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Sauteed Swiss Chard with Griddled Paprika Chicken
This recipe tastes best if you use freshly picked chard, it gets slightly bitter the longer you leave it before cooking.
Serves 2
• 1 large bunch of chard
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Knob butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 / 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 chicken breast
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch salt
Roughly chop the chard, trimming away the tough ends of the stalk.
Slice the chicken breasts into thin slices. Sprinkle the slices with the paprika.
Heat a griddle pan and add a tablespoon of the oil. Add the chicken slices and griddle for a few minutes on each side.
Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and the knob of butter. Add the garlic and chilli. Turn the heat down and stir in the chard. Allow to cook for a few minutes until just tender.
Place the chard on warm plates and top with the slices of chicken.
Summer Fruit Jam
I made this last year as I didn’ t have sufficient of any one fruit to make jam.
Makes about 5x 500g jars
• 2kg summer fruits, strawberries, raspberries, cherries and gooseberries
• Juice 1 lemon
• 1 x13g sachet pectin
• 2kg sugar
Wash and prepare the fruit: hull the strawberries and raspberries, top and tail
Strawberry and Gooseberry Fool Layer
A wonderful way to serve these two summer fruits.
Serves 4
• 200g gooseberries, washed and topped and tailed
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1tbsp honey
• 150ml double cream
• 1 level tbsp icing sugar
• 150ml creme fraiche
• 8 large strawberries
• 4 small ones for decoration
Put the gooseberries in a saucepan with the sugar, honey and a couple tablespoons of water. Stew for about 10 minutes or until tender. Mash the fruit down with a fork or potato masher. Leave to cool.
Whisk the cream and icing sugar together until stiff. Fold in the creme fraiche and the cooled gooseberries. Slice the strawberries lengthways and place a couple of slices in the base of 4 wineglasses.
Add a spoonful of the gooseberry fool, then a layer of sliced strawberries. Continue like this finish with a little fool and small strawberry on top. Chill for an hour before serving.
the gooseberries, remove the cherry stones. Put all the fruit in a large pan and add the lemon juice.
Heat the fruit to simmering and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle over the pectin and add the sugar. Stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil and continue to boil for 4 minutes then test for setting point. I tend to use the flake method or cold saucer. When a setting point is reached leave for 5 minutes then stir and ladle into sterile jars and seal well.
Cherry Clafoutis
This is one of my favourite puddings, for special occasions I soak the cherries in a little brandy or Kirsch.
Serves 4-6
• 400g cherries, washed and de- stone
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 100g plain flour
• 50g icing sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 30g melted butter
• 300ml milk
• Icing sugar for dusting
Place the cherries in a saucepan and sprinkle over the sugar and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 220C / gas mark 7 and butter an oven proof dish. Sieve the flour and icing sugar together in a bowl.
Add the eggs, butter and milk to the flour and whisk well for about 3 minutes the batter should look covered in little bubbles.
Pour a thin layer about 2cm deep into the prepared dish. Bake for Bout 7 minutes until the batter is just set but not golden.
Remove the cherries from the syrup and place in the set batter spreading them evenly over the surface.
Stir the cherry juice into the rest of the batter and pour over the cherries. Cook for about 40 minutes, turn the heat down to 200C / gas mark 6 after 10 minutes.
When the clafoutis is well risen and golden brown, remove from the oven and dust thickly with icing sugar whilst it is still hot.
Serve warm with cream.