My dear friend Libby who lives in Adelaide has always been my greatest supporter and tester of recipes; I often think that without encouragement from my friends that my book Sicilian Seafood Cooking would never have happened.
I was in Adelaide recently and was invited to dinner at Libby’s. I wish you could see all of the food that Libby prepared, but unfortunately I did not have my camera and the two photos I have were taken with a phone.
I asked her to send me what she prepared. The food was amazing and she must have been preparing for days (as it always the case when I go to her house).
I love this type of meal…the place and a range of small serves (although hers were not small and the range was immense) shared with good friends.
Apart from the food she made the Liqueurs: Vin d’orange (as strong as a liqueur, Prune d’agen liqueur and Limoncello.
She also made the gravlax, the pickles, semi dried tomatoes (baked in a slow oven) and baked the bread (she always makes bread). The salad leaves and herbs were from her amazing garden, the eggs from Muffy, her 7 year old hen and companion (who follows Libby around while she works in the garden). She also made the glace fruit (orange) in the dessert.
I tell you, Libby is an amazing woman!
This is what I had and this was the order of the numerous courses:
Drinks
– Vin d’orange
– Lemon, lime juice and bitters punch
Starters
– Gorgeres with pickled plums
– Roquefort, caramelised onion and walnut dip served with celery heart sticks
– Gravlax served with creamy cucumber and fennel salad, Finnish mustard and sourdough bread
– Chicory leaves topped with oven dried tomatoes, white anchovies and chopped chives
Second round of starters:
– Haloumi, pan fried and flamed with ouzo served with olives marinated with lemon and crushed coriander seeds and oven dried tomatoes sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Sorbet and palate cleanser:
– Blood orange and ruby grapefruit sorbet served with wedges of blood orange.
Main:
– Prawns lightly fried in garlic served with roasted baby leeks drizzled with mayonnaise, roasted baby tomatoes with thyme and fennel salad
– Mushroom ragout (fresh shitake, swiss brown, oyster, buttons, wood ear fungus and enoki cooked with butter, olive oil, cracked white pepper and parsley).
– Mixed leaves from the garden, salad
Cheese and Dessert:
– Orange ‘tiramisu’ shaped into a cake(with fresh mascarpone, cointreau and fresh orange juice, Seville marmalade and glace oranges) served with sticky orange and kumquat sauce and earl grey tea ice cream
– Manchego cheese served with glace kumquats and quince paste
– Prune d’agen liqueur / Limoncello
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And she tells me I am amazing. Libby, thank you…I feel so humble!!!
These are photos taken at Libby’s at some other times:
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| A shot of her amazing garden |
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| Missy and Muffy…..Missy died! |
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