Marie Rose Cocktail by Carina Contini

Brought up in a Scots-Italian family on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Carina Contini is extremely passionate about food. Along with her husband Victor, Carina runs the multi-award winning Contini Ristorante, Cannonball Restaurant and The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant in Edinburgh. Her first book, Carina Contini’s Kitchen Garden Cookbook, was published in April 2014.

Here, Carina has created a delicious Marie Rose Cocktail – the perfect starter for Christmas Day.

Ingredients:

250ml double cream

300ml homemade mayonnaise

60ml Heinz tomato ketchup

½ tbsp Tabasco sauce

½ tbsp Worcester sauce

juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

splash of brandy

1 tsp cayenne pepper, plus extra, to serve

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500g smoked trout (or frozen prawns if you cant resist)

1 Ogen or Cantaloupe melon, cut into cubes

125g seasonal salad leaves

Method:

1. Whip the cream in a bowl until it forms soft peaks. Set aside.

2. Put the mayonnaise and ketchup in a large glass bowl and use a balloon whisk to mix them together. Add the Tabasco sauce, Worcester sauce, lemon juice, brandy and cayenne pepper, then fold in the whipped cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Flake in the smoked trout or wash, rinse and dry the prawns, if using, and fold them into the mixture. The washing removes the excess fishy water but also removes the salt, so add a tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavour. Fold in the melon.

4. Refrigerate until required. Serve in pretty glasses with teaspoons for a party or in glass bowls. Arrange the salad leaves at the bottom and a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper on the top for an extra kick.

In association with Taste Communications.

www.tastecommunications.co.uk