A dear photographer friend of ours is a man who loves many things but parties and music would have to be up near the top of his list. Births, deaths, marriages, spring, summer, autumn, winter, any excuse for a party and we're all invited.
Invariably, there’s music, often with one or two highly gifted musicians invited to play. These evenings are wonderfully special occasions for us, as party-goers, privileged to be in such close proximity to these extraordinary performers and intimately part of the inspiring atmosphere they create.
The other excellent aspect to these soirées is that his gluten-intolerant partner feeds us all. She turns out delicious gluten-free food to a large bunch of hungry, gluten-tolerant guests, none of whom actually notice, and certainly don't miss, the absence of gluten in their dinner.
Last weekend they invited an internationally-recognised guitarist and a greatly admired local pianist who thoroughly entertained us for the evening. On the day after the death of Leonard Cohen, their performance began with a sublime instrumental version of Hallelujah.
Afterwards we ate a tableful of delicious food, all miraculously produced from the open kitchen without disturbing the performers while they played. Amongst the many dishes were: slow cooked lamb with garlic and caramelised lemons; green bean and edamame salad with quinoa, roasted shallots and shiitake mushrooms; Thai style prawn salad; kedgeree with smoked fish, eggs, saffron, coriander and creme fraiche. For dessert there were various luscious cakes along with a friend’s chocolate pecan fudge squares that made a perfect finish to the meal.
It was all as fabulous as the music it followed. Who said a gluten-free life is a tough one? Not us!
Recipes for the green bean and edamame salad as well as the chocolate pecan fudge slice follow. Both of which would work well for a large Christmas or holiday gathering.
Caren, Jan and Rosie
GREEN BEAN AND EDAMAME SALAD
(Recipe serves 6. Quantities were tripled for the party.)
½ cup quinoa
140 ml olive oil
4 banana shallots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into 2cm wedges
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
250 gm shitake mushrooms, stalks removed
200 gm edamame, fresh or frozen
350 gm green beans, trimmed
10 gm tarragon leaves
35 gm pea shoots
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper
Miso Dressing
70 ml sake
80 ml mirin
1 tablespoon caster sugar
40 gm white miso paste
1 orange, zest only
Preheat the oven to 160°C FF.
Place quinoa in a pan of salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until cooked. Turn off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Strain and refresh in cold water then drain well and refrigerate till ready to use.
Mix the shallots with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the cayenne and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Place on a tray lined with baking-paper and roast for 30 minutes, turning once or twice during the cooking. Set aside to cool.
Mix the mushrooms with the remaining oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper. Spread out on the paper-lined tray and roast for 20 minutes, turning during the cooking. Remove and when cool enough to handle cut the mushrooms into 1cm thick slices and set aside.
Heat a large pan of salted water and simmer the edamame for four minutes. Remove from the pan, refresh in cold water and slip the beans out of their pods. Set aside.
Bring the water back to the boil. Blanche the green beans then strain and refresh and leave to dry with the edamame.
Dressing
Mix sake, mirin and sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer, stirring initially to dissolve the sugar, cooking for about 8 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by a third.
Stir in the miso paste and return to the boil for 2 minutes until thick and caramelised. Remove from heat, stir through the orange zest and leave to cool.
To assemble the salad, place the quinoa, shallots, mushrooms, beans, edamame and dressing in a large bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Add the tarragon, pea shoots, and lemon juice and mix gently.
Chocolate Pecan Fudge Squares
150 gm unsalted butter
375 gm dark couverture chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3 eggs
300 gm brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120 gm sour cream
120 gm Revenge almond plain flour mix
75 gm pecans, roughly chopped
Preheat oven 175°. Grease a 30 x 20 m rectangular slice pan and line it with baking paper, allowing the paper to extend above the long sides.
Combine the butter and 300gm of the chocolate in a saucepan and stir to melt over a low heat. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a mixer bowl and beat to combine. Pour in the cooled butter chocolate mix, add the sour cream and beat briefly to combine.
Fold in the flour, remaining 75gm chocolate pieces and the pecans, pour the mix into the pan and bake for 50 minutes, turning the pan every 10 minutes.
Cool in the pan and then lift the cake out by the paper.
Cut into squares and decorate as you prefer.