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!