High summer, and the point in the cook’s year when the kitchen can relax a little. There is a need for dishes that are better eaten warm than hot; a dessert that can be made the day before, and drinks just as suited to Sunday breakfast as they are to Sunday lunch, all using the summer’s best ingredients.
So here we have it, a shellfish tart just as good whether it is eaten warm or cool; the weekend roast turned into a big, cherry-flecked salad; a jelly shimmering with ripe peaches and a fruit drink to which you can add gin or vodka as the mood takes you. Easy, good-natured food for the dog days of summer.
Asparagus and prawn tart
It is worth taking time to line the tart tin carefully, pushing the pastry firmly into the edges of the tin and up the sides, then chilling thoroughly so your pastry case doesn’t shrink in the tin as it cooks. You could risk doing the initial baking without, but I prefer to line the tart case with paper and baking beans, which will reduce the possibility of the edges collapsing. (I used a batch of old coffee beans I didn’t like, but rice or dried beans will do the trick.) If the edges shrink or collapse you are pretty much sunk.
For the pastry
butter 90g
plain flour 175g
egg yolk 1
For the filling
asparagus 250g
spring onions 2
olive oil 2 tbsp
eggs 2
double cream 250ml
creme fraiche 125g
chives 2 tbsp, snipped
tarragon leaves 1 tbsp
cooked prawns 180g, shelled
You will need a 24cm tart tin with a removable base.
Make the pastry: put the butter and flour in a food processor and blitz to the texture of fresh breadcrumbs. Blend in the egg yolk and 2-3 tablespoons of water until you have a soft dough, then scrape out onto a heavily floured board. Knead the pastry for a minute, no longer, then form it into a ball and roll out to fit the tart case.
Lift the pastry, with the help of the rolling pin, into the tart case, pushing the dough into the corners and up the sides of the tin. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6 and place a baking sheet inside.
Put a saucepan of water on to boil. Trim the asparagus of any tough stalk ends then cut each spear into short pieces, 2-3cm in length. I like to leave the points a little longer. When the water is boiling, add the asparagus and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until approaching tendrness. Drain and set aside. Thinly slice the spring onions, then fry them in the olive oil for two or three minutes until they soften.
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream and creme fraiche then stir in the softened onions, the chives and tarragon leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill the pastry case with baking parchment weighed down with baking beans or rice pushing well into the corners. Bake the pastry case on the heated baking sheet, for 25-30 minutes till pale gold, carefully remove the paper and beans then return to the oven for five minutes until dry to the touch. Remove the tart case from the oven and lower the heat to 180C/gas mark 4.
Put the asparagus and prawns into the pastry case then pour in the herb custard. Carefully carry to the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the filling has set but still quivers when gently shaken. Serve warm, not hot.
Roast chicken salad with sweet cherries and cornichons
The hot dressing made with the roasting juices and tiny cornichons softens the salad leaves as you toss everything together. Little gem lettuces, spinach and watercress will work well here.
chicken 1 whole, about 2.4kg
olive oil
thyme 12 sprigs
cherries 400g
cornichons 20
salad leaves 200g
lemon juice of 1
parsley 2 tbsp, chopped
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Spatchco*ck the chicken or ask your butcher to do it for you. (Using a very sharp, heavy cook’s knife cut the chicken through the backbone, and open it flat, like a book.) Place the bird skin-side up in a roasting tin and rub all over with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Scatter and tuck the thyme sprigs over the chicken and roast for one hour in the preheated oven till golden.
Halve and stone the cherries. Halve the cornichons lengthways. While the chicken is warm, tear the flesh apart into large pieces and place on a serving dish. Wash and dry the salad leaves and toss them with the chicken pieces and cherries.
Pour most of the fat from the roasting tin, holding back the darker meat juices underneath. Place the roasting tin over a moderate heat, pour in the lemon juice then add the chopped parsley and cornichons. Scrape away at any crusty golden bits in the tin with a wooden spoon and stir them into the bubbling juices. Pour over the salad and toss gently together. Serve immediately. Once dressed, it will not wait.
Tomato tart with French beans and rosemary
The rosemary butter brushed between the layers of filo is what makes this worth the trouble. Brush it on generously between each leaf of pastry. The crisp beans are there as a contrast to the soft, sweet-sharp tomato.
butter 80g
rosemary needles 1 tbsp
garlic 1 clove
tomatoes 1kg, mixed sizes and varieties
filo pastry sheets 200g
black stoned olives about 14
olive oil 2 tbsp
French beans 100g
Melt the butter in a small pan. Finely chop the rosemary and finely crush the garlic and stir in to the melted butter then set aside. Set the oven at 220C/gas mark 7.
Thinly slice the larger tomatoes. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place a sheet of the pastry on the baking sheet and brush it with some of the rosemary and garlic butter, then place another on top and brush it likewise. Be generous. Continue until you have used every sheet, finishing with a layer of butter.
Place the tomatoes over the pastry in a single layer. Then dot with the olives, trickle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, checking regularly and removing when the pastry is crisp. While the tart is cooking, boil the beans, topped and tailed, for 4 minutes in deep, lightly salted water, then drain.
As soon as the tart is ready, remove it from the oven, place the crisp, cooked French beans on top and cut it into large squares.
Watermelon and raspberry cooler
I have used frozen orange slices to cool the drink down. Ice cubes will do fine if you haven’t time to let the fruit freeze. You may fancy a splash of vodka in these, if that’s your thing.
oranges 3
raspberries 125g
watermelon 1kg, skin -on weight
mint leaves 12
Slice one of the oranges in half and then cut each half into 3 segments, place on a frost-proof tray or in a plastic container and then in the deep freeze. Leave for a couple of hours.
Put the raspberries in the jug of an electric blender. Remove the skin from the watermelon, discard, then slice the flesh into large chunks picking out the seeds as you go. Add the watermelon to the raspberries together with the juice of the remaining oranges.
Process until smooth, adding chilled mineral water if the consistency seems too thick. Pour into glasses, add a frozen orange slice to each and a mint leaf or two.
White peach, cherry and rose-petal jelly
Part of the beauty of these softly set jellies lies in the rose pink colour created by the juice that seeps from the cherries. I suggest you make the most of this by setting the jellies in white or glass dishes, or long-stemmed wine glasses.
leaf gelatine 12g (6 sheets)
water 350ml
elderflower cordial 150ml
white peaches 350g
cherries 150g
dried rose petals a pinch
Soak the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes until they become soft and spongy. Warm (don’t boil) the water and elderflower cordial in a small saucepan, remove from the heat then stir in the softened gelatine until it has dissolved.
Cut the peaches in half and remove their stones, then thinly slice the fruit. Halve and stone the cherries. Divide the fruit between six small bowls then add a small pinch of dried rose petals to each.
Pour the liquid over the fruit then refrigerate for four or five hours till just set.
