Dine Fine Starter : Smoked Salmon and Shrimp!

Who says you can't have fine dining at home? One can have a stab at gourmet-type dishes and enjoy it with a glass (or two) of wine. Weekdays could be very busy so once a week (like this) is not a bad habit for homecooked treats....(like the following, apparently!)

This DineFine menu is composed of :

Starter Sampler Platter : Smoked Salmon and Shrimp, Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Dip and Baked Oysters

Main : Black Pepper and Chili Crusted Blue Marlin Fillet served with Steamed Vegetables and Roasted Vine Tomatoes

Dessert : Citrus Chocolate Mousse with Mixed Berry Compote

How does that sound?

Easy!

Starter 1 : Smoked Salmon and Shrimp Starter with home made lemon-dill mayonnaise, served on a bed of rocket and lemon wedge.

To make the 'mayo' I used :

1 egg yolk, whisked on top of a double boiler (just avoiding salmonella!), juice of half a lemon, a slow steady drizzle of extra virgin Spanish olive oil until the mixture resembles mayonnaise! Throw in a handful of minced dill when done. Taste and make sure that the dill doesn't overpower the entire flavor.

Prepare ramekins by lining with cling film and layering a couple of thin slices of smoked salmon. Set aside.

Boil 80g of deveined shrimp until no longer transparent (takes almost just a minute), drain and cut into cubes. Depending on what flavor you would like to dominate, increase the proportion of smoked salmon versus the shrimp (equal proportions are also fine!). Shred the smoked salmon and mix with the shrimp and add the mayo to bind them together. Season to taste.

Place on top of the layered smoked salmon on the ramekin, making sure that it is compact, and refrigerate until set. Remember that salmon is a bit oily, so no particular need for an extra dressing (that's when the lemon wedge comes handy!)

Serve on a bed of fresh rocket and add a sprig of dill on top if desired (or an extra sprinkling of red chili flakes if you can't help it!)

Dine Fine Starter : Baked Oysters

Tasmanian oysters are a great treat especially when they are fresh off their shells and just given a hint of tabasco and some crispy fried onion bits. However, when serving in the evening, sometimes it could be difficult to ensure freshness so to play safe, this batch was baked with just a tiny bit of breadcrumbs, cracked pepper, a sliver of butter and grated mozzarella cheese. 3 minutes under the grill, (or until the cheese has melted and browned beautifully) and that's it!Don't overcook so that the oyster retains its juices.

Dine Fine Starter : Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Dip

One of the best things about garlic is that when it is roasted, it just becomes a different thing altogether - almost buttery in texture and slightly sweet. In times like this, a whole head of garlic was topped and the skin retained (keeps it moist), drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with a bit of salt and wrapped in foil then roasted for an hour together with two big eggplants. Then the garlic was taken out of its shell, combined with the flesh scooped out of the eggplants, a handful of fresh coriander, juice of 1 lemon, a bit of salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil. Pulse until the desired consistency is reached and serve with crispy crusty bread.

Add chili if desired!

Dine Fine Main - Pan Fried Black Pepper and Chili Crusted Marlin Fillet

..served with steamed dutch carrots, baby corn and asparagus tips and roasted vine tomatoes (with a bit of fennel seeds).

The marlin was marinated for 30 minutes in a combination of light soy, mirin and apple cider vinegar (the proportions are a bit unknown as it was made up on the spot, until it tasted right!). It was drained for a bit and then one side was crusted with ground black pepper and red chili flakes, then pan fried to perfection...

Dine Fine Dessert : Citrus Chocolate Mousse with Mixed Berry Compote

I never really followed recipes to heart anyway so I made this one up again myself. There were some frozen mixed berries in the freezer, so after a bit of thawing, they went to a gentle simmer with a sprinkling of icing sugar. Handle very gently so that the fruits break up on their own accord, until the juices came out and they were nice and a bit syrupy. Spoon a couple onto your preferred serving glass, that's the bottom layer.

To make the mousse, it was a 85% dark chocolate melted on a double boiler, cooled a bit, then mixed with a dollop of cream and a whole egg yolk until texture was smooth. A juice of 1 orange was also added for just a hint of citrusy flavor. Two eggwhites were whisked to stiff peaks and folded into the mixture, trying to maintain the air as much as possible within the mixture. Scoop on top of the compote and garnish with orange and lime zest.