July - The month for fruity flavours
THIS is the month I really look forward to, with its bonanza of home-grown fruit to choose from. Supermarkets and shops are abundantly stocked with fresh food at the moment.
As well as all the berries, there are excellent salad vegetables, and many varieties of leaves and, with picnics in mind, look out for oak leaf lettuce, lamb's lettuce and curly endive.
You'll also find fruits we can't grow here – juicy peaches and nectarines and fat tomatoes from Italy and Spain. The choice is endless with flavours giving a zing to the month.
If you are a keen gardener and grow your own fruit, then you have the advantage of being able to have freshly picked fruit, but there is still plenty to be found at pick-your-own farms around the country. It is always best to pick fruit early in the morning, or on a cool day so that it remains in a good, peak condition for longer.
These two seasonal recipes really do capture a taste of sunshine, easy to make and can be frozen for up to three months.
BOMBE SURPRISE
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients: Approximately 8 meringues ( shells). A little icing sugar. 300ml double cream, lightly whipped. Liqueur or vanilla essence to taste. Fruit sauce: 350g raspberries or strawberries sieved with icing sugar. Method: Break each meringue into two or three pieces. Flavour lightly whipped cream with liqueur and icing sugar. Fold meringue pieces into cream mixture. Pour into 15cm loose bottom cake tin, which has been lightly oiled and has a circle of oiled greaseproof paper in the bottom. Press mixture well down in tin, cover with another circle of greaseproof paper. Freeze in coldest part of refrigerator, or put in deep freeze for 2-3 hours. Remove to ordinary part of refrigerator, about 1 hour before needed, and turn out of tin. Decorate with fruit and serve with fruit sauce (raspberries or strawberries sieved with icing sugar).
STRAWBERRY YOGHURT ICE
A punnet of strawberries will go a long way with this simple recipe.
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients:1 x 454g or 2 x 227g punnets of strawberries hulled. 100g-125g icing sugar, sieved. Juice of half an orange. 3 tsp lemon juice. 1 x 300ml carton whipping cream. 1 x 150ml carton natural yoghurt. 1 passion fruit, seeds and pulp (optional).
Method: Pure strawberries, reserving a few for decoration. Stir in icing sugar, orange and lemon juice,. Whip cream until thick, but not too stiff. Gently fold into the strawberry mixture together with the yoghurt and passion fruit. Divide mixture between two freezer proof containers, cover and freeze until firm. Transfer to the refrigerator hour before serving to soften. Scoop into individual dishes, decorate with reserved strawberries and enjoy.
Redcurrants come into their own this month, and this sparkling, jewel-bright berry is ideal for making rich-tasting tangy desserts, as well as bakes, preserves and drinks. These vanilla creams make an ideal summer dessert when entertaining, and are complemented by the sharp tangy colourful red sauce.
VANILLA CREAMS WITH REDCURRANT SAUCE
Serves 4.
Ingredients: 15ml gelatine. 300ml milk. 125g caster sugar. 2 egg yolks. 1 tsp cornflour. tsp vanilla essence. 150ml double cream, whipped, not to stiff. 1 tsp oil. 300ml redcurrant pure. 1 tbsp icing sugar. tsp arrowroot.
Method: Cook redcurrants in about 3 tbsp water, long enough to soften and release juice. Then pure in blender, sieve and discard seeds. Set aside until needed. Pour about 3 tbsp water into a bowl, sprinkle on the gelatine, and dissolve over hot water. Cool. Reserve 1 tbsp milk and heat the rest in saucepan with sugar. Bring almost to boiling point and remove from heat. Cream egg yolks with cornflour, vanilla essence and reserved milk. Whisk into the hot milk and stir for about 3 minutes, without boiling. Remove from heat and stir in gelatine. Leave until cold, stirring occasionally, then fold in whipped cream. Brush 4 ramekins with oil and pour in the vanilla cream. Chill until set. Blend redcurrant pure and icing sugar and arrowroot to a paste and turn into a small saucepan. Stir over gentle heat until thickened. Cool. Turn out vanilla creams onto individual plates and pour round redcurrant sauce.
If you want a light summer meal to accompany these delicious fruity desserts, then salmon is ideal. In this recipe you can either bake or poach the salmon steaks, or cook in the microwave, but if you cook by the latter remember not to overcook otherwise the fish will be dry and tasteless.
SALMON STEAKS WITH YOGHURT AND WATERCRESS SAUCE
Serves 4.
Ingredients: 4 fairly thick salmon steaks. 1 tablespoon lemon juice. 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley. 1 tablespoon chopped spring onions. Watercress to garnish.
For the sauce: 300g low fat cottage cheese. 50g low fat natural yoghurt. 25g chopped watercress leaves.
Method: Lightly oil a large piece of foil and arrange the steaks in a single layer. Sprinkle over the lemon juice, add seasoning to taste. Fold over the foil and place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for about 20 minutes, making sure the fish is cooked. Combine all the sauce ingredients together in blender and process until well mixed. Arrange salmon on individual plates, garnish with springs of watercress and serve sauce separately.
This recipe came from my latest cookbook 'Another Step Into My Kitchen'. To obtain a copy at special price 9.00 inc P & P email evelyncurtis@tiscali.co.uk
Fresh and in season this month.
Meat: New seasons lamb. Venison. Fish: Scallops and crab are at their peak. Turbot is briefly inexpensive in July – good cooked wrapped in foil over a barbecue grill. Plaice, lemon sole and wild salmon a good buy now. Home-grown produce: Corn on the cob will soon arrive from the Isle of Wight. Vine tomatoes and baby plum tomatoes soon to arrive from Selby. Courgettes and fresh peas in their pods come from the Vale of Evesham. Carrots come in from Lincolnshire. And runner beans should be in our shops by mid-month. New potatoes now on their way out, but still perfect for potato salad. Beetroot season just beginning - lovely as a hot vegetable. Raspberries and strawberries now at their best, at the end of the month look out for blackberries.
Imported produce: Nectarines and peaches arrive from northern Italy. South of France sends us apricots. And black and red plums come from Seville, as do cherries. Plum tomatoes arrive from Provence and Italy. The lists are endless – shop locally as much as possible.
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Weather for Sudbury
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
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