Getting ready for summer recipes
Gazpacho
An easy but delicious dish, perfect served chilled with warm crusty bread and a light white wine
Ingredients:
Serves 4
1 large slice white bread, crusts removed
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 large sun-ripened tomatoes, skinned and seeded
6 whole blanched almonds, toasted
1 tsp salt
Pinch of ground cumin
500ml water
1 tbsp chopped parsley
100ml olive oil
Method:
Soak the bread in cold water for 1 minute, then squeeze out the moisture. This helps it to blend into the soup and thicken it.
Blend all the ingredients in a blender, in batches if necessary. (If preferred leave out the oil and add just before serving).
Refrigerate until well chilled.
Check the seasoning, then stir well before serving as the cold olive oil (if you have already added it) will have risen to the top.
Grilled sirloin steak with a Cafe De Paris butter served with hand cut chips
From John O’Groats to Land’s End beloved by all (meat-eaters!).
Cafe De Paris Butter (requires a little pre-planning!)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp chopped capers
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
1 tsp Cognac
1 tsp Madeira
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of paprika
150g unsalted butter, softened
Method:
Place all the ingredients except the paprika and butter in a bowl and mix together well. Season with salt, pepper, and the paprika. Leave to stand for 24hrs in a warm place to allow the flavours to infuse.
Using a wooden spoon, beat the infused mixture into the softened butter. Roll the butter in greaseproof paper into a sausage shape, secure the ends, and chill until required.
To serve, place a slice over the sirloin steak. The butter will slowly melt over the meat to add a wonderful flavour!
Hand-cut Homemade Chips
Ingredients:
Jersey potatoes (2-3 per person)
Dried chilli
Pinch of paprika
Olive oil
Method:
No need to peel the potatoes, just give them a wash if required. Cut the potatoes lengthways in half and then into quarters (or smaller depending on the size of the spuds).
Place on a baking tray with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, dried chilli and paprika. Put the baking tray into a pre-heated oven at about 190°C-210°C for 30-35mins, turning once.
Sirloin Steak
Ingredients:
4 x 8oz Sirloin steak
Groundnut oil
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Heat the grill pan over a high heat until very hot. Brush steaks with a little of the groundnut oil and season with salt and pepper.
Put the steaks on the pan, arranging them diagonally across the ridges of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then turn them at a 45° angle and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Now turn the steaks over and repeat the process on the other side. Remove the steaks from the pan and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Just as an added aide here are recommended cooking times, depending on how you like you steak(all for sirloin):
Rare – 3-4 mins each side
Medium – 5-6 mins each side
Well Done – 6-7 mins each side
Dark chocolate mousse
A little indulgence to finish off after all your hard work!
Ingredients:
170g dark bitter chocolate (65-70% cocoa solids)
80ml full-fat milk
1 egg yolk
4 egg whites
20g caster sugar
Method:
Chop the chocolate with a serrated edge knife. Place the chocolate in a shallow heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until it has completely melted. Remove from the pan.
Bring the milk to the boil. Pour onto the melted chocolate, stirring with a whisk. Add the egg yolk and mix thoroughly. Check the temperature by dipping a fingertip in the chocolate (being careful not to burn yourself!). It should feel hot but not burning. Allow to cool.
Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks, adding the sugar pinch by pinch. Fold one-third of the whites into the chocolate. Whisk briskly, then fold in the rest of the whites, lifting the mousse from the middle of the bowl up and outwards and holding the bowl with the other hand, turning it as you go round.
Pour the mousse into individual cups or dishes or one large serving bowl. Chill for 1 hour before serving.
If you are feeling extra decadent, decorate the finished mousse with chocolate curls.
A little history:
If you are in France, no matter which region, no matter where you eat, you will most likely be offered the divine French dessert Mousse au Chocolat. You can find it in corner cafés as well as expensive gourmet restaurants. It is a staple in this gastronomically versed country.
In fact, it comes as no surprise that they are the inventors of our wonderful chocolate mousse.
The word “mousse” is a French word that means foam, so Mousse au Chocolat means chocolate foam. When mousse first hit the culinary scene in 1894 it was reserved for savory dishes like fish and vegetables. Then in the early 1900’s the famous French artist Toulouse Lautrec had the brilliant idea of mixing in chocolate to the graceful and airy invention. Thankfully the name that he first gave it, ‘mayonnaise de chocolat’, has been changed and it has been donned with the more appetizing moniker that we know it by today.