Dinner Party on the Hill

Last night we invited some of the neighbours over for dinner - which naturally means I am cooking. I chose to cook my Moroccan Lamb Cutlet dish for mains - which has proven to be popular in the past. I had no idea what to make for dessert but looked through my fridge and cupboards for inspiration. I had the Whites of 2 eggs left over from the day before so some sort of meringue was on the cards. Eventually I narrowed the dessert down to a Rhubarb Tart with Meringue Topping.

I thought it was a Single Seater? Some of the neighbours

We ate, drank, and chatted while the kids watched Toy Story and the Muppets.

Steve Moroccan Lamb Cutlets
1 finely diced Onion
3 Cloves of minced Garlic
2 pinches of Chilli flakes
6 or more Lamb Cutlets
1 tin of chopped Tomatoes
1 tin of lentils - dried is better but quicker using a tin
1 tin of Chickpeas - you can soak the appropriate amount of dried Chickpeas and use
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1 tspns of Turmeric
2 tspns of Tarragon
2 tspns of Paprika
1 handful of Almonds
1 handful of Dried Apricots
1/2 a Preserved Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Use a dish that can be used both on the stove and in the oven - or just use more dishes and use two different pans. Heat some oil and cook onion, garlic and chilli until the onion is translucent. Then brown the lamb cutlets. Once browned take off the heat and add the tinned items ensuring the lamb is covered with moisture. Then add all the herbs and mix around. Put the stock in hot water and dissolve. Pour over the dish to ensure even more of the lamb has moisture. Then sprinkle almonds, lemon and apricots over the top and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until bubbling and cooked although.

Serve with couscous. Please note that the measurements are not exact - I make it up as I go.

The Rhubarb Meringue Tart

Rhubarb Meringue Tart
2 Egg Whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 tspn of Cream of Tarter
approx 7 plain biscuits (smashed into little pieces)
50g of melted butter
200g of rhubarb

Mix melted butter with biscuit crumbs and press into bottom of ramekins. Refrigerate until set. Bake the rhubarb with some sugar in the oven until cooked and moisture has mostly gone - jam like consistency. Put this mixture in ramekins. Then beat the whites, sugar, and cream of tarter until a stiff mixture is formed. Spoon into the top of the ramekins and bake in oven from approx 20mins or when the meringue is just browning.