Kick off the week and discover delicious recipes, perfectly paired with delicious Peony Blush!
1. Summer Pudding
Juicy summer berries soaked in sweet-tangy syrup, wrapped in soft bread. It's berry madness in every bite.
Ingredients
- 300g Strawberries
- 250g Blackberries
- 100g Redcurrants
- 500g Raspberries
- OR 1.25kg/2lb 12oz mixed berries and currants of your choice
- 175g Caster sugar
- 7 slices day-old white bread, from a square, medium-cut loaf
Method
- STEP 1 - Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper – keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves – stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice.
- STEP 2 - Line the bowl with cling film and prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. Overlap two pieces of cling film in the middle of the bowl as it’s easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
- STEP 3 - Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin’s sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can’t quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn’t matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go.
- STEP 4 - Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top – trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.
2. Strawberry Pavlova
Crispy meringue, fluffy cream, and juicy strawberries – a combo that's as light as it is decadent.
Ingredients
For the meringue- 4 egg whites
- 250g caster sugar
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
- 200g redcurrants, stalks removed
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 350ml double cream
Method
- STEP 1 - Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
- STEP 2 - Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment.
- STEP 3 - Whisk 4 egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 250g caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
- STEP 4 - Whisk in 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- STEP 5 - Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle.
- STEP 6 - Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.
- STEP 7 - When the meringue is cool,chop 100g of the hulled strawberries. Mix them with 100g of the redcurrants and 2 tbsp icing sugar.
- STEP 8 - Place in a food processor, blitz until smooth, then push the fruit mixture through a sieve.
- STEP 9 - Whip 350ml double cream with the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar and spread it over the meringue. Put the remaining 400g hulled and halved strawberries and 100g redcurrants on the cream and finally pour the sauce over the whole lot.
3. And don't forget the recipe of the month...Sweet and Hot Roasted Peppers with Burrata
Sweet and hot roasted red peppers, cooked on an open fire, with burrata and toasted sourdough paired with Peony Blush.