Dancing on My Table

Bored with hot traditional fare at Christmas time? While the sun is shining, enjoy life outdoors with these simple-to-prepare dishes — you’ll have everyone swooning and coming back for more. Start with a handful or two of Aussie prawns (I recommend them over Asian prawns) sizzled on the barbecue, then serve up a gobsmackingly gorgeous dish of tender beef dressed with lime juice, ginger, mint and coriander, with a selection of colourful and crunchy vegetables. Finish with a new take on plum pudding – crumble it up, toast it under the grill until crunchy and stir it through for Plum pudding ice cream. Yum-o!

Chilli Beef with Lime and Palm Sugar Dressing
Here’s the quintessential westernized Thai beef salad. It’s so good!

A few rules for Christmas catering

• Keep freshly cooked food at room temperature only as long as you need to, and keep it covered. Refrigerate it as soon as possible after serving.

• Don’t reheat all the leftovers if they are not all going to be eaten in one meal, just serve up what you think you’ll eat and reheat it and keep the rest covered and refrigerated.
• Watch out for full fridges — constant opening and closing and overloading can raise the temperature inside the fridge which can prevent food chilling quickly and cause spoilage.
• Ensure all food is in leak-proof containers and covered with lids or food wrap to prevent leaking and contamination.
• Food doesn’t usually improve in the fridge — it’s a slow death, so get to it before it dies!

Here’s a wickedly tasty treat to serve up on Father’s Day – golden, spicy chicken drumsticks, so tender that the meat falls off the bone. Serve to dad as a snack with a chilled beer, or as part of a meal with steamed rice, or a rice salad, and either a cucumber and yoghurt salad flavoured with mint, or a spicy eggplant dish with tomatoes and onions. He’ll thank you for it!

Spicy chicken drumsticks

Help your kids cook something special for dad on Father’s Day
A little birdie told me that Father’s Day is just around the corner… well, in the US at least (we celebrate it in September in New Zealand). I remember making treats for my father on his special day, usually inappropriate sticky gooey things which he didn’t much like, but he ate them all the same! But here’s a much tastier idea -a fresh and scrumptious Avocado, Bacon & Corn Bap (a bap is a soft bread roll). The great thing about this recipe is that kids of all ages can take part in making it – removing husks and silks from corn, chopping cilantro, grilling bacon and slicing tomatoes and avocado, then layering it up – and the best bit, presenting it to dad. Check out the yummy photograph (from my book Sizzle, Sensational Barbecue Food) and help the kids make dad a delicious lunch this Father’s Day.