It´s my party....

Polenta with fig and caramelised onion jam and goats cheese

 “There are certain shades of limelight that can wreck a girl's complexion.”- be warned.....

Breakfast at Tiffanys or Cocktails at home.You don´t have to be Holly Golightly but it´s your party so you must enjoy yourself. Forget fiddly finicky food and go for anything that can be prepared with very little effort, preferably in advance, and replenished with ease. Puttting  out dishes of food that can be assembled by your guests is always a good wheeze. Polenta is always a good bet as it can be prepared well in advance, taken from the fridge, warmed through and then topped with with various chutneys, relishes and marmalades and finished off with fresh or melted goats cheese, pequillo peppers or such like. Dips are simple to prepare and even easier to serve. Place trays wherever guests are likely to linger. These can be as exotic or as simple as you want them to be and if you make sufficiently large quantities there will always be plentiful refills for the stragglers like Ginny Comelately.You don´t want to be the one in the kitchen garnishing canapés or assembling fiddly hors  d´ oeuvres when everyone else is having fun sharing the hot gossip and relishing another reputation gone.....

It is of course quite normal to be getting yourself into a bit of a pickle this time of year, so pickle yourself pink with a relish you will soon realise, you cant do without this season of entertaining.

Red onion marmalade with thyme

It looks a lot like Christmas it tastes a lot like Christmas.It smells a lot like Christmas and its even the colour of Christmas.A great accompaniment to roast beef and many a cold cut the day after, and the days after that.

350g (12 oz)red onions very finely chopped
25g (1/2 oz ) butter

1Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1cup (250ml) red wine vinegar

1/2 cup golden granulated sugar
Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan.Stir in the chopped onions and thyme.Allow them to soften on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.Add the vinegar and sugar.Bring to the boil then turn the heat down to lowest.Cook Slowly uncovered for 50 minutes  to 1 hour.