Creamy Slices with Lemon Sauce

These pastries taste great with any combination of fresh seasonal fruit. Recipe makes 6 slices.

Ingredients:

8 ounces (250 g) puff pastry or 2 sheets frozen pre-rolled puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 pint (300 ml) fresh or thickened cream
4 teaspoons caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla flavoring essence
4-8 ounces (125-250 g) raspberries and/or redcurrants
Icing sugar, to sift
Sauce:
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons julienne of lemon rind

Method:

1. Lay a sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface; brush with cold water and lay the second pastry sheet on top. Roll over lightly with a rolling pin to seal. Trim the edges with a large sharp knife. Cut the pastry in half lengthwise, to make two wide strips about 10 x 5 inch (25 x 12.5 cm). Cut each strip into three 5 x 3 inch (12.5 x 7.5 cm) rectangles.
2. Preheat the oven to 440 degrees F (220 degrees C). Put the pastry rectangles on a large baking tray. To make the lids, score a border around each rectangle 1/2 inch (1 cm) in from the edge. Be careful not to cut all the way through the pastry.
3. Chill the pastry shapes for 10 minutes. Brush tops with egg and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until well risen and golden.
4. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Carefully remove the lids from the center of each pastry rectangle and reserve.
5. For the sauce, put the white sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind and 3 fl ounces (90 ml) water into a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced slightly. Leave to cool completely.
6. Put the cream, caster sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer or hand-held rotary beater until soft peaks form.
7. Spoon the cream mixture and fruit onto the pastry bases. Put the lids on top and sift the icing sugar. Serve with the lemon sauce.

Tip: If preferred, use strawberries, cherries or blueberries in place of raspberries or redcurrants. Stone the cherries and slice the strawberries before filling the pastry cases.

Couscous Salad with Summer Vegetables

Couscous makes for a lighter salad than pasta but it still acts as an ideal backdrop for a variety of ingredients. Recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of either home-made or bought chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup couscous
3 small eggplants, halved lengthwise and sliced 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup water
11 ounces (330 g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 egg tomatoes, diced
1 small red (Spanish) onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint or parsley
For the Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. In a saucepan, bring the stock to the boil; stir in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and the couscous. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick frying pan, heat the remaining oil over moderate heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the eggplants and saute, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and pepper. Saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the water, cover and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender, but still crisp.
3. To make the dressing, combine the juices, lemon zest, mustard and pepper in a large bowl, then whisk in the oil. Add the couscous, vegetable mixture, chickpeas, tomatoes, onion and mint and toss to combine. The salad will keep, refrigerated, for 2 days.

Stuffed Chicken Rolls

These delicious Italian chicken rolls are simple to make, but sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party, especially if you arrange slices on a bed of tagliatelle tossed with fried wild mushrooms. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/4 cups cooked white long grain rice
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3-4 slices Parma ham
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs, to garnish
Cooked tagliatelle and sauteed mushrooms, to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Melt about 2 teaspoons of the butter in a small pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds without browning. Spoon into a bowl.
2. Add the rice, ricotta, parsley and tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Stir to mix.
3. Place each chicken breast in turn between two sheets of clear plastic film and flatten by beating lightly, but firmly, with a rolling pin.
4. Divide the slices of Parma ham between the chicken breasts, trimming the ham to fit, if necessary.
5. Place a spoonful of the rice stuffing at the wider end of each ham-topped breast. Roll up carefully and tie in place with cooking string or secure with a cocktail stick.
6. Heat the oil and the remaining butter in a frying pan and lightly fry the chicken rolls until browned on all sides. Place side by side in a shallow baking dish and pour over the white wine.
7. Cover the dish with greaseproof paper and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is tender.
8. Cut the rolls into slices and serve on a bed of tagliatelle with sauteed mushrooms and a generous grinding of black pepper, if you like. Garnish with sprigs of flat leaf parsley.

Tip: Risotto rice could be used in place of white long grain rice in this dish. Risotto rice has a different consistency to long grain, and will make a much denser stuffing for the chicken rolls.

Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto

This is a simple and warming Italian risotto, which benefits from the delicious and distinctive flavor of Jerusalem artichokes. Recipe serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

14 ounces (400 g) Jerusalem artichokes
1 1/2 ounces (40 g) tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup fruity white wine
4 cups simmering vegetable stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra, to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme sprigs, to garnish

Method:

1. Peel the artichokes, cut them into pieces and immediately add them to a pan of lightly salted water. Simmer them until tender, then drain and mash with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add a little more salt, if needed.
2. Heat the oil and remaining butter in a pan and fry the onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add the rice and cook over a medium heat for about 2 minutes until the grains are translucent around the edges.
3. Pour in the wine, stir until it has been absorbed, then start adding the simmering stock, a ladle full at a time, making sure each quantity has been absorbed before adding more.
4. When you have just one last ladle full of stock to add, stir in the mashed artichokes and the chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the risotto is creamy and the artichokes are hot. Stir in the Parmesan. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and leave the risotto to stand for a few minutes. Spoon into a serving dish, garnish with thyme, and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Custard-filled Tarts

These dainty, sealed tartlets contain a smooth vanilla custard. Recipe makes 15 tarts.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
4 ounces (125 g) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
8 teaspoons caster sugar
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Icing sugar, to dust
Filling:
2 egg yolks
8 teaspoons white sugar
8 teaspoons cornflour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring essence

Method:

1. Place the flour and butter in a food processor; mix to the texture of fine breadcrumbs, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice; mix for 10 seconds. Add 6-10 teaspoons chilled water, mixing until a dough forms which leaves the sides of the bowl. Press dough into a disc shape on a lightly floured surface; wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 440 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. For the filling, put the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and milk into a small, heavy-based saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil over a very low heat, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Cover the surface with clear plastic wrap and leave the custard to cool completely.
4. Roll out the pastry on the lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Thoroughly grease fifteen 2 inch (5 cm) shaped tartlet tins. Arrange the tins close together on a baking tray. Lay the pastry on the tins and gently press into the tins. Trim the edges by rolling over with the rolling pin or use a sharp knife. Reserve trimmings.
5. Spoon the filling into the tins. Brush the pastry edges with a little cold water. Re-roll the trimmings and cut out tops for the tartlets. Place tops over filling and press edges to seal.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Stand tins on a wire cooling rack for 3 minutes until firm, then transfer to the rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.

Tip: The tarts may also be made in tartlet or bun tins. Cut the pastry rounds for the bases a little wider than the tins. Make the tops out of the trimmings, as the recipe directs.

Chocolate Chip Eclairs

The addition of chocolate chips gives these luxurious pastries extra appeal. Recipe makes 14-15 eclairs.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
Pinch of salt
2 ounces (60 g) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Filling:
1/2 pint (300 ml) double (thickened) cream
5 ounces (150 g) dark cooking chocolate, coarsely chopped
Icing and Decoration:
1 ounce (30 g) unsalted butter
2 ounces (60 g) dark cooking chocolate
8 teaspoons golden syrup
8 teaspoons double (thickened) cream
Icing sugar, to dust
Fresh strawberries

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease two baking trays with melted butter. Sift flour and salt onto a sheet of greaseproof paper.
2. Put the butter and 5 fl ounces (150 ml) water into a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts. Raise the heat to medium and bring to the boil. Quickly add the flour all at once, then immediately remove from the heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth ball. Cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs into the mixture, a little at a time, until smooth and glossy. Put mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle/pipe.
4. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared baking trays in thick 3 inch (7.5 cm) lengths. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until well risen; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and bake for a further 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Slit down the side of each eclair. Cool in the oven, with the door ajar, for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool.
5. For the filling, scald the cream in a saucepan over a low heat. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Leave to stand undisturbed for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Chill until thick.
6. For the icing, put the butter and chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the golden syrup and cream with a balloon whisk until the icing is smooth and glossy.
7. Pipe the filling in the slit of the eclairs. Dip the tops of the eclairs in the icing and leave to set. Dust with icing sugar and serve with strawberries.

Thai Noodles with Chinese Chives

This dish requires a little time for preparation, but the cooking time is very fast. Everything is cooked speedily in a hot wok and should be eaten at once. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

12 ounces (375 g) dried rice noodles
1/2 inch (1 cm) fresh root ginger, grated
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 ounces (250 g) pork or chicken, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
4 ounces (125 g) fried bean curd (tofu), thinly sliced
1 green chili, seeded and finely sliced
6 ounces (180 g) beansprouts
4 ounces (125 g) Chinese chives, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) lengths
2 ounces (60 g) roasted peanuts, ground
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method:

1. Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with warm water and soak for 20-30 minutes, then drain. Blend together the ginger, light soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a bowl. Stir in the pork or chicken slices and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the marinade.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds. Add the pork or chicken slices and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Then transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok or frying pan and stir-fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened and tinged with brown. Add the bean curd (tofu) and chili, stir-fry briefly and then add the noodles. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
4. Stir in the beansprouts, Chinese chives and most of the ground peanuts, reserving a little for the garnish. Stir well, then add the pork or chicken slices, the dark soy sauce and the reserved marinade.
5. When hot, spoon on to serving plates and garnish with the remaining ground peanuts, coriander and lemon wedges.