Smoked Salmon and Dill Pikelets

Smoked salmon, fresh dill, and a delicious sour cream mixture served on small, bite size pikelets, this was maximum impact for minimum effort. I cheated and bought the mini pikelets from Coles, but of course with more time you can easily make them yourself, but honestly for $3.00 a packet why would you bother. These were a real hit as a Christmas entree. However, they would serve up beautifully and hold their own at any dinner or cocktail party.

My apologies there is no photo of these little beauties as they disappeared  before my eyes, as did the second batch. When life settles down after Christmas/New Year I will make some more and add a photo.

Ingredients:

300g (1 1/4 cups) sour cream (reduced fat if you prefer)
1 tbs Wholegrain Mustard
2 tbs finely chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped dill
2 tsp lemon juice
2 x 140g pkts Coles Golden Pikelet Bites
200g smoked salmon
Dill sprigs, to serve

1. Combine the sour cream, mustard, dill, chives, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Spoon a little of the sour cream mixture onto each pikelet and top with some of the smoked salmon and a sprig of dill. Season with freshly ground black pepper and arrange on a serving platter embellished with extra Dill sprigs.

Christmas Seafood in the Tropics and a Seafood Sauce Recipe

Golden Cassia fistula trees flowering in Cairns late December.
Common name: Cascara, Golden shower, Indian Laburnum

My early morning walk along the golden path in Freshwater, Cairns, Far North Queensland

This year Christmas was in warm tropical Cairns in Far North Queensland, so a departure from the traditional style Christmas lunch was inevitable. Fresh seafood which is so plentiful and locally caught was the obvious choice. 

Christmas fruit cakes

7.      

The cakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Suitable to freeze. Decorate cakes with ribbons if preparing for gifts.

Basil Pesto with Semi Sundried Tomatoes

With the festive season upon us, Christmas drinks accompanied by fine cheeses and other accompaniments will be more popular than ever. A tasty and healthy pesto adds variety to the standard cheese platter and is so easy and economical to make, especially if you grow your own herbs.