Salmon Entertaining Entrees

Finally, a dinner party menu that only takes you 30 minutes to prep

Name: 3 easy dinner party recipes for entertaining
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 small cauliflower (about 1 kg), trimmed and cut into 8 slices; ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil; 400g Greek feta, cut into 8 slices, patted dry with paper towel (we used Dodoni brand) or haloumi; 1 can (400g) brown lentils, rinsed and drained; 100g baby spinach leaves; ½ radicchio, leaves separated; 1 cup mixed herbs (we used parsley, dill and coriander), to serve; ½ cup (80g) currants; ½ cup (125ml) red wine vinegar; 4 eschalots, finely chopped; 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed; ½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil; 1kg piece skinless salmon, pin boned; 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted; Zest of 1 lemon & juice of ½; ½ cup orange marmalade; 1 fennel, thinly sliced (we used a mandoline); 1 cup mint leaves; 1 ½ tbs extra virgin olive oil; 2 tsp wholegrain mustard; 200g strawberries, hulled and halved, plus extra to serve; ½ cup (110g) caster sugar; 2 vanilla pods, split, seeds scraped; 750g mascarpone; ¾ cup (180ml) thickened cream; ½ cup (125ml) maple syrup; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; Strawberries & Italian biscuits (such as crostoli or biscotti), to serve

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by Lucy Busuttil

delicious. on Sunday Food Editor

Oct 01, 2019

Introducing our express dinner party menu: a quick and easy step-by-step guide for an entree, main and dessert that can be prepped in less than 30 minutes. All that's left to do is pop open a few bottles of bubbles, delegate a task to a friend or two and you'll be on your way to stress-free entertaining heaven. Find the recipes for our cauliflower and feta salad followed by glazed salmon with fennel and mint as well as vanilla mascarpone with strawberry syrup below.

Cauliflower & feta salad

1 small cauliflower (about 1 kg), trimmed and cut into 8 slices
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
400g Greek feta, cut into 8 slices, patted dry with paper towel (we used Dodoni brand) or haloumi
1 can (400g) brown lentils, rinsed and drained
100g baby spinach leaves
½ radicchio, leaves separated
1 cup mixed herbs (we used parsley, dill and coriander), to serve

Currant dressing

½ cup (80g) currants
½ cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
4 eschalots, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

Glazed salmon with fennel & mint

1kg piece skinless salmon, pin boned
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
Zest of 1 lemon & juice of ½
½ cup orange marmalade
1 fennel, thinly sliced (we used a mandoline)
1 cup mint leaves
1 ½ tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp wholegrain mustard

Vanilla mascarpone with strawberry syrup

200g strawberries, hulled and halved, plus extra to serve
½ cup (110g) caster sugar
2 vanilla pods, split, seeds scraped
750g mascarpone
¾ cup (180ml) thickened cream
½ cup (125ml) maple syrup
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Strawberries & Italian biscuits (such as crostoli or biscotti), to serve

Method

1.

For the cauliflower salad, preheat oven to 220°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place cauliflower on tray, drizzle with 2 tbs of oil, season and roast for 25 minutes or until just tender and charred. Set aside to cool.
2.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the salmon. Place salmon on a large, lightly greased baking tray. Place fennel seeds, lemon zest and 1 tbs of sea salt flakes in a mortar and pestle and grind until fine. Sprinkle mixture over salmon and set aside for 10 minutes, then spread marmalade over top of salmon.
3.

Meanwhile, for the currant dressing, place currants, vinegar, eschalot and coriander seeds in a small pan, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add oil and season. Set aside.
4.

When the cauliflower has finished roasting, preheat grill to high. Place salmon on second-highest shelf of the oven and grill for 8 minutes for medium rare, or until cooked to your liking. Set aside to cool.
5.

To make the strawberry syrup for the mascarpone dessert, place strawberries in a saucepan and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, vanilla pods and seeds and ½ cup (125ml) of water. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. If required, mash strawberries again to release more juice. Drain through a sieve over a bowl, discarding strawberry pulp. Set syrup aside to cool completely.
6.

While the berry syrup is cooling, place mascarpone, cream, maple syrup and cinnamon into a large bowl. Gently fold to combine ensuring you don’t over-mix and split mixture. Spoon into a serving bowl, swirling top with the back of a spoon.
7.

For the salmon, place fennel and mint into a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes (this will crisp the fennel). Drain well just before serving. To make the dressing for the fennel and mint salad, combine lemon juice, oil and mustard into a small bowl and season.
8.

For the cauliflower salad, heat remaining 1 tbs oil in a large non-stick frypan over high heat. Add feta and cook for 4 minutes, turning carefully once, or until golden. Transfer to a plate and allow to firm up. Arrange lentils, spinach, radicchio and cauliflower on a serving platter. Top with feta and drizzle over currant dressing. Scatter over herbs to serve.
9.

Place salmon on a serving platter. Add lemon dressing to fennel salad and toss to coat, then scatter over salmon to serve.
10.

For the dessert, spoon over strawberry syrup, decorate with berries, and serve with Italian biscuits.