On the menu: two starters, Stuffed Mushrooms and Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns, followed by a Mango Clafoutis for dessert, all from SuperChef Nandakumar.
Planning a romantic candle light dinner night needn’t be all that taxing. When it comes to candle light dinner recipe ideas, we’ve got you covered. Our chef crafted candle light dinner menu — Stuffed Mushrooms, Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns, and Clafoutis Mango — comes from the treasure trove of the culinary genius, SuperChef Nandu, and as is certainly foolproof. These fancy looking dishes will drive those hunger pangs away and will surely leave your taste buds tantalized but, at the same time, will still save enough room in your tummy making you feel light and energetic. The candle light meal recipes consist of two appetizers (veg and non-veg) and a fruit-based dessert.
Horsdoeuvre |
An Horsdoeuvre , is an appetizer or a starter , that is a dish served before a main meal. It can be served hot or cold preferably during dinner time not compulsorily. Canapé is a cold or hot starter. Usually Horsdoeuvre is served with a sharp dip, thatallows the taste buds to tickle the palates.
The Table d`hote Menu
The fixed menu with a pricing in totto and the menu will have set of dishes or rather the customer`s Choice is limited .
Lets have a look at a Table d`hote Menu
The menu at a glance
- Recipes by: SuperChef Nandakumar
- Starters: Stuffed Mushrooms (vegetarian) and Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns
- Dessert: Mango Clafoutis
Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- Fresh button mushrooms, medium: 12
- Parmesan cheese, grated: 100 g
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped: 1 tbsp
- Ginger-garlic, finely chopped: 1 tbsp
- Rosemary: a pinch
- Mushroom stems, finely chopped: from the 12 mushrooms
- Onion, finely chopped: 1
- Celery stalk and heart, finely chopped: 1
- Capsicum, finely chopped: ½ wedge
- Spinach, finely shredded: a few leaves
- Worcestershire sauce: a few drops
- Plum sauce: ½ tsp
- Fine white breadcrumbs: 2 tbsp
- Cream cheese: 2 tbsp
- Oil for sautéing: 60 ml
- Salt and pepper: to taste
- Refined flour: a little, for cleaning the mushrooms
Method
- Clean the button mushrooms by rubbing them with a little refined flour in a small pan, then rinse under running cold water. Drain and dry on a kitchen napkin.
- Remove the stems, chop them finely and keep aside. Chop all the vegetables.
- Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the ginger-garlic until the raw smell goes. Add the chopped vegetables and shredded spinach and cook.
- Add the rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, plum sauce, breadcrumbs and grated cheese, and mix well.
- Take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool. Make sure the mushroom caps are completely dry.
- Using a teaspoon, fill the caps with the vegetable mix, taking care not to break their sides.
- Top each with cream cheese or grated cheese and bake in a preheated oven until the cheese browns.
Chef’s tip: For the best result, Chef Nandakumar suggests using canned button mushrooms in brine.
Garlic Honey Chilly Prawns
Ingredients
- Prawns, peeled and deveined: 1 kg
- Soy sauce: 1 tsp
- White wine or sherry: 2 tbsp
- Cornflour: 2 tbsp
- Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
- Ginger, peeled and finely chopped: 1 tbsp
- Garlic, chopped: 1 tbsp
- Onions, finely chopped: 2 tbsp
- Celery heart and stalk, chopped: 1 tbsp
- Honey: 1 tbsp
- Red chilli paste: 1 tsp
- Tomato sauce: 1 tbsp
- Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
- Vegetable oil: for frying
- Water or seafood stock: a little
- Spring onion, finely chopped: to garnish
- Chinese rice: to serve 4
Method
- Combine the prawns with the soy sauce, white wine, cornflour and ginger-garlic paste. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok and sauté the chopped ginger and garlic, onions, celery and red chilli paste. Take off the heat and keep aside.
- Take the prawns out of the fridge and dust them with cornflour. Heat oil in a wok and fry the prawns until golden.
- Add the fried prawns to the sautéed mixture with the remaining ingredients, including the honey and tomato sauce, and moisten with a little water or seafood stock. Toss and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onion, with Chinese rice.
Mango Clafoutis
Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a classic French baked dessert from the Limousin region, traditionally made with cherries set in a light, custardy batter.
Chef Nandakumar likes clafoutis because it is resourceful and the result is elegant. The batter is a little like pancake batter, and you can bake it in individual ramekins, a tart mould or any non-stick egg pan. Don’t worry if it falls and subsides after baking. Almost any fruit except citrus works as a filling.
Ingredients
- Sliced mangoes (canned preferred): 400 g
- Butter: 10 g
- Plain flour: 2 tbsp
- Sugar: 100 g
- Vanilla essence: ½ tsp
- Egg yolks: 2
- Egg whites: 2
- Heavy cream: 200 ml
- Slivered almonds, toasted: 50 g
- Strawberry slices and powdered caster sugar: to serve
Method
- Heat the oven to 190°C just before you make the dish.
- Butter a 9-inch baking dish and arrange some of the mango slices over the base, keeping the rest for the top.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, vanilla essence, egg yolks and cream until smooth. Whisk the egg whites separately and fold them in.
- Pour the batter over the fruit, place the remaining slices on top and bake for about 25 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Check with a toothpick.
- The clafoutis should be creamy rather than dry. Serve warm, topped with toasted almonds, strawberry slices and powdered caster sugar.
Recipes Credits
SuperChef Nandakumar
More from the SuperChef series: Restaurant Style Spicy Dragon Fish Recipe | Indo-Chinese Cuisine: Chef Nandakumar (SuperChef Series), Primavera Chicken | SuperChef Nandakumar and Chicken Stuffed Aubergine – A touch of Royal British | SuperChef Nandakumar
Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination.
From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai.
Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef.
And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine.
He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS.
Cheers!
