This Spring/Summer, Le Creuset is urging you to make the most of the long days and warm evenings by embracing Nature’s Kitchen. Starting in Spring, the first part of the campaign encouraged cooks to look to own grown or locally sourced produce for a fresh abundance of delicious, natural ingredients used in new, specially developed recipes.
As we head into high summer, Le Creuset is moving al fresco to revel in the pleasures of dining with friends and family in the great outdoors. From summer grilling on the beach or beside a lake on your family staycation, Le Creuset offers up another selection of mouth-watering, fresh and deceptively simple recipes to spice up your summer menu.
Corriander, Lime & Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a snackPreparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
INGREDIENTS
750g shrimps, peeled, deveined, and divided into bite-sized pieces
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 tsp grated lime zest
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
Optionally some cayenne pepper
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
AVOCADO CREAM:
1 ripe avocado
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
150g cream or sour cream
TO SERVE:
8 small tortillas in taco size
Oil
Old Cotija cheese, Parmesan cheese or feta cheese
Optionally spicy sauce
Red cabbage, finely grated
Mango salsa, see recipe
METHOD- Put the shrimps, garlic, lime zest, chilli powder, cumin, salt black pepper, paprika, oregano and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix together. Leave to rest for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the avocado cream.
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Remove the flesh with a spoon and put into a bowl. Peel the garlic and chop finely. Puree the avocados, garlic, mayonnaise, lime juice and salt with a blender or mash with a fork. Stir in the cream or sour cream.
- Place the Toughened Non-Stick 28cm deep frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and fry the shrimp for a few minutes on each side until they are still tender but well done.
- Drizzle with the lime juice and sprinkle with coriander.
- Brush the tortillas with a little oil on each side. Individually fry them in the pan for half a minute on each side. Place them over a rolling pin and shape them into a taco. To fill the tacos place them side by side in a dish like a Le Creuset 3-ply Stainless Steel square roaster so that they hold each other up and do not fall over. Fill them with the coriander-lime prawns, mango salsa, grated red cabbage and cheese. Serve the avocado cream separately.
Mellow Confit Garlic Frittata with Gremolata
Serving 4Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
3 whole garlic bulbs
750ml olive oil
500g new potatoes
200g baby spinach
6 eggs, lightly beaten
A large bunch of parsley
Red chilli
Zest of 1 lemon
A pinch of salt
METHODOven temperature, 200°C/180°C fan, gas mark 6.
- To make the confit garlic, separate 3 bulbs of garlic into individual cloves, leaving the papery skin on. Put them in a small pan with the oil over the lowest heat possible. Allow them to cook very gently for an hour, making sure the oil doesn’t get too hot. If you are concerned about the oil becoming too hot, you can turn the heat off every now and again.
- After an hour take the pan off the heat, allow to cool completely and pour the contents into a clean jar.
- To make the frittata, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan, gas mark 6. Add the potatoes to the Le Creuset 26cm cast iron frying pan with 2 tbsp of the garlic oil, turning the potatoes over so they are all glistening.
- Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel 10 cloves of confit garlic from their papery skins.
- Once the potatoes are golden, remove them from the oven (without switching it off) and give them a good shake, loosening any that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Put the frying pan back on a medium heat (use an oven glove or handle glove to hold the handle – it will be very hot), and add the spinach, tossing it until it has begun to soften.
- Scatter over the garlic cloves.
- Add the beaten egg, pouring it evenly around the pan and stirring gently to coat the spinach and potatoes. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes then transfer to the oven to cook until the frittata has just set, but still has a little wobble.
- In the meantime, quickly make the gremolata. Finely chop the parsley and red chilli together, add the lemon zest and a good pinch of salt.
- Serve the frittata in generous slices with the gremolata for spooning over.
Lamb Chops with Peppermint
Serves 4Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes (plus 60 minutes of marinating time)
Difficulty: Easy
INGREDIENTS
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 sprigs of peppermint, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tbsp olive oil
8 lamb chops (100 g each)
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
OTHER: Extra peppermint leaves to serve
METHOD- Add the zest and juice of lemon, mint, garlic and 3 tbsp olive oil to a bowl and mix well.
