The Kikoklu Spring Menu or an evening in the Healy Hall

 The Cookery Club Spring meet

We hadn’t all been together since our New Year meeting so it was decided that it was time to ring in the spring. Carolyn had kindly offered to host the event and therefore she was cooking the main course, this was to be fish. So that left us to decide what else was being done. Linda was in the middle of her move so thought it would be too much to make a course, so I said I would do the dessert and she could help me.

Kalle said he would do the very first starter, he wasn’t quite sure what but thought it may be something in filo pastry, in the end it was nothing to do with filo pastry, but was a most fantastic composition.

Marianne had decided on a Chicken Satay (I think it was a joint effort as I saw both her and Martin beavering away in the kitchen). This was served with a smashing peanut sauce.

Next came Martins Salad, a very nicely rounded mango and endive salad, the sweetness of the mango's complimenting the bitterness of the endive salad, a really nice foil for the main course to follow.

Carolyn had been at the market that morning (we had met and had a chat over a cup of coffee at one of the market stalls), Kalle had also been there, as had quite a few of our other Kiel friends, so we had a very nice tête-à- tête in the very first real warm spring morning, I shall certainly miss these regular Saturday morning get togethers.

Carolyn had ordered 2 sea-trout from one of the fish handlers. The Kiel market is one of the best markets that I know for buying fish and if you order it, they will get it for you and the price is always very reasonable. I have over the years become regular at the Fisch Lange stall and have built up a bit of a repartee with Frank the owner, he will always get you the goods and he certainly knows his fish.

I don't think that Carolyn bought at Franks stall but at another that only deals only in salmoniods, but never the less what she came away with were two magnificent beasts, the smallest being 1.5kg, wonderful monsters, with vivid red gills, bright eyes and still with their slim on the skin.

It was next to be our turn as I had plugged for the dessert, I had decided to do a real Crema Catalana accompanied with a rhubarb ginger composition with an Italian meringue hat. This has been described in the previous Blog so I will not bore you with it once again.

http://spotteddick-itsallinthegame.blogspot.de/2013/04/crema-catalana-and-rhubarb-compote.html

So now let us get the show on the road.

We all arrived together at the appointed hour (we had all travelled in Marianne’s and Martin’s car, so a big thank you from us). It was fantastic warm evening and the sun streamed in through the Balcony windows onto Carolyn's spring dressed table.

 

The evening started off with Sekt (German Sparkling wine) and nibbles

The cast discussing something off stage right, I do wish they would concentrate during rehearsals.

 



As normal quite a bit of activity took place in the kitchen, such as these two rose petals doing a bit of flower arranging

 

 

 Kalle taking a photo of me taking a photo of him

 

and that led into Kalles starter, he had made a fantastic vibrant green spinach ricotta starter, decorated with salmon caviar (in honour of the main course) and quails egg. It truly was a wonder, well rounded and tasted so fresh and was the perfect start to the evening’s menu. (this would make a smashing St Patrick's day starter). This is something I am sure we shall all be trying to replicate in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then off went Marianne and Martin to do their thing in the kitchen, I also popped off to make the Italian meringue and heat the rhubarb through (and also to keep an eye on them doing their thing). I was able to see the pair finishing off their composition.

Martin frying the chicken satay and a lovely pair of hands decorating the plates!

Martin serving up two plates 

And the lovely pair of hands serving up another two

 

I love Indonesian food (I love all food, but the Far East holds many smashing memories, of when I sailed the seven seas back in the 70s). They had already marinated the chicken satay and these needed to be fried and the peanut sauce added (this is as an normal accompaniment to many Indonesian dishes and is a part of every Dutch Riztafel, I love it, even though it leaves a dull feeling on the roof of my mouth). The discussion turned to how easy it would be to make this into a main course, by upping the portions and adding some plain rice. It really was very tasty, a big hand to Marianne and Martin (those hands get all over the place)
 
