June
Chicken-Stuffed Romero Peppers
Chop the meat from 4 Free Range Chicken Thighs and
blend this with 300g White Bread (crusts removed) ,
50g Parsley Leaves, 50g Basil Leaves, 25g
Chives, Salt, Pepper and 8 tbs good Olive
Oil in a food processor. Cut 4 Romero Peppers in
half lengthways and remove the seeds and pith (leave the stems
attached). Fill the Pepper halves equally with the
stuffing and bake on a flat tray in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle 100g grated Parmesan over the Peppers
so that each is equally covered. Return to the oven for 5-7
minutes, or until the topping begins to brown and the Peppers
are soft. Serve with a fresh Roquette salad and steamed
and buttered New Potatoes.
Gooseberry Curd
Top and tail 1kg Gooseberries
and place a large stainless steel pan with 60m Water.
Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes,
until the fruit is very soft. Remove from the heat and push
the Gooseberries through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
Put another heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and
melt 70g Butter. Beat 4 Eggs lightly and stir
into the bowl with 500g Sugar and the Gooseberry
puree. Cook the mixture over the water, stirring frequently,
for 25 to 30 minutes or until it thickens. Remove from the
heat and pour the hot curd into clean, dry, warm, sterilized
jars. Seal and cover.
Two things to do with Lemons
Moroccan-Style Preserved Lemons:
Scrub Lemons in hot, Salted water to remove
wax. Cut into quarters lengthwise.and coat well with coarse
Sea Salt. Pack tightly together in a large jar, adding
more Salt between layers. Press the Lemons down
firmly and top up the jar with fresh Lemon Juice, making
sure all the fruit is covered. Seal the container and leave
in a cool place for at least two weeks. Take out the Lemons
as required, slice finely and add sparingly to cous-cous,
salads, olives or use to accompany spicy meat dishes.
Candied Lemon Peel:
Much better than shop-bought. Cut 10 small Lemons into
discs and trim out the flesh from the inside of the wheels
(use elsewhere). Cover the peel rings in cold Water,
bring to the boil and drain. Repeat this process twice more.
Then simmer peels in water containing a pinch of Bicarbonate
of Soda until tender. Make a syrup from 175g Sugar,
I large tablespoon Golden Syrup and 100ml Water.
Simmer the drained peels in this until the syrup has all been
absorbed. Drain the peels, dredge in Castor Sugar and
place on a wire rack in a warm dry place overnight. Pack in
a jar between layers of greaseproof paper and seal until ready
for use.
Summer
Berry Meringues with Mint and Raspberry Coulis.
Whisk 6 large
Egg Whites on a low speed until foamy. Switch the speed
to medium and carry on whisking for another minute. Finally,
switch to high and continue until the stiff-peak stage is
reached. Next, whisk in 330g of warmed Caster Sugar and
the paste from a Vanilla Pod on fast speed, add the
Sugar little at a time, until you have a stiff and glossy
mixture. Pipe small flat ‘nests of this meringue mixture
on to a prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Use the
back of the spoon to hollow out the centres. Don't worry if
they are not all the same shape. Place on the middle shelf
of a medium hot oven, immediately reduce the heat to gas mark
1(140°C) and leave them for 30 minutes. Turn the oven
off and leave to dry out overnight.
To finish, whisk together a kilo mixture of Raspberries,
Strawberries and Redcurrants with 500g of sweetened Marscapone
and spoon into each shell. Finish with Fresh Berries
dusted with Icing Sugar and a sauce made with puréed
Fresh Raspberries and Mint sweetened with Icing
Sugar.
Gazpacho
Andaluze
Liquidise
500g of ripe Vine Tomatoes, a
sliced Banana Shallot, a chopped
clove of Garlic, half a cleaned and chopped
Red Chilli, two, cored and de-seeded
Romero Peppers, half a peeled,
de-seeded Cucumber, a slice of White Bread a
little White Wine Vinegar, and a handful
of crushed Ice. Blend until smooth and well
combined, then whisk in 1 tablespoon of Mayonnaise
and the same of Tomato Ketchup.
Season with Salt and Cumin
Powder. To serve, pour into individual bowls and
garnish with Chopped Chilli, Romero
Pepper and a drizzle of Olive
Oil. You could finish with some Crispy
Croutons dusted with Cumin Powder.
