Peter wrote:

> Zucchini cakes with lemon prawns
>
> Chargrilled Prawns with flavoured butters
>
> Rolled pork loin roast, with rocket, pine nut and fetta stuffing.
>
> Coconut and white chocolate mud cake (which may turn into a dark
> chocolate!!)
>
> Brandy snap baskets with brandy or triple sec flavoured mascarpone and
> topped with fresh mango and raspberries.
>
> Double delight ganache tarts
>
> Mini black forest gateaux
>
>
> Either frozen mango Daiquiri's, or Mai Tai's, or both!!


My household is in a bit of an uproar since we lost a house to wildfire.
We've relocated to a different house, and I _will_ make Christmas dinner for
my husband and friends. I can't bring back the lost lives or the lost
treasures, but this, THIS, I can do:


- Grilled prawns with gooseberry salsa and guacamole

- Cucumber sandwiches with creme fraiche and cold-smoked caviar

- Tomato & zucchini blossom salad with savory vinaigrette

- Radishes with fresh butter, coarse salt, and ground long pepper

- Eggplant Provencal

- Asparagus with Maltaise sauce

- Grilled lobster halves with herbes de Provence and butter

- Grilled lamb-oregano sausages with yogurt-mint dipping sauce

- Cold ham with Parisienne chaud-froid

- Sweetcorn custard in bacon tuiles

- Lemon-mulberry sorbet

- Apricot gateau with rambutans in Tahitian-vanilla syrup and whipped cream

- Macadamia butter cookies

- Buche de Noel of genoise filled with passionfruit curd, covered with white
chocolate ganache, and decorated with starfruit


My husband is much more "English" than I am, and he's putting on his stiff
upper lip. Making a lavish Christmas dinner might seem a bit strange under
the circumstances, but... well, what else am I supposed to do?

Cheerio!