The Bridal Shower

By Rebecca Laffan Leclaire.

Bridal showers are the ultimate girly event. They are the grown up versions of our childhood tea parties, complete with pretty china and sparkly shoes.

Fabulous events, like fabulous outfits, don’t just happen, they require planning; however, it need not be stressful and it need not be difficult. Search bridal showers online and you will get everything from games and decorations to themes and etiquette to, most importantly, food.

Just like our childhood tea party food, bridal shower food should be pretty and dainty, which unfortunately, in the grownup form, can translate into frozen puff pastry and lots of trans fats. While they may be notably absent from the online search results, pretty, healthy, lower calorie and flavourful dishes can always be achieved.

Traditionally, bridal showers are not big parties in terms of the number of guests. This smaller size gives the host the perfect opportunity to play around with some great cocktail food. By this I mean little picky bits and pieces that can be eaten in one bite while maintaining one’s dignity.

If it is your inclination, bridal showers are the time when you can bring out your inner Martha Stewart, to take things up a notch from the typical chips and dip event. Lower in calories and big on flavour – these dishes are the perfect thing to serve with your pretty china and your best sparkly shoes.

Here are a couple of recipes that you might like to try.

Chicken in Cucumber Cups with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise

Makes about 20

Ingredients

200g Skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 red peppers
½ small red chilli, deseeded and chopped
½ clove of garlic, crushed
¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons lite mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lime juice
10 basil leaves, chopped
4 small cucumbers

Method

Roast the red peppers under the griller until the skins are blackened. Put the peppers into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool slightly. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the plastic wrap and gently remove the skins.

Put two of the peppers into a food processer and pulse to a puree. Combine the pureed peppers with the mayonnaise, balsamic, garlic, lime and chilli and mix well. In a food processor, pulse the chicken until it is ground (you can buy pre-ground chicken but it may have a little more fat). In a non stick fry pan, sauté the chicken until it is just beginning to brown.

Remove from the heat and combine with the basil and the roasted pepper mayonnaise. Return to the cleaned food processer and pulse once or twice. Cover the chicken mixture and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours, or overnight.

Cut each cucumber into 5, 1 ¼ centimetre (½ inch) slices and scoop out the seeds in the middle to form a cup. Fill each cup with a little of the chicken mixture. These can be refrigerated for up to an hour, but allow to come to almost room temperature before serving.

White Chocolate Cheesecake Tarts

Makes about 25

Ingredients

 25 mini croustade pastry shells
2 cups (500g) lite cream cheese
1 cup plus 2 tablespoon (175g) white chocolate bits, melted
1/2 pouch (4 grams) gelatine
4 eggs (separated)
2 ½ tablespoons icing sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 ml) lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Method

Combine the gelatine and lemon juice and allow the gelatine to dissolve. Combine the egg yolks, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and mix until smooth.

Add one cup of the melted white chocolate. Wisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.

Put the cheese mixture into the fridge covered by a piece of plastic wrap (lay the plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture to prevent a skin forming) and leave overnight.

Dip the tops of the pastry shells into the remaining white chocolate and allow them to set. Using a piping bag, pipe the cheese filling into the pastry shells, top with chocolate letters.

Tarts can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 hours.

Rebecca Laffan Leclaire is a food lover and cookery writer.  She is the creator of Simple Or Sensational – recipes done two ways.