Mango fool
A variation on the classic recipe. I add yoghurt to my mango fool as I find it lifts the general creaminess. The mangoes really must be drippingly ripe. Don't even think of making this if they are not.
Serves 4-6
ripe mango - 850g (2 heavy ones)
the juice of half a lemon
double cream - 250ml
yoghurt (natural, smooth) - 200g
Peel the mango, slice the flesh from the stone and put it into a bowl, catching the dripping juices as you go. Squeeze over the lemon juice.
Blitz the mango flesh in a food processor till smooth. There really should be no lumps.
Pour the cream into a cold mixing bowl and beat gently till thick; it should be thick enough to just about keep its shape rather than standing in stiff peaks. Fold in the yoghurt with a metal spoon.
Mix most of the mango purée in with the cream and yoghurt. I find this is best done with a metal spoon, slowly and firmly, and I stop just before they are completely blended, so that there is no risk of over-mixing. Divide between four or six small bowls, glasses or cups.
Put in the fridge for at least an hour for the ingredients to marry, covered with clingfilm. As you serve each one, drizzle some of the remaining mango purée over each one.
Meringues with summer berries and strawberry sauce
Meringue is always easier to make in large quantities. (The same goes for mayonnaise, in my experience.) You will find you have a few meringues left over for the next day. They will keep in an airtight container quite well.
Serves 4 (with several meringues left over for tomorrow)
eggs - 5
caster sugar - 300g
cornflour - 1 heaped tbs
For the fruit:
raspberries - 400g
redcurrants - a few sprigs
double cream - 300ml
For the sauce:
strawberries - 250g
the juice of half a lemon
Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment. Set the oven at 200°C/gas 6.
To make the meringues, whip the egg whites till firm and fluffy then fold in the sugar and lastly the cornflour. Place large heaped spoonfuls of mixture on the baking sheet, leaving room for the meringues to spread and puff up a little. Bake for about 40 minutes, turning down the heat if they are browning too much - you want them to be a pale honey colour. When the meringues are crisp on top, remove and let them cool. The ideal is that they remain fudgy inside.
Make the sauce by whizzing the hulled strawberries in a food processor with the lemon juice. Chill.
Whip the cream till it will just about keep its shape, it shouldn't be so thick that it will stand in peaks. Press the centre of each meringue with the back of a spoon so that you make a hollow. Pile the cream inside, scatter with the berries and a sprig or two of currants. Put the sauce in a jug to pour over as you serve.
Goat's cheese and cherries
Per person:
ripe cherries - about 15-20 per person
a small goat' s cheese
Goat's cheese and cherries is a marriage of scarlet fruits and dairy produce that works beautifully, like raspberries and cream or watermelon and feta cheese. Choose a young, fresh goat's cheese (nothing too mature this time) and put it on a plate surrounded by the cherries still on their stalks.
Peaches with rosewater
Serves 4
peaches - 4 large, ripe
water - a litre
elderflower cordial - 3 tbs
sugar - to taste
rose petals
Wipe the peaches and put them in a stainless steel pan. Pour in the water, stir in the elderflower cordial and at least 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently until the peaches are completely tender. Turn off the heat and leave the peaches in their syrup to cool. When they are cold, chill thoroughly.
Serve a peach per person, skinned if you wish, with some of the chilled syrup and a few scattered rose petals.
Pistachio and blackcurrant trifle
Serves 8
For the pistachio cake:
butter - 250g
caster sugar - 250g
a lemon, organic and unwaxed
finely ground pistachios - 75g
plain flour - 100g
baking powder - ½ tsp eggs - 4 large free-range, lightly beaten
Line a 22cm square cake tin with baking paper. Set the oven at 180°C/gas 4. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until white and fluffy. Grate the zest from the lemon and squeeze its juice. Mix the ground pistachios and flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, to the butter and sugar. Lastly, with the machine on slow, mix in the lemon zest and juice and then the flour and ground nuts.
Transfer the mixture to the lined baking tin and bake for about 35-40 minutes till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, without any wet mixture attached. Leave for a few minutes to settle down, then run a palette knife around the edges. Turn out onto a cooling rack. Peel off the paper and leave to cool.
For the custard:
milk - 500ml
a vanilla pod
egg yolks - 5
caster sugar - 5 tbs
Pour the milk into a non-stick saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways with a sharp knife then drop it into the milk and heat. When the milk looks as if it is on the point of boiling, remove from the heat and leave for about 20 minutes, then lift out the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk with the point of a knife.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they are thick and pale, then add the milk and stir. Rinse the pan, pour the custard into it and stir over a low heat. Stir constantly until it thickens to the consistency of double cream. On no account let the mixture get too hot or it will curdle. Pour the warm custard into a bowl and leave it to cool.
For the blackcurrant sauce:
blackcurrants - 300g
sugar - 4 tbs
Pull the currants from their stems. Put them in a pan with the sugar and a couple of tablespoons of water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes till the berries have burst and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
To assemble:
Cut the cake into eight equal rectangles then cut each one in half horizontally. Place a piece of cake in each of 4 shallow dishes or soup plates. Pour custard round the sponge then spoon over some of the blackcurrants and their juices. Dust with icing sugar if you wish.
