Run the lime wedge around your cocktail glasses and dip into the Maldon Salt. Combine all the parts in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake well and strain into your prepared glasses. Garnish with the frozen berries and a sprig of Rosemary.
How to create:
Cook the brussels in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and leave until they cool.
Heat the bacon in bite size pieces until golden for 10 minutes.
Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan with a splash of water, then cover and finish cooking over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Uncover, turn up the heat, then add the 50g butter to the sprouts and cook for 2 minutes more until glossy.
Season generously with Maldon salt and pepper to serve.
How to create:
Preheat the oven to 200C. Top and tail the parsnips cut into wedges. Drizzle over the honey and olive oil along with a good pinch of Maldon salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
Give the parsnips a good mix up and roast for about 40 minutes, or until the parsnips are golden and tender.
Remember to turn them halfway through cooking.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Place on a baking tray and add the olive oil and a generous pinch of Maldon salt and pepper, cook for 20 minutes.
Take the tin out of the oven and drizzle over the honey and lemon mixture. Add the sprigs of thyme. Toss lightly and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
How to create:
Fry the sausages until nicely brown, but don’t overcook them. Set aside to cool.
Roll out your pastry and cut into six squares. Wrap each square around one vegetarian sausage and lay on a baking tray with the fold down.
Brush with your egg mixture and sprinkle over the parmesan and Maldon Salt.
Bake in the oven at 180C fan for around 25 minutes or golden.
How to create:
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a glass bowl over hot water until it has melted.
Once the chocolate is completely melted add the almonds and mix well, pour the contents into a silicon mould and allow to cool.
After 4 hours or so of setting it should be ready to eat!
How to create:
Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a bowl. Break 185g dark chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water, then sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix them.
Remove the bowl from the pan. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
While you wait for the chocolate to cool, position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base. Tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl. Tap and shake the sieve so they run through together and you get rid of any lumps.
Chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar. They will look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.
Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. Continue going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like.
Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture, shaking the sieve from side to side, to cover the top evenly.
Gently fold in this powder using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but keep going very gently and patiently. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing.
Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Sprinkle with Maldon Salt.
Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, pull the shelf out a bit and gently shake the tin. If the cake wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, so slide it back in and bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. Take out of the oven.
Leave the whole thing in the tin until completely cold, then lift out the cake with the foil. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares.
Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl until evenly combined. Add the butter and run it in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg and water in a jug until combined, pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl and knead gently to a smooth dough. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour before using.
For the tart
Bring cream to the boil. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks and 150g sugar.
Pour the cream over eggs and sugar. Place 1 Litre of this mixture into bowl and add the Maldon salt.
In a separate pan, over a low heat, bring 280g sugar to a dark caramel. Once a dark caramel forms, slowly incorporate this into the custard mix in the bowl, whisking continually. Combine this with any remaining custard and pass through a fine sieve.
Remove the skin and large bubbles off of the mixture and cover with cling film to contact. Leave standing for 5 minutes before removing the cling film, taking the small bubbles with it.
Pour into two in 10 inch x 3 inch blind baked tart rings and bake at 130 C fan 2 for 40-50 minutes or until set.
Leave to stand for an hour before slicing and enjoy with pouring cream
Salt hake brandade with piquillo, thyme and orange oil
A familiar dish on the Andalucian tapa circuit- smokey piquillo peppers stuffed with salted and whipped fish- it’s a classic and doused in the vibrant orange oil-thyme oil its given a real hit of sunshine.
Hake is fast becoming my go to white, meaty fish. Its still underused in the UK but the clever, fish focused Spaniards have been championing it for decades. It mainly has all the attributes of cod (I’d say it’s sweeter and perhaps a little less firm) and is one of the most sustainable fish on the planet.
First make the oil. heat the oil in a saucepan to warm (don’t boil) add the zest and continue to warm for 10 minutes before transferring to a jar or lidded container and then adding the thyme.
Cover and then leave to steep for at least
4 hours. This will make more than you need for this recipe but can be used for dressing many things such as salads, vegetables and fish.
Place the cod in a bowl, pour over the salt and massage into the fish.
Leave to “salt” for 3 hours in the fridge, turning once and then desalinate-by washing off the salt for a few minutes under cold, running water.
Pat the fish dry and then place in a sauce pan with the milk, garlic, anise and bay.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 8 minutes to cook everything through before turning off the heat.
Leave everything to cool before removing the fish and garlic and placing in a bowl.
