July 2008 - picnics, potlucks and other moveable feasts

A delicate, pale green soup for summer – chill it well, take it to the picnic or potluck in a thermos and bring some glasses for serving.

·    Peel the cucumbers and cut in quarters lengthwise
·    Remove seeds, chop flesh small and put in a colander
·    Sprinkle with salt and leave in the sink to drain (30 minutes)
·    Rinse the cucumbers and pat dry with paper towels
·    Put in the blender with coconut milk, cilantro/coriander, avocado flesh, finely chopped chile (or cayenne/Espelette pepper) and lime juice and blend till smooth – don’t overdo it or the coconut milk may curdle
·    Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if required
·    Chill the soup well

COURGETTE AND PEPPER OMELETTE CAKE WITH CREAM

CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO OR SMOKED SALMON

FILLING

·    Break the eggs into two bowls (5 in each), season with salt + pepper
·    Add chopped tarragon to one bowl and chopped parsley and tomato purée to the other – mix well with fork, whisk or hand-held blender
·    Heat a film of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the diced courgettes and chopped onions over lively heat or until barely cooked and all liquid has evaporated (4-5 minutes)
·    Scrape the courgettes into the eggs with tarragon
·    Heat a little more oil in the same pan and add the garlic – cook briefly, then add the diced peppers and cook till just soft (3-4 minutes)
·    Add these to the eggs with parsley and tomato purée
·    Line a 22cm springform tin generously with clingfilm
·    Take a 22cm non-stick frying pan (bottom diameter) and heat more oil
·    Pour in a soup ladleful of omelette mixture to make 3-4 omelettes from each mixture, turning them once
·    Stack them up on a plate as they are ready
·    For the filling, tip cream cheese into a bowl, work in enough fromage blanc to make cheese spreadable, stir in chopped chives and basil
·    Put one omelette into the cake tin, spread with a thin layer of cream cheese and lay prosciutto or smoked salmon slices on top, cutting to fit
·    Continue with successive layers of omelettes, cream cheese and prosciutto/smoked salmon, alternating the courgette/pepper omelettes
·    Finish with an omelette, close up the clingfilm, put a plate on top with a can of beans (or similar weighty item) and refrigerate the omelette cake
·    Release the springform, remove the clingfilm, set the cake on a serving plate and cut in wedges to serve

·    Slice the bottom off the flatbread and set this aside – this will be the base
·    Invert the top and scratch out the crumb with a fork to make a shell (keep the crumbs for a gratin topping – they freeze well)
·    Spread the base and the inside of the inverted top with a thin coating of mayo/pesto/mustard or a mixture of these
·    Slice some tomatoes and put a layer in the inverted top, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil and add a layer of basil leaves
·    Follow with a layer of cold meats, overlapping slightly
·    Add a layer of soft fresh goat’s cheese or Chavroux, crunchy lettuce leaves, strips of peeled pepper, some avocado segments, more basil leaves and olive oil
·    Continue in this way with successive layers till the shell is full
·    Put the base on top of the shell and turn the whole thing right side up
·    Place on a board or dish, put another board on top and place a weight on top (cans of beans or similar)
·    If possible, refrigerate the loaf for several hours or overnight – this makes it easier to slice
 

·    Put the pork shoulder in a medium-sized pan with parsley, thyme, bay leaf and onion, bring to a boil, simmer gently for 45 minutes
·    When cool enough to handle, lift out pork shoulder, reserving the liquid
·    Strain the liquid through a coffee filter or muslin and measure out 250ml (use the rest to make soup)
·    Put this in a pan, sprinkle the aspic crystals on top and heat till dissolved and the liquid is clear
·    Pare away any skin and fat from pork shoulder and chop meat roughly
·    Put the parsley in a food processor with the garlic and process till well chopped (or chop by hand with a sharp, stout knife); add shoulder and process again till roughly chopped – not too much, it should have some texture
·    Add the dissolved aspic and process again briefly to mix
·    Turn the mixture into a small terrine or loaf tin, pressing down well
·    Refrigerate till firm
·    Turn out terrine, slice thickly and serve with new potatoes and salad
 

·    Put the chicken in a large bowl and cover with boiling water
·    Leave for 10 minutes, then peel off all the skin and discard
·    Take all flesh off bones, shred in manageable pieces
·    Put the eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to a boil and set the timer for 5 minutes
·    Drain the eggs, rinse in abundant cold water, remove shells
·    Blend together all the ingredients for the dressing in the liquidizer or in a jug using a hand-held blender
·    To assemble the salad, arrange lettuce leaves in a shallow dish or platter
·    Rinse and drain the flageolets and arrange in a ring on the lettuce leaves around the edge of the dish
·    Put the shredded chicken in the middle
·    Cut eggs in quarters and arrange them around
·    Drizzle dressing over the salad and sprinkle thinly sliced or chopped red onion and tarragon leaves on top

 

·    Trim the rhubarb, cut in 2 cm chunks and put in a large bowl with the sugar
·    Leave to macerate for at least 2 hours, longer if wished
·    Heat the oven to 200C
·    Roll out the pastry to fit a 26cm quiche pan with removable base and put the pastry in it – scatter a thin layer of ground nuts in the bottom (provides a bit of waterproofing so you don’t get soggy pastry)
·    Drain the rhubarb and pack it in tightly on top of nuts
·    Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is beginning to set
·    Mix together the egg and crème fraîche
·    Remove tart from oven and pour over crème fraîche mixture
·    Return tart to oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until the custard is set
·    Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt till stiff, add sugar and continue beating till stiff and glossy and you could turn the bowl upside down without the whites falling out
·    Remove tart from oven and reduce temperature to 170C
·    Spoon the meringue mixture over the tart, sprinkle with slivered almonds and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or until meringue is lightly golden and nicely risen
·    Cool the tart on a rack – it will sink down
·    Serve at room temperature or chilled