Kate's Fabulously Awesome Layered Taco dip!

This dip is the best thing ever at a party. Everyone loves it (even those that claim they don't like refried beans, or avocado or etc.) and some just sit right in front of it stuffing heavily laden corn chips in their mouths.

Allegedly, this an old Tupperware recipe, designed for a special Tupperware container that is 22cm X 32cm - which may affect the proportions of the layers, but I have made it in other containers and it's still delicious so have at it.

It basically tastes like tacos - which are awesome - so what could be better than having a massive taco to share with all of your friends.



INGREDIENTS. -
530g tin refried beans (although I think this size is made up - I just get the largest one I can which I think is slightly smaller)
1/2 cup taco sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 250g block Philadelphia cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbs mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 large avocado (seeded and peeled)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tomato (seeded and diced)
1/2 cup sliced pitted olives
1/2 cup sliced shallotts


METHOD. - 
1. In a large bowl, stir refried beans, taco sauce and several dashes of tabasco (if desired).
2. Spread the refried bean mixture evenly on the bottom and sides of large rectangular container. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over the bean layer. (If you forget the cheese here, its fine.)
3. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo and garlic powder. Beat with electric mixer on med speed until smooth.
4. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bean/cheese layer.
5. Cut avocado into small pieces. Blend in blender/food processer with onion and lemon juice until combined.
6. Spread the avocado mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer.
7. Sprinkle avocado layer with chopped tomato, sliced olives, sliced shallotts and remaining cheese. If desired, drizzle with additional taco sauce. Cover and chill.
8. Serve with corn chips

My mouth is just drooling thinking about this dip - now I'm hungry!

It's a long way to the shop if you wanna sausage roll.

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll,
and it's a long way to the shop if you wanna sausage roll.

But they're so tasty...nom, nom, nom


SAUSAGE ROLLS.

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 a lb of sausages Or you can use sausage mince from the butcher if you prefer.
rough puff pastry

METHOD. - Boil the sausages for about 5 minutes, remove the skins, cut each sausage down and across into 4 pieces, and place them on squares of pastry.
Wet the edges, fold over, leaving the ends open, and bake in a moderate oven.

TIME. - To bake, about 1/2 an hour. SUFFICIENT for about 8 or 9 rolls. Or more if you are making party sausage rolls

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were -- Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.

The last part of the entrée was a surprise hit. I made it mainly to amuse myself, because after all, what's the point of cooking a fabulous meal if you can't have some fun with it?

But... a surprise hit and consumed by some people who had suggested that it was not something they ate.

It's not actually a Mrs Beeton recipe, but very close to, and similar to a potted meat, of which Mrs Beeton has many recipes. It is essentially a confit of rabbit, shredded and then pressed into a pot/mould.

RABBIT RILLET

INGREDIENTS. - 1 rabbit
duck fat
salt and pepper
sage

METHOD. - Cut the rabbit in to pieces and put in an oven dish. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with duck fat. (And I really mean, cover, as in submerse)
Confit in an oven at 100oC for about 4 hours.
Drain over a bowl and shred the meat.
Mix with sage and more salt and pepper and then press into a mould or dish.
Cover with saved duck fat from the confit.
Warm before serving.

Warning: Will make your whole house smell like roasting rabbit for hours and can be used as some kind of mental torture for those you live with. Is pretty darn delicious.

It was... THE SALMON MOUSSE!!!

Just a little Monty Python for you readers out there...

Also for entrée was Salmon Mousse. This is not to be found in All About Cookery, so we will have to repair to the 70's (which perhaps is a better place for salmon mousse to reside) and Mrs Beeton's Simple Cookery in Colour for the recipe. Please note the tasty fish aspic that also surrounds my salmon mousse...



SALMON MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 lb of cooked salmon or 1 X 7 3/4 oz. can of salmon
1/2 oz. of powdered gelatine
1/2 a pint of fish stock
salt and pepper
1/4 of a cucumber, sliced
A few slices of tomato

METHOD. - Drain the oil from the canned salmon, and take out any skin and bones. Mash the fins in a basin.
Sprinkle the gelatine on the fish stock, to soften it. Season it. Then heat the stock gently, stirring it, until the gelatine melts; a spoonful will then be clear, without specks.
Rinse the inside of a china souffle dish or cake tin with cold water. Pour in a thin layer of the stock, and let it set.
Arrange cucumber slices on the set jelly in a pattern. Very gently, pour a little more stock over them. Let this set too.
Add a layer of salmon, press it down gently with a fork, cover with stock and leave to set once more. Repeat this process until you have used all the salmon and stock. (If the stock looks like setting, warm it a little)
Keep the mousse in a refrigerator or somewhere cool until you want to use it. Then turn it out. Run a sharp knife round the sides of the dish, to loosen the mousse.
Put a serving dish upside down on top of the dish. Turn the dish and plate over together, and jerk them to dislodge the mousse. (If it will not come out easily, hold a hot wet cloth over the dish for a moment.)
Decorate with cucumber and tomato.

3-4 helpings.



Or use a fish mould which is way cooler... pretty yummy although a little too gelatinous for me... and definitely too much left over stock - hence the fish aspic...

Cannelons, not Cannelloni

I've been writing this post for about 2 weeks and keep getting interrupted because I know you're all just dying to know about the rest of my dinner party.

Anyway, here are the entrées -

CHICKEN CANNELONS

INGREDIENTS. - Chicken croquette mixture
rough puff-paste
egg
breadcrumbs
fat
parsley

METHOD. - Roll out the paste as thinly as possible, and cut it into 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch squares.
Place a little of the chicken mixture in the centre of each square, and roll up rather tightly.
Coat them carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, fry in hot fat until lightly browned, then drain well, and serve garnished with sprigs of crisply-fried parsley.

TIME. - To fry, about 5 minutes. SUFFICIENT, allow 2 cannelons to each person.

CHICKEN CROQUETTES.

INGREDIENTS. - 6 to 8 oz. of cold chicken or fowl (boned)
2 oz. of cooked ham or tongue
1/4 of a pint of stock
1 oz. of butter
1 oz. of flour
1 tablespoonful of cream or milk
1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice
6 button mushrooms
1 truffle
salt and pepper
egg
breadcrumbs
fat (these last three ingredients are for if you actually want to make the croquettes)

METHOD. - Chop the chicken and ham or tongue finely, cut the mushrooms and truffle into small pieces. As I had several people who don't eat pork I just used more chicken. Also truffles are worth their weight in gold here so I used more mushrooms and covered them in truffle oil. Sue me.
Melt the butter, fry the flour without browning, add the stock, and cook well. Stir in the chicken, ham or tongue, cream or milk, lemon-juice, mushrooms and truffle, season with salt and pepper, and turn on a plate to cool.
Make into cork-shaped croquettes, coat carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry until lightly browned in hot fat.

TIME. - About 1 hour. SUFFICIENT for about 6 persons.

This recipe is very delicious. I think it works better though if you make sausage roll sized cannelons, because it is less fiddle than the 1 inch ones... would be great for an afternoon tea.

Don't fritter it away

Entree vous

If you want my gravy, pepper my ragout...but only entree sized

Enticing Entrees

A cutlet of entrées

Entre'acte

Just a small morsel.