Take off the fish skin and mash the flesh and garlic together with a fork, adding some of the milk as you go to moisten (only a few splashes, you don’t want it too wet) now slowly pour in the olive oil, stirring quickly as you go to emulsify the paste and oil to create the brandada.
Season with black pepper and lemon juice and then stuff the brandada into the pepper cavities- to completely fill.
Chill the stuffed peppers in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, drizzled with the orange-thyme oil and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.
50g quality smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
1 rosemary stalk- leaves picked and chopped
30g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Olive oil, sea salt and black pepper for cooking
Preparation
Hispi cabbages are all the rage – the conical shaped brassica are packed with nutrients and are deliciously sweet.
Lightly charring the leaves with the addition of crunchy sea is really interesting way of preparing the cabbages and adds a nice foil to the sweetness.
I like to do this over a BBQ for some real smokiness but a griddle pan will do the job just fine.
Heat a BBQ or griddle pan to a medium heat.
Quarter the hispi cabbage lengthwise and remove the hard, internal core with a sharp knife.
Peel off the layers of the leaves and toss them with a little olive and season well with Maldon salt and black pepper
Workings in batches throw the leaves onto the grill and cook them briskly until lightly charred. This will be a quick process and you need to stay with the cabbage, turning with tongs to stop over burning.
Reserve the leaves in a serving bowl and cover with cling film.
Heat a small sauté pan over a medium heat and add a lug of olive oil.
Sweat the pancetta and rosemary until lightly browned, add the butter and cook until it turns light brown and foamy.
Stir in the vinegar, season well and then pour over the cabbage.
Serve.
Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
What could be more delicious than super fluffy pancakes with warm, juicy blueberries inside! This recipe shows you how to create the perfect American-style pancakes with beautifully golden edges and soft centres. Topped with a generous knob of melted butter or maple syrup, you’ll be asking for seconds!
This easy recipe is bursting with sweet blueberries and enhanced with a pinch of Maldon Sea Salt flakes. Whether you’re enjoying a lazy Sunday brunch or a quick weekday treat, these American-style pancakes are sure to delight.
Why Should You Add Salt To Your Pancake Batter?
Salt is a actually a vital step within your pancake cookery. Adding a pinch of Maldon Salt to the mixture ensures that the pancake doesn’t taste bland, enhancing the sweetness of the pancakes without them tasting salty.
How to Make Blueberry Pancakes?
In a large bowl, mix together 225g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp of caster sugar and a pinch of Maldon Salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the 2 eggs together and add the 300ml milk until mixed together.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients bowl and gently whisk in the wet ingredients mixture to make a thick batter.
Whilst stirring, gently add 75g blueberries into the batter.
Melt a tablespoon of butter into a frying pan over medium heat. Once the melted butter bubbles slightly, it’s time to cook the pancakes.
To make the pancakes, you need to drop a tablespoon size of batter into the pan over medium heat.
Cook for roughly 3 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. After this, you need to turn the pancake over and cook for another 3 minutes until golden. and slightly crisp on the edges.
Repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding a knob of butter to the pan in between pancake batches if required.
Once you have your pancakes, stack them up and drizzle them in golden or maple syrup, the remaining handful of blueberries and a pinch of Maldon Salt to enhance the sweetness.
What is the difference between American and English pancakes?
The main difference is that an American-style pancake is much thicker in comparison to a traditional English pancake. American pancakes are thicker, smaller and fluffy in texture due to having baking powder as one of the added ingredients to the recipe.
In contrast, English pancakes are thinner and large in size. Unlike being stacked up like American pancakes, they are usually folded or rolled up with the filling inside.
Should you use fresh or frozen blueberries in pancakes?
The best result for blueberry pancakes is using frozen blueberries. The reason for this is because frozen blueberries thaw, in which in doing so will allow the sugar within the pancake batter to stick to them. This results in a sweeter tasting pancake, perfect for breakfast!
How to prevent blueberries from bleeding in your pancakes?
Frustrated that your pancakes are turning a purple-blue colour from adding blueberries into the mixture? Don’t worry, you can prevent this by simply rinsing the frozen blueberries several times in cold water. When the cold water finally turns clear, you know it’s time to finally add them into the pancake batter.
What other toppings can you use on pancakes?
You can become completely creative when it come to choosing the toppings for your pancakes! If you want to go sweet, we have a delicious granola recipe which gives an added crunch of texture to your pancake. If you like all things savoury, why not add a handful of crispy bacon to your stack, resulting in the ultimate balance of sweet and salty.
