A light summer lunch menu

GEOFFROY VIELJEUX’S CAKE AU JAMBON ET AUX OLIVES

Remember Geoffroy? He runs the wonderful B&B  Le Mas Parasol near Uzés that I wrote about recently [and he's since moved to the Villa St Victor]. Here's his recipe for a  tasty bread for summer - serve it with drinks or with an alfresco meal. 

Serves 8
3 eggs
1 natural yogurt
120 ml (1/2 a cup) olive or groundnut oil
150g flour (Type 45)
1 packet baking powder
150g grated Parmesan
150g ham, diced small
30 green olives, stoned/pitted and cut in slivers
salt and pepper

• Heat the oven to 180oC 
• In a mixer or food processor, beat together the eggs, yogurt and oil 
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold them into the egg
• mixture 
• Stir in the cheese, ham and olives 
• Pour the batter into a loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes
• Stick a skewer into the middle to test – it should come out clean
• Cool the loaf on a rack

SHELLFISH AND BROCCOLI IN THAI RED CURRY SAUCE WITH FRESH PASTA

A great supper dish for summer, or a starter for a dinner menu. Serve it in big soup bowls which you've remembered to heat beforehand.
 

Serves 2 for a main course, 4 for a starter
a handful broccoli florets
zest of 1 lime, pared off with potato peeler and cut in shreds 300g mixed cooked shellfish (shrimp, mussels, squid etc.)
1-2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (or to taste)
200ml coconut milk
350g fettucine or other fine pasta
cilantro to garnish

• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and cook the broccoli florets  and lime zests for 5-6 minutes or until the broccoli is just tender. 
• Drain the broccoli and zests, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
• Mix the curry paste into the reserved cooking water and put it back in the saucepan. 
• Warm some soup bowls.
• Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water till al dente, following the instructions on the packet. 
• Heat the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the shellfish, broccoli
• and zests and let them heat through for a couple of minutes. 
• Drain the pasta and arrange in the heated soup bowls. 
• Spoon the shellfish, broccoli and sauce over the pasta
• Garnish with coriander

TARTE AU CITRON
 Tarte au citron is my absolute fave dessert for summer. There are lots of recipes around, but none felt quite right. After a couple of tries, here's what I came up with. The almond pastry is wonderful, fragile and delicious and the Mascarpone gives a great counterpoint to the sharp lemon juice. Sprinkle it with icing sugar, put a single red rose in the middle and serve it on your best white plate.
  Serves 6
Pastry
250g flour
a pinch of salt
50g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
125g butter
1 egg 
Filling
3 eggs + 4 yolks
200g sugar
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
250g Mascarpone

• Put the flour, salt, sugar and ground almonds in the food processor and process till it resembles breadcrumbs (or do this with your fingers)
• Mix in the egg till the pastry comes together
• Chill the pastry
• Roll it out to fit a 26cm quiche tin and bake blind at 200 C for 10 minutes; reduce the temperature to 180 C
• For the filling, beat together the eggs, yolks, sugar and lemon zest till smooth, light and fluffy
• Whisk in the Mascarpone until smooth, then the lemon juice
• Pour the filling into the pre-baked pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set and lightly golden
• Lift out and put on a rack
• When cool dust with icing sugar