I’m sitting in my kitchen, a pot of coffee by my side and the remnants of yesterday’s passion fruit and saffron creme caramel taunting me (I’ve already convinced myself that it is an acceptable breakfast, so should probably put it away before it becomes an acceptable lunch).
When I was younger, I wanted to race through the colder months and get them out the way. However, I’ve learned to love this quieter quarter. To hibernate and replenish my energy, spend time in my kitchen with the radio on. Just peace and quiet and eating.
That being said, having people round in the gentle early spring days is easy – diaries are emptier. Everyone appreciates a home-cooked meal, no pressure to be fancy or go out-out. You want to come over for lunch and bring your slippers with you? Be my guest, I’m not changing out of mine.
I will make an effort to cook a snack, though – everyone loves a deep-fried, salty nibble with their drink. Panisse hits all these marks. To make life easier, I prepare the chickpea batter in advance, ready to fry at the last minute as I chat to people from the kitchen, handing over the crisp morsels as they’re ready. I apply that principle to all elements of entertaining: what can I do ahead so I am the most present host I can be?
The creme caramel will inevitably get you “ooohs” and “ahhhs”, and you can make it the day before. The lamb cooks so slowly that all the hard work is done in the morning. For a vegetarian main, the filling for the cauliflower, kimchi and blue cheese pithivier has to be cooled in advance – you can even make the entire pie ahead, ready to bake. It won’t suffer any ill fate. The only dish I think needs to be cooked just before serving is the potatoes, but it’s surprisingly simple, and the deep flavours are worth it.
All of which gives you more time to natter and make drinks (in your slippers, if that’s how you’re rolling). The past few months have been like this at my place, and it has been the tonic we all need. I’m looking forward to warmer days now, but will be happy to have a few more cosy lunches.
Panisses with crisp herby capers
This is an excellent choice for a snack with drinks as you do most of the hard work in advance. I love a panisse served simply with crisp-fried herbs and capers, but you could also add a spicy chutney on the side, or a drizzle of a sriracha mayo over the top. Just be sure to slice them on the thinner side – the crisp surface area is key.
Serves 6-8 as a snack
olive oil 300ml
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and finely chopped
chickpea (gram) flour 250g
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
capers 3 tbsp
rosemary and thyme ½ pack of each, leaves picked
lemon 1, zested
Grease a 23cm square cake tin with olive oil and leave to one side. Pour 800ml of water into a measuring jug. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat and fry the chopped garlic for a minute or two until golden. Working quickly, stir in the chickpea flour, season generously and whisk in the water. Cook over the hob for around 8-10 minutes, beating consistently with a spatula until you have a thick porridge consistency. Immediately pour the mixture into the greased cake tin and smooth the top out as best you can. Leave to one side to cool completely, then chill for at least 2 hours before frying.
When you are ready to fry the panisses, turn the set batter out on to a chopping board and cut into 3 rectangles. Then, cut each rectangle into 1-1½cm thick slices and set aside.
Prepare the garnish. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat and pour in 100ml of the olive oil. Fry the capers and herbs for a few minutes until golden, then transfer to a kitchen-roll-lined plate with a slotted spoon.
Next, fry the panisses in batches: you don’t want to overcrowd the pan or they won’t turn golden and crisp. Make sure the oil comes 1cm up the side of the frying pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crisp, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to the kitchen-roll-lined plate.
Serve them hot, as they come out of the pan, scattered with the fried capers and herbs, a grating of lemon zest and a generous pinch of sea salt. Repeat until the mixture has all been fried.
Cauliflower, kimchi and blue cheese pithivier
Kimchi and blue cheese is one of my all-time favourite double acts. For me, it’s up there with gin and tonic, bread and butter, bangers and mash. Usually found in the form of a toastie (known as kimcheese), here I turn it into a vegetarian main and add roasted cauliflower to the mix then envelop it in buttery puff pastry. Even the most vocal blue-cheese haters in my life adore this pie.
Serves 6
cauliflower 1 large, trimmed weight 650g
olive oil 2 tbsp
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
unsalted butter 35g
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and finely sliced
plain flour 2 heaped tbsp
whole milk 350ml
stilton 150g
kimchi 125g
egg 1 large
ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry 2 x 320g packs
mature cheese 50g, such as cheddar, coarsely grated
sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Preheat your oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7. Cut the cauliflower into small, even-sized florets and place in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil, season generously and toss together. Spread out into a single layer and roast for 18-20 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and charred.
Meanwhile, place the butter in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the sliced garlic for a couple of minutes until golden. Stir in the plain flour, fry for a further minute then whisk in the milk. You are making a thick white sauce to coat the cauliflower. As soon as the cauliflower is ready, stir it in and leave to one side to cool.
While the cauliflower is cooling, chop the stilton as best you can into small pieces. Finely chop the kimchi. Whisk the egg with a pinch of salt until smooth.
Turn the oven down to 180C/gas mark 6. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry and cut an oval shape the same size as the pastry (essentially rounding off the corners) and place on a lined baking tray. Score a 1½cm border inside the circle and then evenly spread out the kimchi inside the border. Stir the cheddar and chopped stilton into the cauliflower mixture, and spoon this into a mound on top of the kimchi. Brush the pastry border with the beaten egg. Roll the second sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface, so it is 2cm larger and cut the same oval shape. Drape it over the cauliflower filling and press down on the edge to seal the sheets together. Then, using a small sharp knife, neaten the border, and score lines in the pastry, starting at the top, all the way to the edge. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle the edge with the sesame seeds. Pop the tray in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, until golden all over.
When it’s done, leave to cool for at least 5 minutes (or longer) before cutting and serving.
