By Caroline Gardiner
Springtime Trends
W
hen does Spring
officially start these
days? It’s so hard to
determine an actual date for
the new season’s food as so
much food is forced, grown
in poly tunnels and kept in
the dark for months. 1st
March to 31st May is the
official spring season which
is known as a transition
season which sees the days
getting longer, temperatures
warming & plants
blossoming for Summer.
I am a great believer in eating
seasonally for a number of
reasons but the main one is
seasonal food is tastier &
fresher and hopefully you are
supporting the local economy.
It would be lovely to think that
you might pay less for locally
grown seasonal produce but
unfortunately this isn’t the case
these days with our English
Asparagus and Jersey Royals
being in such demand.
I’ve listed a few seasonal ideas
below as well as some of my
favourite dishes.
March
Purple sprouting broccoli,
quickly boiled & sprinkled with
parmesan, lemon &
breadcrumbs. Blood oranges
are the most delicious fruit …
just squeeze and drink, make a
delicious marmalade or serve
soaked in a little Cointreau with
cracked caramel. Spring onions
at this time of year are lovely &
sweet but we forget about
them or just add them to
salads. Why not try chargrilling
them with a little garlic butter
and serve with a delicious roast
cod.
April
There is nothing more delicious
than a new season’s breakfast
radish dipped into smoked
cod’s roe or freshly boiled
jersey royal potatoes just gently
tossed with black pepper and a
little salted butter.
Poached sea trout with a wild
garlic pesto (gently poach your
sea trout with a little white wine
vinegar as this brings out the
sweetness of the fish).
Sorrel comes into season in
April and it’s delicious with fish,
especially tossed with peas &
cream to make a sauce.
Morels, very difficult to find but
early April you should be able
to get them. They are delicious
gently poached in a cream
sauce and served with a Spring
chicken.
Spring Lamb! We wait patiently
during the first quarter of the
year for the anticipated new
season’s lamb but in reality
these lovely lambs we cook
around Easter have actually
been around and growing up
since November. Nothing,
however, beats a traditional
roast lamb dish with rosemary,
garlic & lemon and served with
a homemade mint sauce.
May
The most delicious English
asparagus, which has a very
short season (8 weeks), should
be available between late April
and late June but this all
depends on the British weather.
Just snap the ends and plunge
into salted boiling water for a
couple of minutes, dip into
hollandaise and enjoy.
Elderflowers are the most
delicious flower; pick it from
your hedgerow and simply drop
into tempura batter and fry.
Another option … make
elderflower cordial to last you
the rest of the year.
A recipe from Alan Lucas
English Asparagus, Poached
Hen’s Egg, Hollandaise Sauce
Asparagus, one of my favourite ingredients, speak
s
for itself. You don’t need to do much with it.
THE RECIPE BELOW IS FOR TWO
10 Asparagus spears, snap ends
(can be peeled but I like to leave it as it is).
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
125g Salted Butter
1 Lemon
Salt & Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 Bay Leaf
4 Peppercorns
HOLLANDAISE
In a pan add the vinegar, lemon juice, peppercorns
, bay leaf
and reduce to a ¼ of the original volume.
Over a pan of simmering water place a metal bowl
with the
egg yolks in it, whisk continuously adding the melte
d butter
slowly until thick & a mayonnaise texture. Remo
ve from heat
& slowly add your reduction (taste as you do this
to the
flavour you like). Add salt & pepper to taste.
POACHING EGG
Bring a pan of water with ½ tablespoon of white
wine vinegar
to the boil, reduce to a simmer & stir the water
vigorously to
create a whirlpool effect in the water, drop the
egg into the
centre for around 4 minutes (I like a runny yolk).
Remove
carefully with a flat slotted spoon & lay gently on
a kitchen
towel to remove excess water.
Drop asparagus into boiling salted water for a coupl
e of
minutes (I like mine with a bit of bite).
To serve simply place the asparagus on to a warm
ed plate,
place the egg gently on top, spoon over the hollan
daise and
add a twist of ground pepper.
Lemon & Dover Sole are
delicious just grilled and served
with fresh peas & broad bean
gnocchi.
As the season is so short we
need to be clever and think
what can be done with some of
these ingredients to enjoy them
all year round. Make wild garlic
oil, elderflower cordial for the
year, blood orange marmalade.
Caroline Gardiner & Alan Lucas have many years of experience in
the catering and organisation of events. From the kitchens in The
Dorchester, the dining rooms of Asprey’s and product launches on
Strawberry Hill, Jamaica to private fields in Oxford, they both know
how to cater for an equisite party for 10 guests to a huge
Summer thank you party for 3000 staff. Lucas Gardiner are
committed to detail, creativity & listening to their clients.
Tel: 020 8516 5156 Visit: lucasgardiner.co.uk
Visit The London & UK DatebooK on www.thedatebook.co.uk
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
17