- Coat the lamb chops with half of the marinade and put the rest aside. Cover the chops and marinate them in the fridge for an hour.
- Once marinated, remove from the fridge and dab off the marinade with kitchen towel.
- Preheat the Le Creuset Cast Iron grillit® by placing it over a medium heat and then add the oil. Put the lamb chops onto the grill (you will need to do this in batches) and cook for 3 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 3 minutes. Put the lamb chops onto a tray and put into a warm over to keep warm while you cook the remaining chops.
- Once ready to serve, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining marinade over.
Fig, Thyme & Goat's Cheese Galette
Serving 4-6Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes (plus cooling time)
25g hazelnuts
225g white spelt flour or plain flour, plus extra for dusting
125g very cold unsalted butter or vegan unsalted butter, cubed
FOR THE FILLING300g soft goat’s cheese or vegan soft cheese
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
a small bunch of thyme or oregano, leaves picked
3 tablespoons capers
a small bunch of parsley, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
the juice and zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
extra virgin olive oil
8 figs, sliced
1 organic egg, beaten, or a splash of plant milk
50g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
TO SERVELemon-dressed salad leaves
METHOD- First, make the pastry. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor and blitz until you have fine crumbs; be careful not to overdo it, as they will turn into a nut butter.
- Add the flour and half a teaspoon of flaky sea salt, then pulse a few times so everything is evenly mixed.
- Now add the butter and pulse again until it looks like breadcrumbs.
- Then, with the motor running, add 2–3 tablespoons of ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time until it comes together to form a ball of dough.
- Remove the dough from the processor, flatten into a rough disc, then wrap in a clean tea towel or baking paper and place in the fridge to chill for half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/220°C fan/gas 6.
- Using the same food processor, add the goat’s cheese, honey, the leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme or oregano, capers, parsley lemon juice and zest. Season with some black pepper and blitz for a few seconds until creamy and flecked with herbs and capers.
- Grease your Le Creuset fluted flan dish with a little butter or vegan butter.
- Once the pastry has chilled, remove from the fridge and roll out the pastry onto a floured surface to about 30cm round and 1cm thick, turning it as you roll to make sure it stays circular. Roll it up onto the rolling pin and carefully transfer to the fluted flan dish, allowing any excess pastry to hang over the edge.
- Spread the goat’s cheese mixture onto the base of the pastry. Top with the figs, being generous as they’ll shrink in the oven slightly.
- Next, fold the edges of the pastry over the figs to hold them in, brush the edges with the beaten egg or plant milk, then season all over with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes until golden, scattering over the 50g of chopped hazelnuts for the last 5 minutes to toast.
- Cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, then top with the remaining thyme or oregano leaves.
- Serve with lemon-dressed leaves.
Summer Grilling
Whether in the garden, park or beside the cooling breeze of the beach, the arrival of summer ushers us outdoors with the barbecue to enjoy the smoky taste of gently charred food. With Le Creuset’s signature Cast Iron Grill, you can cook with a precise even heat on the barbecue or recreate that authentic barbecue flavour on a gas or induction hob. Here’s three ingredients to try this summer:
Surf and Turf Summer Mixed Grill
Surf and turf literally means food from the land and the sea, invariably steak and lobster, prawns or shrimps, which are traditionally griddled or barbecued and served together. Some ember-roasted potatoes and a green mixed salad would be the perfect accompaniment.
Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as part of a picnic
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
- 1 corn on the cob, cut across into 4 thick slices
- 2 small, uncooked lobster tails
- 12 large raw peeled prawns
- 2 small vine tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons cooking olive oil or rapeseed oil
- Juice ½ un-waxed lemon (approximately 1 ½ tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 large un-waxed lemon, cut into chunky quarters
- 2 x 150g pieces fillet steak
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
For the herb and garlic butter
- 25g butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon chopped parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon chopped chives
- 1 fat garlic clove, very finely chopped
METHOD
- Drop the pieces of sweetcorn into a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain well and set aside.
- Cut the lobster tails in half lengthways and pull out and discard the dark grey thread running along its length. Put the lobster, prawns, sweetcorn pieces, tomato halves, olive oil, lemon juice, half of the thyme and some freshly ground black pepper into a mixing bowl and toss together well. Rub either side of each piece of steak with a little more oil, sprinkle with the remaining thyme and season with pepper.
