Great family recipes
Great summer punches
Q. Friends unexpectedly drop by and you ask them to stay for dinner. What do you cook? A. I always have heaps of things in my freezer "just in case". I would defrost a leg of lamb or a piece of beef and roast it with lots of vegies. I always have some frozen spinach in the freezer so I'd serve that on the side. I'm not a big dessert eater but usually have plenty of fruit, so would serve fruit afterwards and coffee.
Q. What dishes are in your repertoire? A. Beef fillet with my special three-mushroom and herb wine sauce; fettuccine with prawns, chilli, lemon and rocket; veal chops with rice baked in a rich tomato and Spanish onion sauce; chicken breasts served on pureed sweet potatoes and topped with caramelised onions; poached salmon with cucumbers and dill mayonnaise dressing; osso bucco, duck a l'Orange, carpetbag sausages — i.e. beef sausages baked in the oven and then stuffed with oysters, either fresh or bottled. They make a great starter to Sunday lunch. Serve with a glass of champagne before sitting down to main course.
Q. What's the best recipe you've ever come up with? A. A quick and easy beef stroganoff that my kids used to love. Long strips of beef (the best you can afford and get the butcher to cut) cooked quickly in a frying pan in virgin olive oil with small slivers of fresh garlic (or powdered if you are really in a hurry); add a small carton of sour cream and one small container of tomato paste — mix well together; make sure the beef is cooked and serve on your favourite pasta or mashed potatoes.
Q. What's your favourite Friday night meal, and where will you eat it — home or out? A. Grilled salmon with steamed asparagus — and a couple of glasses of white wine followed by fresh blueberries and raspberries. At home.
Q. For a romantic night in or out, what's on the menu? A. Veal saltimbocca — I adore this dish. I like to have it with pureed spinach and a few slices of potatoes and a bottle of my favourite Italian white wine, Lacryma Christi.
Q. What's your secret indulgence food? A. Coconut ice-cream.
Q. What's your favourite health food? A. Spinach.
Q. If you could have five foods on a desert island, what would they be? A. Apples, cheese, bok choy, eggs and bread.
Q. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? A. Steak and mixed salad ... with (gasp!) a few French fries on the side; a good bottle of red; and a slice of pecan pie with vanilla ice-cream.
Q. Have you ever eaten with anyone famous? A. I've lunched with the Queen twice — once at Sydney Town Hall at a table of six, and another time at Government House, Sydney at a table of 14. I've also had afternoon tea with Prince Philip on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Q. Have you ever put on a dud dinner party? A. As a young bride I "cheated" and bought ready-made crème brulee from the hottest caterer in town. Everyone thought I'd made it but when I went to serve I couldn't cut the toffee because it was so hard. My husband took the dish out to the kitchen and hit the knife with the rolling pin. I was mortified.
Q. What's the most memorable meal you've had overseas? A. Dinner at the Le Cinq, the elegant and fabulous dining room at the George V Hotel in Paris. We had starved ourselves as we were so looking forward to eating at this stunning place. Everything was sensational. We began with a glass of champagne and then ate our way through artichoke and black Perigord truffle tart; the most scrumptious duck fois gras with rhubarb compote and elderberry juice; medallions of milk-fed veal with lobster sauce and tarragon polenta and shared a hazelnut meringue with hazelnut mouse and mandarin oranges for dessert. We enjoyed a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse before choosing a glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape to have with our selection of cheeses from master cheesemakers. With our coffee (black of course!) Le Cinq served impossible-not-to-eat bite-size chocolates. Fearfully expensive but worth every franc!
Q. What's your favourite restaurant? A. I love Italian cuisine — so most Italian restaurants, but Beppi's in Sydney is my absolute favourite. Beppi and his team are always welcoming and the menu is tempting and enjoyable. I always feel as though I am dining with friends.
Q. What food would you happily never eat again? A. Tripe.
Q. If you could invite three famous people to a dinner party, who would they be? A. Hilary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Judi Dench.