This recipe also works well with a chunky dice or ‘Brunoise’
as a sauce for Fish and Shellfish.
Homemade Raspberry Ice cream
I think
Raspberries make the best instant ice cream - smooth,
rich and velvety. However, this recipe works very well with
Blackcurrants, if you prefer. Or you could try Strawberries,
or Peaches. Whatever fruit you use, this ice-cream
should be eaten within three days of making as it will begin
to form large ice crystals which will detract from the wonderfully
smooth texture. Whizz 500g of Freshly Frozen Raspberries
(straight from the freezer), 200g of Icing Sugar, and
a couple of Mint Leaves in a blender until smooth.
Then add 300ml of chilled Double Cream in one go. The
frozen fruit will almost instantly freeze and set the 'Ice
cream'. Place into a lidded container and store in the
freezer. This technique is great if you don't have an ice-cream
machine. Try also Blackcurrant Ice-cream with Poached
Peaches and Lime Syrup or serve a Gooseberry
Ice Cream with Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble.
Red Pepper and Basil Tart
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark
5/l90°C/fan oven I70°C and line the base and sides
of a 20 cm (8 inch) fluted loose bottomed flan tin with Short
Crust Pastry, rest and bake blind. De-seed, halve and
grill 4 Red Peppers under a high heat, skin side up,
until the skins blacken and blister, peel off the skins and
roughly chop the flesh. Place the Peppers, 500g of
Full Fat Cream Cheese, 3 eggs, a little torn
Basil into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Remove the pastry flan case from the oven and spoon in the
Pepper and Cheese mixture. Return the Tart to
the oven for 20 minutes, until the filling has set and is
firm to the touch. Cool before slicing to serve with a roasted
Red Pepper and Rocket salad tossed with Lemon
Juice and Olive Oil.
English Strawberries 'Romanoff'
with Grilled Brioche.
The Strawberry
season proper is upon us (see JUST IN). So here's a
simple classic dessert… with an alcoholic twist. You
can use ready-made Brioche. Sprinkle a kilo of Strawberries
with 120g Caster Sugar and 130ml of Cointreau.
Chill for an hour or so. Beat 500ml of Ice Cream (remove
from freezer 15mins before use) with a wooden spoon, Fold
in 500ml of semi-whipped Double Cream, the zest and
juice of 1 Lemon add a further 70ml Cointreau
and blend gently with the Strawberry mixture.
Spoon the creamy mixture over a freshly grilled slice of Brioche),
dust with Icing Sugar and serve.
Gazpacho Andaluze
There are some beautiful Vine Tomatoes and
Romero Peppers available at the moment, with real summer aroma.
So this week I've chosen a recipe for a Gazpacho that I've
been using for years. It's a family recipe, given to me by
my first Larder Chef, who hailed from the Andalucian region.
Enjoy!
Place 500g of ripe Vine Tomatoes,
a sliced Banana Shallot, a chopped clove of Garlic, half a
cleaned and chopped Red Chilli, one and a half cored and de-seeded
Romero Peppers, half a peeled, de-seeded Cucumber, a slice
of White Bread a little White Wine Vinegar, and a handful
of crushed Ice into a liquidiser. Blend until smooth and well
combined, then whisk in 1 tbs Mayonnaise and the same of Tomato
Ketchup. Season with Salt and Cumin Powder .To serve pour
into individual bowls and garnish with Chopped Chilli, Romero
Pepper and a drizzle of Olive Oil. You could finish with some
Crispy Croutons dusted with Cumin Powder.
Crispy-topped Round Courgettes
Stuffed -
with Creamed Shi-itake Mushrooms
We have some great looking stripy Round
Courgettes this week.. Serve one as a starter, two as a vegetarian
main course.
.
Wash and slice off the stalk end of the courgettes. Discard
the seeds and spongy middle and arrange the Courgettes into
an ovenproof dish. Season well, and sprinkle with Olive Oil
and a little Rosemary. Lightly colour and soften in a hot
oven.
