Mary Berry Cooks ep. 2 A Dinner Party – Mary Berry is in her kitchen at home cooking her favourite recipes. With her trademark warmth and common sense, she takes viewers step by step through delicious recipes for everyday and special occasions. In this captivating and delicious series, Mary takes you on a culinary journey, unveiling her treasured repertoire of recipes that have won the hearts of many. These include her go-to dishes for a tranquil Sunday lunch, comforting afternoon tea, and heart-warming weekday dinners. But her culinary creativity does not end there. Mary extends her wealth of knowledge by sharing a collection of surprisingly uncomplicated yet awe-inspiring recipes perfect for when festivities are on the horizon and the guest list multiplies.
Her approach towards cooking is characterized by a serene and confident demeanor. The art of catering to a crowd, a task that could potentially induce stress, is transformed into an effortless endeavor under Mary’s skilled guidance. Cooking for guests, whether for a handful or a crowd, has never been made simpler, making her insights invaluable.
In the highlighted episode of the series, Mary demystifies the process of preparing an elegant dinner party menu that is certain to leave guests impressed, all while ensuring you remain cool, collected, and far from frazzled in the kitchen. She takes the fear out of hosting, breaking down the process into easy, manageable steps.
Her approach towards cooking is characterized by a serene and confident demeanor. The art of catering to a crowd, a task that could potentially induce stress, is transformed into an effortless endeavor under Mary’s skilled guidance. Cooking for guests, whether for a handful or a crowd, has never been made simpler, making her insights invaluable.
In the highlighted episode of the series, Mary demystifies the process of preparing an elegant dinner party menu that is certain to leave guests impressed, all while ensuring you remain cool, collected, and far from frazzled in the kitchen. She takes the fear out of hosting, breaking down the process into easy, manageable steps.
She kickstarts the episode by creating two mouth-watering canapes that are the epitome of flavor packed in small bites. Moving forward, she delves into the preparation of a salmon-and-asparagus starter, a dish that masterfully balances health and indulgence. The main course is a delicacy of guinea fowl, a tender, flavorful bird that’s sure to impress. The meal culminates with a luxurious chocolate tart that defines decadence, a perfect sweet note to end a wonderful meal.
Yet, the surprises don’t end there. Mary, in her innovative culinary spirit, reveals a foolproof trick for preparing steak in advance. This technique not only makes meal prepping easier but also guarantees impeccable results every time, ensuring your steak is always cooked to perfection.
In essence, this series with Mary is a delightful journey into the world of cooking, where she shares her secrets, techniques, and most cherished recipes, ensuring you are always prepared to create stunning meals for any occasion.
Mary Berry Cooks ep. 2 A Dinner Party recipes:
1. Rib-eye steak with Stilton butter
A thick juicy steak is a real treat and so easy to cook for a dinner party, but here’s how to cook it without having to disappear to the kitchen at the last minute and fill the room with smoke!
Method:
- To make the Stilton butter, melt a knob of the butter in a small frying pan and cook the shallots over a low heat until softened. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Mash the Stilton with a fork in a bowl and beat in the remaining softened butter and chives. Add the melted butter and shallots and season with salt and black pepper. Mix well.
- Place the Stilton butter on a sheet of cling film and form into a sausage shape. Roll up in the cling film, twisting the ends to secure. Chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
- To cook the steaks, heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Brush each steak with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Fry each steak for 1½–2 minutes (or according to thickness) on each side, or until cooked to your liking. You will need to cook the steaks two or three at a time. Transfer to a baking tray. Set aside to chill in the fridge until needed.
- To finish the steaks before serving, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Bake the steaks for 6 minutes or until piping hot. Add 2 minutes for medium, and 4 minutes for medium to well done.
- Cut six discs from the shallot butter and sit one disc on top of each hot steak and set aside to rest for 2 minutes before serving.
2. Guinea fowl with porcini and lardons
This is a really smart main course, which is actually very simple to prepare in advance and reheat on the day. Guinea fowl are full of flavour, but not as big as chicken and the drumsticks are quite small, so use two birds to serve six.
Method:
- To joint the birds, bend the legs and thighs away from the birds, then cut between the joint to separate them. Cut between the thigh and leg joints to make two pieces. Bend back the wings and cut them off. Set aside the wings for the stock.