- Put the ingredients for the herb butter into a small pan and melt together over a low heat. Set to one side.
- Heat the dry grill pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until hot. Add the pieces of lemon, flesh side down and chargrill for 1 minute on each cut side until marked with the lines of the grill. Remove to a small plate.
- Add the pieces of steak to the grill pan and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the steaks over (this will give you steak that is medium-rare) and add the pieces of lobster, cut-side down, the tomato halves and the pieces of sweetcorn to the grill. Cook for 2 minutes more. Turn the lobster, tomatoes and sweetcorn over and add the prawns to the grill. Cook the prawns for 1 minute on each side, continuing to turn the pieces of sweetcorn as they brown.
- Once everything is cooked, remove the grill from the heat and drizzle over the herb and garlic butter. Scatter with some sea salt flakes and serve straight away with a green leaf salad and some skinny fries.
- Cook the food in two batches (half the ingredients first, followed by another batch) on the grill one after the other and adjust the quantities to the number of people and how big the appetites are.
- Have your accompaniments for this dish all ready, so that as soon as everything is cooked you can remove it from the grill and serve. If you leave the food on the grill for any longer it will continue cooking because cast iron retains heat very well.
Grilled Mackerel, Spring Salad and Horseradish Dressing
A delightfully light dish yet tasty dish, spiced with a hot, peppery horseradish sauce. Mackerel is not only very good for you, being an oily fish, but it can be enjoyed guilt-free as it is also a sustainable fish.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: Approximately 8-10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 4 mackerel fillets, approximately 90g each
- 2 teaspoons light olive oil
- 8 spring onions, approximately 150g
- Salt and pepper
- 2 heads chicory, separated into leaves
- 70g watercress
- 150g radishes, finely sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish sauce
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons chopped dill
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For the dressing, whisk the horseradish, vinegar and mustard together, then slowly whisk in the oils. Season then add about 1½ teaspoons of each herb.
- Lightly brush the grill with oil and preheat on the hob on a low to medium heat. Test the temperature of the pan – see Cook’s Notes – before adding any food.
- Trim the spring onions if necessary then, once the pan is hot, add to the grill and cook for about 1½ minutes on each side until nicely charred in places but retaining a little bite.
- Brush the mackerel fillets with oil and season. Grill skin-side down first for about 1 to 1½ minutes or until nicely coloured. Turn over and cook for about 1 more minute. Remove from the grill and place one on each plate.
- Lightly dress the salad ingredients with about half the dressing and divide between plates.
- Drizzle the rest of the dressing around, sprinkle on the remaining herbs and serve.
- To check if the grill is hot enough add a few drops of cold water to the hot surface. If it sizzles and the water evaporates almost immediately, it is hot enough and ready for use. If the water produces steam and has no sizzle, heat the pan for a little longer and repeat the test again.
- Do not heat the empty grill for more than two minutes to avoid overheating.
- Salmon or rainbow trout fillets would also work well in the recipe or try grilling two large, whole mackerel instead of fillets.
Mediterranean Vegetables & Chicken Kofta Kebabs
Popular in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, a kofta is a savoury ball of spiced minced meat or vegetables, grilled and traditionally eaten inside pitta bread pockets together with a yogurt and fresh herb dip and vegetable salads. This recipe will make enough to fill 4 pitta pockets.
Serves: 8
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 16 x 20cm metal skewers
- 500g minced chicken (a mix of breast and thigh is good)
- 25g day-old breadcrumbs, soaked in 2 tablespoons water, to soften
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon light cooking olive oil
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 chopped red chilli
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
- 35g chopped pistachio nuts
- 8 whole red vine cherry tomatoes
- 8 whole yellow vine cherry tomatoes
- 1 red pepper, cut into 8 small pieces
- 1 yellow pepper, cut into 8 small pieces
- 1 each small green and yellow courgette, each cut into 8, 1cm thick slices
- 2 small red onions, each cut into 8 small wedges
- 2 tablespoons cooking olive oil or rapeseed oil
- 200g piece cucumber, seeded and finely diced
- 250g Greek style natural yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- The leaves from ½ small bunch fresh mint, finely shredded
- 8 wholemeal pitta breads
- 1 little gem lettuce, shredded
- 15g coriander
- ½ lemon
- Aleppo pepper flakes
For the kofta kebabs, put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some pepper and mix together well with your hands. Divide the mixture into 8 evenly sized pieces and shape into short stumpy sausages and place onto eight thin 20cm metal skewers.
