Friendship - Gently Poached

Last night we were paid a visit from yet another long lost friend that we had not seen or heard from in over three years. An ex-housemate of my husband (who incidentally also won our inaugural, unofficial, "housemate of the decade" award), she recently emerged from a relationship with a man who tried to isolate her from her friends and family. She cooked and cleaned up after him and his two children, happily did school and sports runs, worked hard at making their house a happy home - all while running her own full time business - yet he did little but bully, criticise and sulk. The final straw for our beautiful friend was a suspected affair on the eve of her wedding; she packed up her clothes and walked away with practically nothing.

This blog is dedicated to her strength and courage. Love and loss. And new beginnings.

We served:

• Cheese platter with goat's brie, quince paste, sourdough, olive oil/balsamic, grapes, and rosemary crackers (pictured)


• Gently poached/steamed salmon in a mix of ginger, spring onions, soy, sesame oil, garlic and brown sugar (one dessert spoon of each + extra soy), served over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes (8 steamed peeled potatoes, mashed with 2 tbs butter and whipped with enough cream for a soft consistency) + steamed asparagus (raw sliced spring onions sprinkled over at the end), sprinkled with lemon juice


• White peach and macadamia crumble - Tim's family's orchard peaches chopped and layered in a baking dish, sprinkled with a mix of (2 tbs each): plain flour, chopped butter, brown sugar, quinoa flakes/oats, chopped macadamias, shredded coconut - then baked in the oven til golden brown.