Lamb shoulder with charred salsa rossa
Lamb shoulder needs very little intervention to create a showstopping centrepiece, just a few aromatics – but this charred salsa rossa is absolutely worth the extra effort. Charring the peppers first adds a subtle smokiness and sweetness. And, despite their overexposure in the 1990s, sundried tomatoes do have a time and place, and it is in this recipe.
Serves 6
bone-in shoulder of lamb 2kg
tomatoes 4, ripe
red onions 2, peeled
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
red peppers 2
sundried tomatoes 75g
garlic 1 bulb
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp
fennel seeds 1 tsp, lightly crushed
fresh oregano ½ a bunch
watercress to serve
Preheat the oven to 220C fan/gas mark 9. Take the lamb out of the fridge to come up to room temperature while you get on with the base. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and red onions into eighths and place in a roasting tray that is big enough to hold all the ingredients. Drizzle with olive oil, season well and place in the hot oven to char for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, char the red peppers over an open gas hob (or under a grill) until blackened all over, then place in a bowl and cover with clingfilm to soften the skin. After a minute, flake away the blackened skin, then halve them, remove the seeds and chop them up (they can have a bit of texture, you don’t want them too fine). Chop the sundried tomatoes. Halve the garlic bulb horizontally.
When the tomatoes and onions are ready, add the chopped peppers, sundried tomatoes and garlic to the tray and pour in 200ml of hot water and the red wine vinegar. Make little incisions into the lamb and rub over the crushed fennel seeds. Season well. Place on top of the veg and scatter over half the fresh oregano. Drizzle everything with olive oil and tightly cover the tray with tin foil. Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 150C fan/gas mark 3. Cook for 4-4½ hours, checking occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid in the tray.
When the lamb is tender and easily comes away from the bone, remove the foil and turn the oven back up to 220C fan/gas mark 9 for a final 20 minutes, so that the meat becomes browned and crisp on top, and any liquid in the tray evaporates. Leave the lamb to rest for 10 minutes, then pull the meat off the bone with two forks into the salsa rossa and serve. Serve with dressed watercress and the browned new potatoes (see below).
White wine and lemon browned new potatoes
This French-inspired way of cooking new potatoes is a slight elevation from simply tossing them in salty butter and herbs (also tremendous, obviously). You don’t have to dot with spoons of creme fraiche at the end but I really enjoy the way it melts into the nutty brown butter.
Serves 6
unsalted butter 150g
small new potatoes 750g, washed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
garlic 4 cloves, crushed
white wine 200ml
lemon 1
soft herbs 1 x bunch, such as chives, chervil, tarragon, parsley – a mixture might be nice
creme fraiche 200g, to serve (optional)
Place a wide saute pan or large saucepan over a medium heat. Melt the butter and cook until it starts to smell nutty, then add the potatoes to the pan, ideally in a single layer. Season generously, add the crushed garlic and toss well.
Pour in the white wine and bring to the boil. Cover the pan, reduce to a medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes over – they should have browned on the undersides. Add 100ml water and cover again, and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes have browned on the other side and are tender (check occasionally that the potatoes aren’t burning, and add a splash of water if necessary). Remove the lid, and fry uncovered for the last 8-10 minutes to glaze all over.
Meanwhile, finely chop the soft herbs. Adjust the seasoning, squeeze over the lemon, stir in the soft herbs and serve dotted with creme fraiche.
Passion fruit and saffron creme caramel
When I have people round, I ensure that at least one (if not more) of the courses can be entirely made in advance, to reduce stress. I love the cooking part of hosting but I want to be sociable, too. This passion fruit creme caramel is not too heavy, so a perfect after-dinner sweet hit, and it can all be done the day before bar the turning out. Elegant and fancy enough to wow your friends, stress-free on the day for you.
Serves 6
passion fruit 6 large, ripe ones
caster sugar 275g
single cream 300ml
whole milk 300ml
saffron a pinch
eggs 3 large, plus 2 yolks
fine sea salt a pinch
Preheat your oven to 140C fan/gas mark 2½. Have a 1kg loaf tin ready.
Scoop out the flesh of 5 of the passion fruit into a blender with 1 tablespoon of water. Blitz for a couple of seconds, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug. You need about 100ml of passion fruit juice (if it is not enough, just add a splash of water). Pour into a small frying pan with 200g of the caster sugar. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, swirling the pan. Do not stir or it will crystallise. The sugar will melt, and after about 3-5 minutes you will get a deep golden passion fruit caramel. Remove the pan from the heat, then quickly and evenly pour the caramel into the base of the loaf tin. Place the loaf tin into a larger roasting tin that is higher sided.
Warm the cream, milk and saffron in a saucepan over a medium heat. It should be warm, but not boiling at any point. Meanwhile, vigorously whisk the whole eggs, yolks, salt and remaining 75g of caster sugar until pale and thickened. When the milk mixture is warm, slowly whisk it into the eggs until smooth. You don’t want too many air bubbles, so leave it for a few minutes for them to subside if needed. Boil a kettle of water.
Strain the custard mixture into a large jug through a fine-mesh sieve, then carefully pour into the prepared loaf tin, over the caramel. Place the tins in the oven, then carefully pour enough just boiled water into the larger tin so that it comes two-thirds of the way up the outside of the loaf tin. Bake for around 1 hour, or until the creme caramel is just set in the middle.
Remove the creme caramel tin from the water bath and leave to cool completely. Then loosely cover and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Remove the loaf tin from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to serve it, then gently run a knife around the inside of the tin. Place a serving platter (preferably one that has a lip) on top and turn it over. Serve with the pulp of the extra passion fruit scooped over the top, if you like the crunch from the seeds.
Georgina Hayden is a cook, food writer and broadcaster. Her latest book is Greekish (Bloomsbury, £26)