- For the vegetable kebabs, put all the prepared vegetables into a bowl with one tablespoon of olive oil and some seasoning and toss together well. Thread the vegetables alternately onto another eight 20cm skewers.
- For the cacik salad, simply mix the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste. Spoon into Stoneware Petite Casseroles to serve.
- Heat the grill dry over a medium heat for a few minutes until hot. Once hot, lightly oil it with a basting brush. Lay the 4 chicken and four vegetable skewers side by side on the grill and cook for about 8 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes until cooked through and nicely browned. Keep warm while you repeat with the rest.
- To serve, shred the gem lettuce, chop the coriander and season all with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lightly toast the pitta breads and slit them open along one side to make a pocket. Take care of the steam. Fill each one with some of the gem lettuce. Lay one kofta kebab and one vegetable kebab inside each pocket and slide out the skewers. Spoon in some of the cacik salad, sprinkle on Aleppo pepper and serve straight away.
- These kebabs can also be successfully made with minced beef. The addition of 1 teaspoon of nigella/kalonji seeds to the mixture goes particularly well with the beef.
Dining Together: Bring a Dish
Getting together with friends and family over the dinner table on a summer's evening is an opportunity to be savoured. Relish the chance to cook for the crowd (and show off your new crockery) with these five simple and shareable recipes that are packed full of fresh ingredients.
Stuffed Peppers with Rainbow Chard, Beef, Leeks, Pine Nuts and Currants
These delicious red and yellow peppers are filled with seasonal rainbow chard, rice and beef stuffing. Rainbow chard is a great leafy green vegetable that is often seen at farmers markets and in keen gardeners’ gardens and is now becoming easily available in supermarkets. It's low in calories but is full of antioxidants and vitamins, making it a healthy choice when cooking.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 35 mins
Cooking time: Approximately 1 ½ hours
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium red peppers
- 3 medium yellow peppers
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large leek, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 250g rainbow chard, stalks sliced finely and leaves roughly chopped
- 75g long grain rice
- 450g minced beef (not too lean)
- 75g baby plum tomatoes, diced
- 185ml chicken stock
- 15g parsley, chopped
- 30g currants
- 30g pine nuts
- 2 bay leaves
- 100g baby plum tomatoes, halved
- 250ml chicken stock
- Greek yoghurt or labneh
- Lemon wedges
- Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Cut the tops off the peppers, deseed and remove any membrane. Over a medium heat, heat the casserole with one tablespoon of light olive oil and cook the peppers on their sides, turning frequently to colour slightly and soften a little. This should take about 3 minutes and aids with squeezing the stuffed peppers into the pot. Remove the peppers from the casserole onto a plate and leave to one side. Reduce the heat to a low to medium temperature.
- For the stuffing add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the casserole and cook the leeks until soft and lightly coloured, this should take about 5 minutes. Put these into a large bowl.
- Return the casserole to a low to medium heat, add another tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and add the rice and chard stalks. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, add the allspice, stirring for about 30 seconds, then add 185ml chicken stock. Season and place the lid on and cook for about 8 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the chard leaves to this and pop the lid back on and allow them to wilt in the steam for a few minutes. Add this mixture to the leeks.
- Add chopped tomatoes, parsley, minced beef, currants and pine nuts to the bowl and season well.
- Stuff the peppers with the mixture.
- Clean the casserole if you wish before heating with the rest of the olive oil and add the halved baby plum tomatoes, bay leaves and chicken stock. Season and then put the peppers into the casserole and place the pepper lids on. Put the lid on the casserole and bring the stock to the boil over medium heat. Place the casserole into the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the lid and increase the oven temperature to 200°C/ Fan 180°C/ Gas Mark 6 and cook the peppers for about another 30 minutes until nicely coloured and cooked through.
