I will admit I had some mild concerns going into this week - simply due to a rather irritating condition which has left me without the ability to chew food (temporarily). And to add to that - being on a variety of pain medication that has left me drained and basically useless for much more than staring, slack-jawed at a screen and occassionally nodding or grunting in agreement with people so as to look like I'm actually being productive. So.....naturally, a little apprehensive about how Challenge Night was going to go. Although this week Dear Housemate came to the rescue!
We had Dear Housemate's parents over for this week, and I always love having them around. Aside from the fact that Dear Housemate and I have known each other for so long that we're basically family and tend to refer to each other's families as a second set to our own, they're just good people and they make for great company. So we were delighted to have them around. That, and they appreciate a good meal!!
The soup was super easy, and after a few quick calculations it appears that it is fairly light on calories also - win! It was so tasty too - even those at the table who are not fond of tomatoes enjoyed the soup immensley. I decided to do the croutons a little differently to Jamie's instructions though, I just chopped up the bread so that they were roughly 3cmx3cm cubes. Because they're in the bottom of the bowl they soak up all the soup and turn into these lovely mushy bready bits that get stirred into the mixture. It was heavenly - and I could even eat it without having to chew!
The veg and guacamole was interesting - it is a pretty standard guacamole recipe with a couple of extra bits thrown in. I personally am not a fan of coriander (ok, I lie....I loathe and despise it just as much as I do parsley. I hate it. I want it all to go away and never come back!!!) but the guacamole seemed to work okay with it (although it was a smaller portion of coriander than was recommended). I sadly forgot to buy limes and I feel like this was a fatal error - lime juice would have made that guacamole amazing. So if I can recommend one thing here, it would be 'do not forget the limes'! Oh and I'm not sure that fennel was a great choice for dipping into the guacamole....but to each their own.
The dessert was heavenly. Dear housemate was in charge of the dessert this time and did a fabulous job. And, I got to whip out the teacups again and use them for a cool presentation. (I love knowing that splurging on a stash of teacups for a Mad Hatter's Tea Party a few years ago wasn't a total waste of money!). It was easy to make and put together (or at least, I heard minimal complaining or sighing during the construction process) and then it was up to the microwave to do the hard work. They looked delicious and, as with most of Jamie's desserts, they were the right size to fill you up but not make you sick, and they tasted just as good as they looked!
I know this meal is going to make a comeback - it was easy (yay!), cheaper than most weeks (double yay!), relatively low calorie (triple! triple yay!!) and I honestly can't say a bad word about it. I can't wait to hook into that lovely soup again when the weather cools off a bit, and I know the next time I need an easy dinner party dessert I can just make a double batch of the puddings and we'll be set.
But honestly, the best part about this week? No leftovers. The soup was the perfect amount for four people, the puddings fit perfectly into four standard teacups, the veg is so easily picked at that you can literally see it disappearing before your eyes.... I love it when things just work out perfectly!
Next week we take on a curry. This should be interesting as I have made no secret of the fact that I do not like curry, and in fact go out of my way to avoid it. I don't know if that will change when it is being whipped up in my own kitchen.... but I guess we'll find out next week!!
Until then - Bon Appetit!
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