Planter's Punch

*I've had this recipe since 2003, when it appeared in the December issue of delicious magazine. This is very well road-tested, and be warned: it is lethal! It doesn't taste it, but trust me, it is. As a responsible host, make sure you warn your guests in case they think it's just lolly water! And as with all good punches, feel free to add more or less of the ingredients to suit your taste.

Ingredients:
1 bottle dry white wine (recent vintage)
1 litre orange juice
1 litre pinepple juice
2 cups (500 ml) lime juice (the squeeze bottle variety is fine)
1 bottle white rum
1 1/2 cups of dark rum
1/2 cup grenadine
1x 2 kg bag of ice
handful of chopped and whole fresh mint

Procedure:
Add all this to a punch bowl, or in the case of the half-warming, it was in a stainless steel pail. Stir and ladle into cups.

Great with vodka-cured watermelon too (Jamie Oliver-inspired from The Naked Chef 2) - simply put a funnel through a whole watermelon and feed it with vodka or champagne over a few days. Use a long metal skewer to create channels through the watermelon and encourage the alcohol to spread. However, note that the vodka has a tendency to pool in one place in the watermelon, and in our case, the watermelon fermented because we had a few very hot days and the watermelon wasn't in the fridge while we were feeding it. Putting the cubed watermelon in the punch was an inspired idea by the Hubby! He's not just a good shag... ;)

Ajo Blanco - White Gazpacho

*I was determined to serve this in shot glasses, but obviously didn't want to buy 40 shot glasses just for the party! Thank God for discount shops - 40 plastic disposable shot glasses for $2. I bought lots!

Ingredients:
Makes around 1.5 litres unstrained, around 1litre with all chunky bits taken away

200 grams of day-old white sourdough bread, crusts off, then chopped into manageable chunks
400 grams blanched almonds, whole
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
sherry vinegar to taste
sea salt and fresh ground white pepper to taste
small bunch of seedless green grapes, halved if small, or sliced if big
almond oil (optional) for drizzling

Procedure:

1. In a blender put in the bread, almonds, garlic, olive oil and 1 litre of water. And yes, you want the blender, not the food processor, even though the blender might labour slightly depending on how hard your bread is. Yes, I speak from experience and a very wet food processor! Add water to help the mix along, and do it in batches if you have a small blender.
2. Once the mix is all blended and creamy, season to taste with sherry vinegar - I find around 2-3 tbsps is good. Season also with sea salt and white pepper - at a cinch, you can use pre-ground white pepper, but fresh ground is best. Keep that black pepper grinder away!!
3. If you like it chunky and nutty, don't strain the soup. But if you want a smoother texture or are worried that people might construe the nutty bits as more like sandy, then strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer. Chill for at least 1-2 hours before serving.
4. To serve, line up your shot glasses, pour in the soup, and top with the grape - sliced bit up if using halves. Drizzle with almond oil if using - I have not used almond oil so far with this recipe and everyone still raves about it.

Roasted Ocean Trout with Walnut and Coriander Salsa

*This recipe is from Gourmet Traveler's November 2008 issue.

Ingredients:
whole fillets of ocean trout - pinboned
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

For the salsa:
140 g walnut halves
1/2 cup chopped coriander
3/4 of a whole preserved lemon, pith only, chopped
2 tbsp each of chopped flat-leaf parsley and mint
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp of sumac

lemon wedges to serve

Procedure:

1. To roast the ocean trout, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Cook the fillets one at a time, unless you plan to serve both fillets at the same time. Sprinkle the fillet with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 30-35 mins or until the flesh flakes easily.
2. For the salsa, roast the walnuts first for 5-10 minutes until slightly golden. Chop finely by hand - don't be tempted to use the food processor as the walnuts will become crumbs or worse, powdery, and you do not want this. You want a chunky-ish texture to the salsa.
3. Mix the chopped walnuts with all the herbs, the olive oil and sumac. Season to taste with a bit more sea salt and ground pepper.
4. To serve, platter the fish, spoon the salsa down the centre, and serve lemon wedges on the side.