Freshen up your Christmas lunch menu with these tasty recipes perfect for an alfresco celebration!
Salmon and Cheese Log
INGREDIENTS
- 250g cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp capers, chopped
- 50g smoked salmon, roughly sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- ½ cup flaked almonds
METHOD
- Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth in consistency. Add capers, salmon, chives, dill, and season with pepper. Fold in until well combined.
- Place a 30cm long piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Spoon cheese mixture onto plastic. Lift plastic wrap and roll mixture away from you to form a log. Place another 30cm-long piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Sprinkle with almonds, leaving a 2cm border. Carefully unwrap log and transfer onto almonds. Roll up plastic to coat log, pressing gently to secure. Twist ends of wrap to seal. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until firm.
- Unwrap log. Sprinkle with dill. Serve with crackers.
Ham and Israeli Couscous Salad with Marmalade Dressing
INGREDIENTS
- 250g israeli couscous
- 250g green beans, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces
- 5 cups frozen peas
- 750g leftover glazed ham
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 120g feta, crumbled
- ½ cup mint, roughly chopped
- ½ cup parsley, roughly chopped
- ½ bunch chives, roughly chopped
DRESSING
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
- 5 tsp breakfast marmalade
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to season
METHOD
- Put israeli couscous in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring pot to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and leave covered for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Drain couscous and run under cold water. Leave in colander to drain fully.
- Meanwhile, place beans and peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 2 minutes until the greens are tender. Drain, and run under cold running water.
- Add couscous, beans, peas, chopped ham, tomatoes and herbs into a large salad bowl. Toss to combine, and mix in feta cheese.
- For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Add half of dressing to salad and toss until lightly coated. Drizzle the remaining half over the top, and serve.
Kris Kringle Slice
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cup plain flour
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 185g unsalted butter, chopped
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tsp orange rind, finely grated
- 410g bottle/tin of fruit mince
- Icing sugar to dust
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 200 C and line a 16 x 26cm slice pan with baking paper.
- In a food processor, combine the flours, butter, sugar, egg, golden syrup and orange rind. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead together until smooth. Halve the dough into two even portions. Press one of these portions into the lined pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Evenly spread fruit mince mixture across the base.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining dough until 4mm thick. Cut into 1.5cm wide strips.
- Arrange half the strips diagonally across the top of the mince mixture at 2cm intervals. Repeat crossways with remaining strips and trim excess.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Reduce oven to 180 C, cover with foil, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until firm.
- Set aside in pan to cool completely, then cut the slice into even pieces and dust with icing sugar.
Source: Taste.com