- Serve the peppers with the cooking juices (which you can boil down to thicken if you wish), a dollop of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon.
- You can use plain green chard if rainbow is not available or spinach, failing that, preferably the more robust large leaf variety.
- The addition of crumbled feta cheese or grated pecorino or parmesan would work well in the filling.
- You could also replace the beef with pork or lamb or a mixture of meats.
Oven-baked Squash, Sun-dried Tomato, Spinach and Feta Frittata
In Italy, a frittata is simply a tortilla-like omelette made with any fresh seasonal vegetables are to hand. So, feel free to add vegetables and cheeses that you have readily available. Pretty much anything goes!
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes
- 4 small red onions (approximately 350g)
- 500g prepared butternut squash
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 250g baby leaf spinach, washed
- 8 large eggs
- 150ml double cream
- 75g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced
- 200g feta cheese, crumbled
- 40g finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C/ Gas Mark 4
- Peel the red onions, leaving the root intact, then slice through the root into thin wedges. Cut the prepared butternut squash into 2.5cm sized pieces. Put the squash and onion wedges into a roasting tin with 2 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil and some seasoning, then toss together. Spread out in an even layer and roast for 30 minutes, or until both are just tender.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat, add the spinach leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes until they have wilted down into the base of the pan. Tip into a colander and gently press out the excess liquid. Season lightly.
- Lightly grease the rectangular dish with olive oil. Beat the eggs and cream together with 25g of the Parmesan cheese and some seasoning. Arrange half the roasted butternut squash, onion wedges, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese in the dish and pour over half of the egg and cream mixture. Repeat once more and then sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until the frittata is set, covering loosely with a sheet of foil towards the end of cooking, to prevent it from over-browning. Serve hot, ambient or leave to go cold. It can also be prepared and kept for a couple of days to be served cold.
- Any mixture of your favourite vegetables will work well in this frittata. If you are short on time, replace the roasted vegetables with varieties that are quicker to cook; spring onions, broccoli and halved cherry tomatoes together with the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and feta is a flavourful combination.
- Replace the Parmesan with your favourite type of vegetarian hard cheese or vegan cheese, Violife Prosociano Vegan Cheese Style is a good choice.
Plum, Strawberry and Pistachio Polenta Cake
Made with polenta and lots of finely ground nuts, this cake is moist and has a wonderfully light and crumbly texture. It is delicious served warm as dessert with the rose-scented cheesecake cream, or cold as a cake with a cup of tea.
Serves: 10-12
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1½ hours
- 125g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
- 4 ripe but firm deep red plums (approximately 200g)
- 200g shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts
- 250g caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 60g Greek-style natural yoghurt
- 200g dried polenta
- 75g self-raising flour
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 150g small strawberries, halved
- 2-3 tablespoons honey, warmed
- 150g full-fat cream cheese, such as Philadelphia
- ¼ teaspoon rose water, or to taste
- 25g icing sugar
- 100ml double cream
- 50g Greek-style natural yoghurt
- Dried rose petals/freeze-dried strawberries/pomegranate seeds/extra chopped pistachio nuts, to decorate – choose any combination to decorate the cake
Preheat the oven to 170°C/ Fan150°C/ Gas Mark 3½
- Grease the inside of the casserole with butter and line the base with a 19cm disc of non-stick baking paper. Halve the plums, discard the stones and cut the fruit into wedges.
- Put the pistachio nuts into the bowl of a food processor and grind coarsely. Add 50g of sugar and grind once more until really fine and the texture of ground almonds.
- Beat the butter in a bowl for 1 minute until soft. Add the remaining sugar and beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in 50g of the ground pistachio nuts, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the remaining ground pistachio nuts, yoghurt, polenta, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared casserole and arrange the plum wedges and strawberry halves on the top. Bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer, pushed into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. Remove from the oven, brush the surface with the warmed honey and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, for the cheesecake cream, beat the cream cheese, rose water and sugar together in a bowl until smooth. Lightly whip the cream in another bowl into soft peaks. Fold this into the cream cheese mixture with the yoghurt. Spoon into a Le Creuset Stoneware Petite Casserole and decorate with the dried rose petals, freeze-dried strawberries and/or pomegranate seeds and extra chopped pistachio nuts. Serve with the cake.
