Have a Fruity Christmas

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year for 2 reasons.

Asian Fish Cakes and Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 500 gm white fish fillets
• 2 tbsp green curry paste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 egg
• 12 green beans
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves

Method

Place fish, paste, sauce and egg in a food processor and puree.

Dice beans, shred lime leaves and stir into fish mixture.

With wet hands, shape into small patties and place on a paper lined tray.

Refrigerate for 1 hour and pan fry in a tbsp of oil or BBQ about 3 min each side.

For the salsa. - combine 1 finely diced mango, 2 diced tomatoes, ½ a red onion, 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 2 tbsp chopped mint.

Firstly I have 2 weeks break from the cooking school so instead of cooking for my job, I can just cook what I like for the love of it. 

My family and friends get a to be guinea pigs for all the new recipes I am trialling for the cooking school menus.

Secondly is that the summer tropical and stone fruit is exceptionally good this year! I can’t pick my favourites.

I love the yellow nectarines, white peaches and the apricots are how they used to be years ago - deep orange and juicy.

The cherries are just superb and well priced; I cook them up with rhubarb and orange for a delicious bright red Christmas compote.

If you have a cherry/olive pitter (available at kitchen shops for about $10) it makes de-seeding the cherries so much easier, and keeps the children entertained for hours.

Cherry Sauce for Roast Poultry

Ingredients

• 1 orange, zested, juiced
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 60ml (1/4 cup) port
• 500 gm pitted cherries
• 1 tbs cornflour

Method

Place the orange juice and zest, ginger, soy sauce, lemon juice, port and cherries in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl or glass, combine 2 tbsp of water with the cornflour and stir into the sauce.

Cook for a further minute until the sauce thickens.

By designing Christmas and summer meals around fruit it keeps the meals healthy and delicious.

Some of the stone fruit has a short season.

With the fruit being at its peak right now and the prices so affordable there's no reason not to enjoy all its succulent juicy sweetness.

Even a nectarine sliced up and tossed with your usual tossed salad gives a touch of special occasion to a regular meal.

A sliced mango with my muesli for breakfast feels like I am on holidays on a tropical island.

The Recipes of the Week are a few of my family’s favourite easy and delicious recipes - all using summer fruit.

Images from Microsoft Office and Wikipedia.