For the Stuffing, gently cook a couple of
chopped Shallots in Butter add some ripped Shi-itake Mushrooms,
a Slice of Garlic and some Double Cream. Simmer the mixture
until it thickens and spoon into the lightly roasted Courgettes..
In a separate pan, warm a little Olive
Oil. Add 1 tsp chopped Garlic and 1tsp of Dijon Mustard. Shake
in enough Fresh White Breadcrumbs to bind everything together,
a handful of chopped Chives and top each stuffed Courgette
with this mixture. Bake for 20 minutes to give a super crispy,
savoury crumble topping .
Strawberries
Romanoff with Grilled Brioche.
The Strawberry season proper is upon us
(see JUST IN). So here's a simple classic dessert… with
an alcoholic twist.
You can use ready-made Brioche but I'd be
happy to pass on my Raisin Brioche recipe if you prefer the
'from scratch' approach. Call me on 0208 558 9708.
Cover 1kg of Strawberries with 120g Caster
Sugar and 130ml of Cointreau. And chill for an hour.
Beat 500ml of Ice Cream (remove from freezer
15mins before use) with a wooden spoon, Fold in 500ml of semi-whipped
Double Cream, the zest and juice of 1 Lemon and a further
70ml Cointreau and blend gently with the Strawberry Mixture.
Spoon the creamy mixture over a freshly
grilled slice of Brioche) dust with Icing Sugar and serve.
.
Lavender Cheesecake
Infuse 1 tbs Dried Lavender in 3 tbs boiling
Water for 15 minutes. Beat together ¾ cup Honey and
1 cup Cream Cheese. Add strained infusion, then whip 1 ¼
cups of Double Cream and fold into the mixture. Pour onto
a Biscuit Crumb and Butter base and chill. Serve with a Blackberry
or Cherry Coulis or
dark Chocolate Sauce.
Gooseberry Meringue Pie
Cook 500g Gooseberries in 150ml Water until
tender. Mix 250g Sugar, 30g Flour and 2 Egg Yolks and a pinch
of Salt and stir in the cooled gooseberry mixture. Heat gently
to thicken. Cool; pour into a baked 20cm pastry shell. Top
with meringue made from 2 Eggwhites and 4 tbs Sugar. Bake
in 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve when just warm.
Hand Made Instant Blackcurrant Ice-cream
I think Blackcurrants make the best
instant ice-cream - smooth, rich and velvety. However, this
same recipe works very well with Raspberries, if you prefer.
Or you could try Gooseberries, or Peaches. Whatever fruit
you use, this ice-cream should be eaten within three days
of making as it will begin to form large ice crystals which
detract from the wonderfully smooth texture.
Whizz 500g of Frozen Blackcurrants (straight
from the freezer), 200g of Icing Sugar, and a couple of Mint
Leaves in a blender until smooth. Then add 300ml of chilled
Double Cream in one go. The frozen fruit will almost instantly
freeze and set the ice-cream.
Place into a lidded container and store
in the freezer. This technique is great if you don't have
an ice-cream machine. Try also Raspberry ice-cream with Poached
Peaches and Lime Syrup or serve Gooseberry Ice Cream with
Rhubarb Crumble.
Go Potty With Borlotti
Pink-skinned, purple-marbled Borlotti Beans
(Phaseolus Vulgaris) are extremely beautiful raw. But Borlotis
(AKA Cranberry, Crab Eye, Roman, Romano, Rosecoco or Saluggia
Beans).are related to the Kidney Bean, and are poisonous unless
thoroughly cooked. They are, however deliciously creamy in
casseroles and soups and retain a gorgeous pink hue.
Borlotti and Escarole Soup:
Sweat 1 cup each chopped Onion and Leek, and 1 tbs minced
Garlic in 1 tbs Olive Oil until soft. Add 7 cups Chicken Stock,
1 cup cooked Borlotti, 1 Bayleaf, a sprig of Thyme and Flat
Parsley, and some Parmesan Rind. Bring to a boil, reduce heat,
and simmer for 10 minutes. Slice 1 head Escarole (or a mix
of Frisee and Chicory) crosswise in half-inch strips. Simmer
until tender. Remove Herbs and Rind. Add Salt and Pepper to
taste. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan Cheese and a
little freshly chopped Flat Parsley.
Serves 4-6.
