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While I wait impatiently for the crimson and blackcurrants to look in amount and at an affordable value, I make the normal juice-saturated summer time puddings with gooseberries as a substitute. The primary of our short-season summer time fruits, their distinctive tartness is welcome, however might be softened with slightly honey and a splash of elderflower cordial. My inclination is to serve them specific model with a jug of cream – in truth I might name it important. Gooseberries, whether or not in a pie or a crumble, beg for cream somewhat than extra piquant crème fraîche or yoghurt – which is why they make such a blissful idiot.
The color of such desserts, fools, ice-cream and this model of summer time pudding is delicate, paying homage to a midsummer afternoon spent within the shade of the spreading cover of a tree. You may elevate this with a sprinkling of mint sugar, which is able to present not solely a splash of inexperienced but additionally a contact extra sweetness for many who want it. I convey the pudding to the desk with a jug of heat gooseberry juice sweetened with honey and certainly one of cream, too.
The pale-green theme continues with the olive paste used to fill puff pastry tarts and their cargo of heat goat’s cheese. I selected to maintain this recipe vegetarian, however you can introduce a number of anchovy fillets – 4 is sufficient – in case you fancy slightly extra piquancy. The paste will not be solely good for this, but additionally to serve with ravioli or, with slightly extra olive oil, as a dressing for pappardelle or different ribbon pastas.
A bowl of the olive paste is a jolly helpful factor to maintain within the fridge. Right here at house the attractive, citrus-and-salt paste will get used as a dip for radishes and as a diffusion for carta de musica – the wafer-thin Italian crispbread – oatcakes and the like, nevertheless it additionally makes a deeply aromatic dressing for heat new potatoes for a salad.
Goat’s cheese and inexperienced olive tarts
You may put together the olive paste for these tarts upfront, however you may also roll, minimize and rating the pastry circumstances, too. They are often stored within the fridge for a number of hours till you’re able to bake. Makes 6 skinny tarts
For the tarts:
flour for dusting
puff pastry 240g
egg 1, overwhelmed
goat’s cheese 180g, delicate
For the paste:
inexperienced olives 200g, stoned
basil 25g, leaves and stems
olive oil 75g
lemon 1
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 220C/ fuel mark 8.
Calmly flour the work floor and roll out the pastry right into a rectangle 30cm x 22cm. Have the lengthy aspect going through you.
Lower the pastry sheet into 6 rectangles, roughly 15cm x 7cm. (In different phrases, minimize the lengthy aspect in half, then minimize every of these lengthwise into 3.) Switch the rectangles of pastry to the baking sheet, then rating a rectangle inside each, 1cm from the sting. Be certain to not minimize by the pastry to the baking sheet.
Brush the outer rim of every piece of pastry with slightly overwhelmed egg, taking care to not let it run down the edges – it should forestall the pastry from rising. Bake within the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Make the olive paste: put the olives within the bowl of a meals processor, add the basil leaves and their stems and the olive oil. Finely grate the zest from the lemon and add to the bowl, then squeeze the lemon and add the juice. Course of to a thickish paste.
With the pastry out of the oven, use the again of a spoon to fastidiously press down the centre, scored rectangle of pastry on every tart. Place 3 tbsp of the olive paste into every of the hollows.
Slice the goat’s cheese into thick rounds and place 2 or 3 on prime of every tart. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or till the cheese begins to soften. Eat heat.
Gooseberry pudding
A calming, inexperienced summer time pudding, its juices warmed and sweetened with honey. I typically add a sprinkling of mint sugar to the pale floor of the puddings – caster and mint leaves blitzed to a verdant inexperienced – and at all times serve them with a jug of cream or chilled custard – completely important in my e book.
Makes 4 particular person puddings
gooseberries 850g
water 200ml
elderflower cordial 3 tbsp
white bread 6 skinny slices
honey 2 tbsp
For the mint sugar (non-compulsory):
caster sugar 3 tbsp
mint leaves 12, medium
Additionally, you will want 4 deep china ramekins 8cm in diameter and a few clear kitchen movie.
Take away the stems and dried flowers from the gooseberries, then put the fruit in a chrome steel or enamelled saucepan with the water and produce to the boil. Decrease the warmth and let the fruit prepare dinner for 5-7 minutes or till the fruit is opaque and delicate. Take away from the warmth and stir within the elderflower cordial.
Line the within of the ramekins with plastic movie with sufficient overhanging to fold excessive as soon as they’re stuffed with bread and fruit. Utilizing an 8cm biscuit cutter, minimize out 8 discs from the bread and place 1 within the base of every of 4 8cm ramekins. Reserve the rest.
Lower the remaining bread into 2cm-wide rectangles and use to line the edges of the ramekins, trimming as obligatory. Fill the bread-lined ramekins with the gooseberries – pack them fairly tightly and reserve any additional juice – then place the reserved discs of bread on prime. Press down with a spoon to saturate the breads with juice. Fold the overhanging movie excessive and place every ramekin on a tray. Place a second tray and a heavy weight on prime then refrigerate in a single day.
The following day, heat the reserved juice (there must be about 200ml) in a saucepan and stir within the honey. Flip the puddings out of their dishes into serving bowls or deep plates. Peel off the movie, then spoon the warmed juice over the puddings and serve with cream or custard.
If you want to make the mint sugar topping, whiz the sugar and mint in a meals processor till the sugar is shiny inexperienced. Sprinkle on prime of the puddings as you convey them to the desk.
Observe Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater
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