Saturday, December 26, 2009

Tapas Christmas

Last Sunday evening was breezy and balmy at Mt Nanimo. The vineyards were looking lush and green in the soft dusk light, especially those Riesling grapes in the middle top paddock.



Although our traditional (pre) Christmas dinner (and winefest) at the Fischer's is always a highlight of the season we took a completely untraditional approach this year. Each family was given two ingredients (drawn out of a hat - to be completely fair) and given free rein to prepare a tapas style dish with a Christmas theme.

We drew dried fruits and cream......so I made little muffin size plum puddings, pecan and macadamia panforte and individual serves of creme anglais and cherry coulis (fresh picked, straight from the farm). We enjoyed a fabulous feast of food (and wines) with courses inspired by the other ingredients: potato (Ottolenghi inspired pastries and Skordalia), Pacific oysters, prawns (Spanish style), cheese (French style souffles), beef (fillet baked in prosciutto) and beans (with capsicum relish).

Maddie, Sophie and Thomas (and Maggie the dog) were responsible for the entertainment, as usual. The range of instruments the kids use now contributes to making their concerts more sophisticated each year!
We had a visit from a garden fairy the day before Christmas. Her Mummy and Daddy dropped off Nellie the dog before they went to the Coast for Christmas. It was lovely to have a fairy flitting around the garden, even for a brief visit.

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