- If you are not fond of the flavour of rose water in the cheesecake cream, simply add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon instead.
Raspberry & White Chocolate Tart With A Hazelnut Pastry Crust
This dessert is perfect for entertaining. The tartness of the raspberries balances the sweetness of the white chocolate to create a luxurious dessert perfect for any time of the year.
Serves: 10-12
Preparation Time: 1 hour, plus 20 minutes chilling
Cooking Time: 1 hour
For the hazelnut pastry
- 100g chilled butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
- 50g toasted chopped hazelnuts
- 175g plain flour
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoon ice cold water
- 350ml double cream
- 150ml full fat milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 400g good quality white chocolate, broken into small pieces
- 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
- 250g fresh raspberries
- 6 tablespoons icing sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 200g raspberries
- Icing sugar, to dust
- For the pastry case, grease the flan/tart dish with a little butter. Process the hazelnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add 4 tablespoons of the flour and grind once more until they resemble the texture of ground almonds. Add the remaining flour, icing sugar and butter and process until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Mix the egg yolk with the water, add to the food processor bowl containing the other pastry ingredients and process briefly until the mixture comes together into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge, roll out thinly and use to line the base and sides of the flan dish, crimping the edges with your fingers to create a fluted finish. Prick the base with a fork and chill for a further 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/ Fan 180°C/ Gas Mark 6. Line the pastry case with foil and a thin layer of baking beans and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove the foil and beans and return to the oven for 8 minutes, until the base of the case is golden brown. Remove the pastry case from the oven and lower the temperature to 170°C/ Fan 150°C/ Gas Mark 3 ½.
- For the filling, heat the cream, milk and salt together in a pan until just simmering. Remove from the heat, add the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool for 15 minutes, then add the vanilla and stir in the beaten egg. Strain the mixture through a sieve into the pastry case and bake for 30 minutes or until just set. The centre should still be slightly wobbly. Remove from the oven and leave to go cold.
- For the raspberry coulis, simply place all the ingredients in a tall narrow jug and use a stick blender to blend smooth. You can pass it through a sieve if you prefer a smoother sauce.
- Serve the tart in the dish, topped with the fresh raspberries, the coulis and a dusting of icing sugar.
- Serve this tart as soon as possible after making so that the pastry case remains nice and crisp.
Summer Berry Tiramisu Pots
The Italian meaning of ‘tiramisu’ means a pick-me-up. This version, made with summer berries and lemon in place of the traditional coffee and chocolate is guaranteed to make you feel uplifted on a warm sunny day.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2-3 minutes
- 150g mixed redcurrants and blackcurrants
- 75g blueberries
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- Juice of 1 small lemon (approximately 3 tablespoons)
- Juice of 1 orange (approximately 3 tablespoons)
- 200g fresh raspberries
- 250g tub mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
- 3 tablespoons Greek-style natural yoghurt
- 16 sponge fingers
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- 4 small fresh mint sprigs, to decorate
METHOD
- For the compote, put 100g of the mixed redcurrants and blackcurrants plus 50g of the blueberries into a small pan with the sugar, lemon juice and orange juice. Place over a medium heat and leave to heat through gently, swirling the pan now and then, until the sugar dissolves and the berries just burst and release all their juices. Stir in 150g of the raspberries and then tip the mixture into a sieve set over a shallow dish to collect all the syrup.
- Beat the mascarpone, sugar and lemon zest together in a bowl until smooth and then stir in the yoghurt.
- Dip the sponge fingers one at a time into the warm berry syrup, leave them to soften slightly and then use them to line the base of 4 petite casseroles, cutting them where necessary to fit. Spoon one-quarter of the berry mixture into each pot and then cover with the mascarpone cream. Reserve the remaining berry syrup for later.
- Mix the remaining berries together, use them to decorate the top of each pot and chill for 1 hour. Drizzle with the remaining syrup, then dust with a little icing sugar and decorate with the mint sprigs just before serving.
- For a slightly more adult version of this pudding, use 2 tablespoons of limoncello in place of the lemon juice.
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