KEY POINTS:
After gorging yourself at Christmas, Alan Brown suggests light courses, festive cocktails, and fruit desserts to see the new year in.
In his recipe the smoky flavour of the prawns is softened by a cauliflower topping. For more flavour, puree roasted capsicum and smoked paprika into a mayonnaise as a topping.
"It's a tasty, light dish which can be prepared in advance," Brown says. "The prawns can easily be replaced by salmon or scallops."
Make a smoker with a roasting pan, cake rack and a lid. Add cinnamon and lemon zest to the woodchips and smoke for about five minutes.
To wash it down Brown recommends a Sauvignon Semillion or a Pinot Gris. Alternatively you could have a classical cocktail, the Kier Royale, by adding cassis (blackcurrant) to champagne.
For dessert, summer berries add colour and a healthy option to your meal.
"You're probably still full from Christmas so serve plated fruit, sliced or marinated, with sorbet or parfait. And don't serve anything hot."
INGREDIENTS
* Handful of prawns
* 4 cups water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup sea salt
* 1 potato, grated
* 1 kumara
* 1 egg
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
* 1 tbsp flour
* Salt and pepper
1 Make a brine for the prawns by boiling the water, sugar, and sea salt. If you want, add flavouring - cloves, peppercorns, dried chilli, or allspice berries. simmer for 10 minutes.
2 Soak prawns in the brine for 20 minutes.
3 Remove and wash under cold water. Dry.
4 Smoke prawns with wood chip until cooked through.
5 To make the lalkes mix the potato, kumara, egg, onion, coriander, flour, and seasoning.
6 Make spoonful-sized fritters in hot oil, turning once, until cooked. Drain.
7 Blanch half a cauliflower in boiling water. Sweat in butter until tender.
8 Add a little milk and cream, before pureeing in a food processor.
Alan Brown is a senior cookery lecturer at the AUT.