Berry Tart with Lime Mascarpone. Serves 8
For the base
300g good-quality
chocolate chip cookies
100g butter
For the filling
3 gelatine sheets
400g-500g mascarpone cheese
60ml lime juice (about two limes)
Zest of two limes
6-8 tbsp caster sugar
100ml double cream,lightly whipped
For the decoration
500g strawberries, hulled
150g blackberries
150g raspberries
100g blueberries
100g redcurrants
Icing sugar for dusting
For the base
1 Place the cookies into a food processor and
whizz into a fine crumble.
2 Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add to
the cookie mix; add a pinch of salt.
3 Place a large sheet of clingfilm across a 21cm
x 30cm rectangular tart tin or quiche tin and spread the cookie
mixture over it. Press the mixture into the tin with your fingers
and
refrigerate for about an hour.
For the filling
1 Soak the gelatine sheets in water for about 10
minutes, then remove the excess water. Place the
gelatine in a small saucepan and add 30ml water. Heat until
dissolved and then leave it to cool
down to room temperature.
2 Place the mascarpone in a large mixing bowl.
Add the lime juice, zest, sugar and cream, and
mix thoroughly. Check the flavour and add more sugar or lime juice
if necessary. Pour into the
cooled gelatine and mix well. Spread the mixture onto the cookie
base and refrigerate for an hour.
For the decoration
1 Decorate the top of the tart with the
berries.
2 Refrigerate for at least two more hours -
preferably overnight.
3 Sprinkle icing sugar over the tart before
serving.
Roasted Indian-Spiced Poussin with Blackberry Chutney.
Serves 4
For the chutney
4 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 star anise
200g shallots, chopped
20g chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
30g ginger, julienned
40g dried chopped mangoes
60g dried sour cherries
150g caster sugar
200ml cider vinegar
450g blackberries
For the marinade
160g shallots, chopped
40g ginger, roughly chopped
20g chilli, roughly chopped
40g garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp coconut cream
2 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp cumin powder
4 poussins
16-20 blackberries
For the chutney
1 Slowly toast the spices for about 10 minutes in
a small frying pan, over a low heat.
2 In a saucepan, bring to the boil the shallots,
chillies, ginger, mangoes, cherries, sugar,
200ml water and vinegar. Add the toasted spices. Simmer over a low
heat until the mixture is reduced by half.
3 Add the blackberries and turn up to a high
heat. Once the sauce has boiled, simmer again,
stirring occasionally for an hour until it reduces to
approximately 600ml.
4 Season to taste. The chutney may be very sweet
and tart; once cooled, the flavour will settle. Refrigerate the
chutney in a sterilised jar.
For the marinade
1 Blend all the marinade ingredients in a food
processor. Place the poussins in a plastic bag
with the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2 Preheat oven to 200˚C/400˚F/Gas 6. Sprinkle the
poussins with olive oil and roast on a baking
tray for 25 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce the heat to
180˚C/350˚F/Gas 4 and cook for 1 hour.
3 Allow the poussins to rest for 10 minutes.
Drain the cooking juices from the tray and
reduce in a frying pan. Add 200ml water and stir. Once boiled, add
8 tbsp of the chutney and
the fresh blackberries, then reduce as necessary.
4 Serve with almond rice and poppadoms.
French Toast and Summer Compote. Serves 4
For the compote
100ml orange juice (about half an orange)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
300g strawberries, hulled and diced
100g raspberries
100g blackberries
For the French toast
350ml milk
6 eggs
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 medium white sandwich loaf with crusts removed and cut into
3.5cm-thick slices (each slice should be approx. 10cm x 10cm)
30g butter
30ml vegetable oil
Icing sugar for dusting
For the compote
1 Place the orange juice and sugar in a small
saucepan over a medium heat until the liquid just
reaches boiling point.
2 Add the fruit and cook until it is tender, but
not mushy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the French toast
1 Whisk the milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla essence
together, and pass the mixture through a sieve.
2 Pour the mixture into a large plastic container
or tray and place the bread slices in it. Cover it
with clingfilm and let the slices soak for 12 hours in the fridge
before turning them over carefully
with a fish slice and continuing to soak for another 12 hours. You
can reduce the soaking to a minimum of two hours for each side,
although leaving them longer makes the bread fluffier and smoother
when cooked.
3 Preheat the oven to 170˚C/325˚F/Gas 3. Using a
large frying pan, melt the butter and vegetable oil over a low heat
and transfer the bread slices to the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes on
each side, until they are golden brown. Move the pan into
the oven and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. The slices
rise and become nicely golden when cooked.
4 Serve warm with a generous amount of icing
sugar and compote.
Pancakes with Balsamic Blueberry Sauce and Raspberry Ice
Cream. Serves 4
For the sauce
100g caster sugar
1 star anise
50ml balsamic vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
225g blueberries
For the pancakes
125g plain flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp caster sugar
300ml milk
30g melted butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the ice cream*
450g raspberries
220g caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence
470ml double cream
170ml milk
* Home ice-cream maker
required
For the pancakes
1 In a bowl, mix the flour with a pinch of salt;
mix the remaining ingredients in another bowl.
2 Whisk all the ingredients together until
smooth.
3 Heat a little of the vegetable oil in a frying
pan. Using a ladle, cover the base in a thin layer of
batter. Reduce to a low heat and cook until the edges of the
pancake are golden brown. Flip the pancake over and cook for 1
minute longer.
For the sauce
Place the sugar, star anise and balsamic vinegar in a small
saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the lemon zest and blueberries.
Stir, then set aside.
For the ice cream
1 Bring the raspberries and 150g sugar to the
boil in a small saucepan, then simmer to reduce the liquid. Strain
to create a purée, and cool.
2 Whisk together the yolks and 70g of sugar until
the sugar is dissolved, then add the vanilla essence.
3 Heat 170ml of double cream and the milk in a
pan until almost boiling. Slowly combine it with the egg mixture,
whisking all the time to make a custard.
4 Bring the mixture back to the boil, until
thickened.
5 Whip the remaining cream, then add the custard
and purée. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and follow
the manufacturer's instructions.
6 Serve the pancakes with the ice cream and
sauce.