Strawberries go so beautifully with Kirsch and these little Soufflés are gorgeous. Make them in individual ramekins of about 8 x 6cm and serve them with some clotted cream if you like.
Serves 8
Ingredients
600g strawberries
4 tbsp demerara sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Kirsch
2 tbsp cornflour
10 free-range egg whites
80g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
unsalted butter, for greasing
clotted cream, for serving (optional)
Wash and hull the strawberries, then place them in a pan with the demerara sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a simmer, stir gently and cook until tender. Remove 1 or 2 strawberries per person to serve as a garnish and douse them with the Kirsch.
Put the rest of the strawberries in a food processor with the cooking juices and blitz them to a purée. pass the purée through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste and add this to the purée. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps. Leave the mixture to cool, but do not refrigerate.
To make the crumble topping, mix all the ingredients together and spread the mixture over a non-stick baking tray. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ Fan 200°C/Gas7. Toast the crumble for a few minutes, then remove and turn the oven down to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
Whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the 80g of caster sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. Take a third of the egg whites and beat them into the cold purée, then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites. Butter your ramekins thoroughly and coat insides with sugar. Always work upwards when buttering soufflé dishes as this helps the soufflés rise.
Half fill the ramekins with the strawberry mixture, then add the reserved strawberries and Kirsch. Fill the ramekins to the top, level with a palette knife and place them in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. Sprinkle on some crumble topping and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Serve with a spoonful of clotted cream if you like.
Soft boiled egg with smoked salmon, asparagus and caviar
Serves 6
Ingredients
30 small asparagus tips
salt and pepper
4 slices of smoked salmon
2 tablespoons double cream
2 tablespoons horseradish
4 eggs
3 tablespoons of Sevruga caviar
12 round brioche bread toasts about 1cm thick, 3-5 cm wide
Peel the asparagus and trim to 4 cm lengths. Cook in a pan of boiling salted water for about 5-7 minutes or until just tender, then immediately refresh in ice-cold water and drain well.
Cut the smoked salmon slices into 18 circles, using a cutter the same diameter as the brioche.
Whip the cream and add to the horseradish.
Cook the eggs in boiling water for 3½ minutes, then hold under running water for 10 seconds and peel while still hot. Put the eggs into a warm dish and break them up with a fork (the yokes should be runny and the whites solid) Season with a little pepper and gently fold in the caviar.
Reheat the asparagus in a pan of boiling salted water, drain and roll in a little olive oil to make them glossy.
Put a small dollop of horseradish cream in the centre of each serving plate, then a smoked salmon circle, more horseradish and then the lightly toasted brioche slice. Repeat the layers to finish with two brioches and 3 smoked salmon circles on each plate. Arrange the asparagus on top and spoon on the egg and caviar mixture.
Tunisian grilled vegetable salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes
salt and pepper
juice of 2 lemons
a pinch of saffron strands
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of harissa
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 new season onions
3 red peppers
1 large courgette
2 aubergines
coriander leaves
Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, refresh in iced water and skin. Cut them in half and chop roughly. Cook the tomato flesh in a scalding hot, non-stick pan for 2 minutes until it becomes pulpy. Add the seasoning, lemon juice, saffron, cumin seeds, harrisa and chopped garlic, then take off the heat and whisk in the olive oil.
Preheat the grill. Cut the onions in half and grill on a cast-iron griddle, leaving them slightly crunchy. Roast the peppers under a hot grill until blackened all over, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool. When cool, peel off the black skin, remove the stalk, core and seeds, cut into wide strips and set aside.
Cut the courgettes and aubergines into 6mm slices and grill on both sides. Leave to cool. Season the cold vegetables and arrange on the plate with a little of the tomato dressing in between. Garnish with coriander leaves.