Marianne’s chicken satay with peanut sauce

Ingredients

800-900g chicken breast

12 satay skewers

1 small onion

2 cloves of fresh garlic

1 dsp. soya sauce

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. salt

60ml oil

2 fresh chillies

2 tsp. Brown sugar

1 jar crunchy peanut butter

1 tsp.  Sambal Olek  (this can be increased to suit your or your guests pain threshold)

½ tsp. lemon juice

½ tsp. chicken stock powder

1 pinch of sugar

3 dsp. Ketjap Manis

0.25L Water

Coconut milk (if required)

Method

Cut the chicken breast into 2cm thick strips ( or cubes) and thread them onto the watered satay skewers. Skin the onion and garlic and cut in half. Wash the chilli pod and remove the stalk. Now put the onion, garlic, chilli, soya sauce, coriander, cumin salt and oil into a  blender (a stick blender is good for this) and blend to a creamy sauce. Brush the satay with this and allow to marinate for at least 1 hr.

Put the peanut butter, sambal olek, lemon juice, chicken stock powder, ketjab manis and the water into a small saucepan and slowly heat the contents while constantly stirring. Bring to boiling point and allow to cook, it may at first seem a little watery but it will start to thicken, if it becomes too thick add a little water orsome coconut milk if you wish. The end result should be a creamy sauce, add sugar to taste.

You can place the skewers on a grid under a grill, or  in the oven on a baking tray at 200°C for 15-20min , but here Martin fried them in a frying pan until done crisp and brown on the outside and succulently soft on the inside. Place on a plate with the wonderful peanut sauce and serve. You can serve these with rice as a main course, but this wasn’t the main course.

Well done Marianne and Martin

Then followed a very refreshing salad of fresh mangoes and a bitter endive salad, these passed together like two gloves, each different but making a lovely pair.

Recipe (Martin’s) for endive salad with mango

 Dressing (mix the following in a clean jam jar with a lid on)

4 spoon of Orange oil (flavoured olive oil)

1 spoon of fruity vinegar

Juice of a lime

1 spoon of liquid honey (Martin used Waldhonig „forest honey“)

1 small onion, finely chopped

Parsley and chives finely chopped

½ cup of orange juice to soak

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 heads of endive salad (washed and drained)

1 large very ripe mango (peeled and sliced in cubes of about two cm, max 1 inch)

Mix well and put on the dressing just 10 mins before serving.

 

The salad, the wine, the friends!

In between the courses our school mistress read us a few choice pieces from a very funny foody book and as you will notice she also enjoyed a glass of red or two.

 

Next came the beasts, Carolyn had really excelled, but I must say,one of these would have been more than enough. She had cooked plain boiled potatoes to be served with a lemon butter sauce,  glazed carrots and a wonderful Italian ratatouille with feta cheese as accompaniments. 
Carolyn had stuffed the fish with a fine filling of diced Parma ham, fennel and garlic. Both sides brushed with butter, then salted and peppered, before being wrapped in heavy duty foil and cooked en-papillote. The parcels placed on a baking tray and into a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 30mins, this was extended by another 15 due to the thickness of the flesh. You cannot rush a fish of this size and to test if it is ready, pull the dorsal fin between the finger and thumb, when it comes out with no force it is ready. (I mean the dorsal fin not your digits ya fool).
 

 

Then the beast (it was decided that the smaller of the two would be ample and if need be another was standing ready in the wings) was ready to be stripped bear and plated up, what a feast,perfectly cooked, juicy and ever so tasty. It could also be a recipe for the future, en-papillote is such a safe way to cook fish, it steams in its own juices, with the minimum of additional liquid (a splash of wine is more than enough)

 

The really wonderful main course 

 

As and when I get the recipes I shall add them to the individual courses, I did get given them on Saturday night, but you must understand it had been a long day and we had drunk quite a bit of forget fullness water. I shall also try and get the names of the cause of the amnesia.

 

Thank you dear friends for making this, Lindas last evening in Kiel (though we shall continue to come to our cookery club evenings and various musical and cultural events) so unforgettable and look forward to our first meeting in Stockelsdorf.