision after much talk, to finally learn how to grow my own vegetables this year. I've been pretty proud of my herb garden the last few years, so it was definitely time to make the plunge and become a real gardener! Unfortunately the last few months have been a bit crazy so I haven't had as much time to look after the garden as much as I would have wanted, but that hasn't stopped the veggies growing!

I never thought I would do it, but here it is my first recipe using my very own garden produce! I'm going to do a post with all the photos from my little vegetable over the last few months but for now, here is a recipe using one of the easiest vegetables I have had the pleasure of growing! Broad beans were definitely the most entertaining to watch growing from seed. They grow on a really sturdy stalk, and are fascinating to watch explode into giant, green torpedoes, perfect for picking!

Broad Bean Crostini
This is a perfect way to savour the fresh flavours of home grown broad beans. The thick broad bean paste can also be stirred through pasta for a tasty supper.

Serves 4
150g of shelled broad beans.
2-3 mint leaves.
½ clove of garlic.
3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
A good handful of grated parmesan cheese.
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
A few slices of toasted sourdough bread.

Place the broad beans in a pestle and mortar with the garlic, mint, sea salt and pepper.
Mash it all up until a thick paste forms.
Add the parmesan and a little olive oil to loosen the mixture, stir this through with a spoon.
Check the seasoning and then spread the broad bean mixture onto the toast.
Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, sprinkle with a little more parmesan and serve as a tasty little appetiser.

So I thought I would keep things fairly simple for the first twinnerparty menu, nothing too extravagant but still jam packed with great flavours and tastes. I will be posting the recipes in the next few days so you can familiarise yourselves with them and then on Friday I will post a handy little shopping list to make things even easier. The important thing to remember is not to fuss over this, the whole idea of the twinnerparty is to get you into the kitchen cooking and serving up some tasty dishes for friends or family. If you don't want to follow the recipes exactly, if you don't have exactly 6 guests coming, if your friends don't twitter, don't worry! Just enjoy the whole thing and if it all goes to pieces it makes for all the more entertaining tweets! Not that it will of course, I have faith in you! Don't forget I'm on twitter@donalskehan, so if there is any problems with the menu, recipes, shopping lists, or cooking I will do my best to tweet you back asap!

So without further ado, here it is the world's first twinnerparty menu!

It may not look like it now but when I was younger up until the age of 5 or 6 I was completely blonde! There was a brief few years in my teens where I tried to recreate this look, but this ended in tears and should most definitely not be revisited. Anyway as a blonde kid people always seemed to make the association between me and the milky bar kid who also had bright blonde hair. I blame these comparisons for my love of white chocolate from an early age. I know white chocolate gets quite a lot of stick because it's not as high quality as good dark chocolate but it is an ingredient that I love using in desserts, giving a great creamy sweet flavour.

White Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake Pots
Desserts that can be made ahead are lifesavers when it comes to entertaining and ones which only take a few minutes to put together are even better! These individual cheesecake pots are perfect to pull out of the fridge at the end of a meal and with an extra kick from the ginger your guests will be singing your praises!

Serves 6
200g of gingernut biscuits
100g of butter, melted
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
450g of cream cheese
200g of white chocolate
100ml of cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of icing sugar

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until you have fine breadcrumbs. Pour in the melted butter and ginger and process until everything is mixed through.
Gently push the biscuit base into individual serving pots and set aside. Don't press down too hard as you want nice loose spoonfuls of biscuit with the cheesecake mix.
Slowly melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a small pot of simmering water.
Put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and add the white chocolate, cream, vanilla extract, and sugar.
Beat all the ingredients together until you get a nice light mixture.
Spoon the cream cheese mix into the serving pots, smooth the top and garnish with a sprinkling of thinly sliced white chocolate.
Place in the fridge until you are ready to serve.