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II’ve been testing recipes for a birthday party that I’ll be making for myself in a few weeks. Full of spring, a bit of Garden of England (cherries, beans and cucumber) and quite a bit of Italian.
I dream of making all of this ahead of time and leaving plates around along with bowls of roasted nuts and chip sticks. Of course, it will be sunny and I will receive guests in our tidy house, completely relaxed, having done all the work in advance. Revelers will spill outside, enjoying beer from the local brewery and cases of cheap wine. The kids will be perfectly behaved the entire time and I will be ready to embark on the second half of my life. This might be fantastic, but I’m hoping someone (hint, hint) will also bake me a cake so I have candles to blow out.
Bean and Almond Pesto
It’s a great fresh pasta sauce, but it can also be served over baked polenta, on toast, in a sandwich, over cooked rice or steamed spinach. Serves 4. Ready in 15 minutes
blanched almonds 30 gr
wide bean 150 g without shells (about 500 g in pods)
garlic ½ cloves, peeled
basil ½ small bond
pecorino or parmesan (or half and half) 40 g, grated
olive oil
Bring a pot of water to the boil with the almonds in it to soften a bit. In this, blanch the beans for 2 minutes, then remove them with the almonds and drop them into a bowl of cold water. Double the bean by squeezing out the brighter nut and place it in a bowl with the almonds. In a food processor or large mortar and pestle, pulse or pound the garlic and basil and a pinch of salt until a fine paste forms. Add the beans and almonds and process again. Finally, stir in the cheese and 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Use this sauce with a short form of pasta, such as fusilli. Serve with more cheese.
Grilled duck, cucumbers and mint
If you decide to cook this outside on the BBQ instead of the grill pan, make sure it’s over indirect heat, with charcoal placed to one side and a pan underneath to catch the rendered fat. Serves 4. Ready in 30 minutes
duck breast 2, approximately 280g each
garlic 1 clove
sherry or red wine vinegar 3 tbsp
olive oil 3 tablespoons, plus a little extra
pepper
cucumbers 2, average
mint 2 stalks
tarragon 2 stalks
sugar 1 tsp
Cut the duck into strips through the skin, but try to avoid cutting too deep into the flesh. Salt both sides.
Make a dressing by crushing a clove of garlic and mixing with 3 tablespoons of sherry or red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add a lot of freshly ground black pepper to this.
Using a peeler, remove the strips from the skin of the cucumber so that it looks like a stone. Cut into circles about 1 cm thick. Salt them lightly and set aside while you heat a grill pan over medium heat.
Brush the skin of the duck breasts lightly with the smallest amount of olive oil and place them in the middle of the grill, skin side down. The pan should be hot enough so that they don’t stick, but not so hot that they burn. Grill, lifting and changing them from time to time. They will release a lot of fat. After about 5 minutes, pour it out and after it cools, leave it in the refrigerator for future baked potatoes.
After 10 minutes, the skin will be golden and crispy. Turn the duck breast and cook for another 2 minutes, then place on one side for 90 seconds, then on the other side for another 90 seconds. Finally, cook for another 3 minutes, skin side still up. Set aside on a plate to rest while you work on the cucumbers. Drain the excess fat and sear the cucumbers for 2 minutes on each side, adding them to the duck when done. Cut the duck crosswise into thin strips and arrange on a serving plate with the cucumbers, torn herb leaves and drizzled with the strong vinegar sauce.
Sweet Cherry Focaccia
I can’t let cherry season go by without making this at least once. Warm yeast bread is delicious on its own or, as I prefer, with fresh spring goat cheese. In addition to the active time, there are long pauses in this recipe while the dough rises. This gives the focaccia a deeper, more complex flavor and is worth the wait. This is a forgiving bread and the time can be extended to suit your day.
Serves 6. Ready to 9 o’clock
whole grain rye flour 100 gr
00 flour 400 gr
dried instant yest 7g
sea salt 10 gr
sugar 20 gr
cherries 400 gr
olive oil 25g, plus more for irrigation
Make a starter dough by mixing rye flour with 100g flour 00 and 200g water and 2g dry yeast. Mix well, cover and set aside for 4 to 5 hours until it has risen a lot and starts to smell sweet.
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When ready, mix the remaining flour and yeast with the salt, half of the sugar, 25 g of olive oil, 150 g of water and the starter. Set aside for 30 minutes, then knead the dough in a stand mixer for 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
Grease the oven tray – mine is 35cm by 25cm. Turn the already well-risen dough onto the sheet and form a circle in the middle of the sheet. Rest for 20 minutes, then with wet hands gently and evenly press the dough from the center to fill the pan.
Halve the cherries and remove the pits. Press each half cut side up into the dough. Sprinkle them with the remaining sugar, a pinch of salt and brush them with more olive oil. Preheat the oven to 240C/gas mark 9 with no fan on or as hot as your oven will allow. After 30 minutes, press each cherry half back into the soft dough before baking for 18 minutes, rotating the pan once so that it bakes evenly, three-quarters of the way through. Serve fresh, preferably still warm.
Coffee and chocolate granita
You can churn this in an ice cream maker if you have one and prefer a smoother result. My advice is to use decaffeinated coffee if you are serving it at night. Portions 6. Preparation 10 minutes, plus 4 hours for cooling and freezing
sugar 100 gr
cocoa powder 50 gr
dark chocolate 100g, broken into pieces
water 225 ml
vanilla extract 1 cap
espresso coffee 150 ml
salt a small pinch
whipped cream 300 ml
Heat a saucepan filled with 225 ml of water, the sugar and a pinch of salt over high heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the cocoa and beat. Continue whisking until simmering for 1 minute, then remove bowl from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Then add the vanilla extract and coffee and pour into a shallow dish to cool – mine is 25cm by 25cm.
Set aside for 30 minutes, after which it will cool enough to put in the freezer. Leave it there for 90 minutes; by then it will have frosted a bit on top and around the edges. Break up the frozen parts with a table fork and mix them. Repeat this beating every 30 minutes for the next 2 hours to achieve a smooth frozen consistency scattered with ice crystals.
When it’s time to serve, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Serve the granita in water glasses topped with 2 tablespoons of whipped cream.
If left to harden, remove from the freezer a few minutes early and mash again with a fork before serving or blitz very quickly in a food processor.
Joe Trivelli is joint head chef of London’s River Café (rivercafe.co.uk)
Food Style by Henrietta Clancy
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