Nothing more rewarding after a busy week at work than cooking some delicious food and enjoying it in good company. Sandrine and I asked my parents over for dinner at the start of their long-awaited holiday. In stead of going for a traditional two course meal we decided to just serve some home made appetizers with a glass of champagne, before having the main course.

APPETIZERS:

- olives and feta cheese
- bruschettas with fresh tomato salsa
- mini North Sea shrimp cocktails
- mini quiches à la Sandrine, with Belgian endive and goat cheese
- blood sausage with caramelized apple (see also Bloody Sausages and More Bloody Sausages)

MAIN COURSE:

Guilt-head sea bream à la Bart

Guilt-Head Sea Bream Ingredients (serves four): 2 fresh sea breams (gutted and descaled), 1 lemon, lots of dill (on this occasion I used both fresh and dried dill), white pepper, coriander seed, sea salt (preferably course), olive oil, butter

Make two incisions on each side of the fish, rub in some olive oil and stuff the fish cavity with a mixture of dill, pepper, coriander, salt and the juice of half a lemon. You could also add a few slices of garlic. Place the fish in an oven tray with the rest of the lemon cut up. Add enough butter and season with more dill, pepper and salt. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 °C (about 400 °F). Sprinkle with fresh dill sprigs and serve with bread, parsley potatoes, steamed broccoli and young carrots.

We drank a white 2004 Crozes-Hermitage AOC (France) with it. Bull’s-eye! They loved it. The perfect way to start your vacation. Bon appétit!