- Cut either side of the breast bone and remove the breasts. Pull the skin off all the pieces of meat. Place the carcasses, skin and the wings in a pan with 900ml/1½ pints of water and bring to the boil to make stock. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (160C fan). Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with four tablespoons of boiling water and set aside to plump up.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the guinea fowl pieces for about five minutes, or until golden-brown on all sides. You may need to do this in two batches. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and place in a large roasting tin. Don’t wash the frying pan, you will need it later.
- Roast the guinea fowl in the oven for 25 minutes and then remove the guinea fowl breasts. Return the legs and thighs to the oven to cook for a further 15 minutes. Cut the breasts diagonally in half to give two portions. Set the meat aside once cooked and keep it warm for serving.
- Add the lardons and shallots to the frying pan and fry gently for 10 minutes, or until the shallots are tender, but not browned. Add the thyme and sherry (or wine) and boil for a few minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third.
- Melt the butter in a small pan, add the flour and cook for a minute, or until thickened. Gradually pour in 500ml/18fl oz of the stock, stirring until thickened. Pour the sauce into the pan with the lardons and onions.
- Strain the soaked mushrooms through a sieve, reserving the water. Chop the mushrooms finely and add them to the sauce with the soaking water. Add the fresh mushrooms.
- Cook for five minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Season to taste. Stir in the crème fraiche, sprinkle with parsley. Serve the guinea fowl with the sauce alongside.
3. Chocolate fondant tart
This tart looks like something you might have bought from a French patisserie, but it is so easy to make. Serve it gently warmed with a dusting of icing sugar, or top it with chocolate curls, drizzle with melted chocolate or top it with a little whipped cream and fresh summer berries. Or all three.
Method:
- For the pastry, put flour and icing sugar in a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolk and water and mix until it comes together to form a firm dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (180C fan). Dust the work surface with flour and then roll out the pastry as thinly as you can to a circle – about 5cm/2in larger than your flan tin. Line the tin with pastry. Don’t worry if the pastry breaks a little, it is easy to patch up. Leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and line the pastry case with a circle of baking parchment or foil and fill with baking beans. Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes, or until just lightly golden-brown, then remove the paper and beans and return the tart to the oven to cook for a further 5-7 minutes, or until pale golden-brown and dried out.
- For the filling, melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat, then add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Place the pastry case on a baking tray. Pour the mixture into the pastry case, filling it right to the top and place in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just set around the edges – but it should still be slightly wobbly in the centre.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar – if liked, you can cut a heart shape out of baking parchment and place on top of the tart before dusting with icing sugar, then remove the paper to make a stenciled effect. Or serve warm with strawberries, a dusting of icing sugar and cream.
4. Blue cheese and fig tarts – Mary Berry Cooks ep. 2
These are simple to make, yet look so sophisticated, and most of the preparation can be done in advance.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- Brush two sheets of filo with butter and place on top of each other. Cut into 24 equal squares. Put the squares together in pairs on top of each other at a 45 degree angle to make a star shape. Press into the holes of a 12 mini-muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining pastry to make 24 mini tartlets.
- Bake in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Transfer to a baking tray.
- Chop the figs into small pieces, and divide between the filo cases. Put the cheese, lemon juice and sage into a bowl. Mash down with a fork, season with pepper, then spoon blobs of cheese mixture on top of the fig. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
- Bake in the oven for five minutes, or until the cheese has just melted.
5. Salmon and asparagus terrine – Mary Berry Cooks ep. 2
This is such a stunningly good looking and tasty starter for a buffet, picnic or smart dinner party. It looks as if you have spent ages preparing it, yet is very simple to make. Serve it with melba toast, oat cakes or a little salad.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Place the fresh salmon on a square of foil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold over the foil to make a parcel. Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the flesh has turned to an opaque pink. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Remove the woody end from the asparagus and trim to exactly the length of the loaf tin. Bring a frying pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus stems for 3-4 minutes, or until they feel just tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to cool. Drain and pat dry.
- Grease the loaf tin, then line with a double layer of cling film. Open the pack of smoked salmon and separate the slices. Trim one slice to fit the base of the tin, and then cut slices to fit all four sides, leaving a little to overhang. Reserve one slice for the top.
- Place the remaining smoked salmon in a food processor with the cold cooked salmon, cream cheese, very soft butter, chives and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and season to taste.
- Spread half of the smoked salmon mixture into the lined tin and top with the asparagus spears, laying head to tail so that they fit tightly into the tin. Top with the remaining salmon mixture and lay the last piece of smoked salmon on top.
- Cover the terrine with cling film and leave to chill for at least six hours in the fridge, then turn out, remove the cling film and cut into slices. Scatter with cress and serve with toast or salad.