Roast Apricot & Orange Blossom Fool (Serves 8)

This is a fantastic recipe for making the most of apricots which are plentiful at this time of the year. The flavours are perfectly balanced; the sweetness of roasted apricots is delicately cut by whipped cream which is combined with a little Greek yogurt, orange flower water and honey. I have taken the recipe from Diana Henry’s cookbook ‘Simple’, and yes it is simple but very impressive! (Any leftovers make a great, indulgent breakfast!!)

900g apricots, halved and pitted

75ml white wine or water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

115g granulated sugar

300ml double cream

4 tablespoons Greek yogurt

5 tablespoons orange blossom honey, or to taste, plus more to serve

3 teaspoons orange flower water, or to taste

Toasted almond flakes, to serve

1. Put the apricots in a gratin dish, cut sides up, so that they lay in a single layer. Mix the wine or water with the vanilla, then pour it over the apricots. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar and roast in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 30-45 minutes until completely soft. Leave until cold.
2. Remove eight of the best looking apricot halves to put on top of each serving. Puree the rest of the fruit and any of its juice in a food processor.
3. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then stir in the yogurt, honey and orange flower water.
4. Fold the purée through the cream, don’t over mix – you want it to be marbled with the bright orange colour. (You can add more flower water to taste).
5. Spoon into bowls, top each with an apricot half, if you want a little more sweetness drizzle with extra honey, then sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

If you read my last blog, you will know that I was planning a week’s holiday in Suffolk and that I was thinking of easy menus which I could cook whilst away. I had a wonderful break, and if I’m totally honest, I was far lazier than I had imagined I would be, and so I did very little cooking! I have returned still very much in ‘holiday mode’ – and why ever not?…it is the summer after all! Anyway, I’m sure I’m not alone with this relaxed approach, so this week I thought I would once again share some ridiculously easy recipes!

Menu One is ‘Salmon with Lime Mayonnaise served with Crushed Potatoes, Coriander & Lime’, I literally call this a ‘cheats’ recipe as it uses shop-bought mayonnaise which you flavour with lime and coriander – it’s not only easy but very tasty! To enhance the flavours you should serve it with crushed new potatoes flavoured with coriander and lime – they are wonderful together. Menu Two is ‘Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce’. Spatchcocking a chicken enables it to roast quicker and it’s a lot easier to carve, making it an easy weekday roast. In this recipe by Nigella Lawson, it is served with a garlic cream sauce which is incredibly good. It is delicious served with rice to mop up the sauce or likewise steamed potatoes are great crushed into it, either way, serve a good crisp salad on the side. Finally, Menu Three is ‘Chicken, Leek and Tarragon Gratin’, this is a great midweek dish. You can either use leftover cooked chicken or quickly poach a couple of chicken breasts to add to the sauce. All it needs is peas or green beans on the side.

There you go, three very easy meals to make your week…Enjoy!

(To read my Suffolk restaurant reviews go to my ‘Eating Out’ page – you will see that they offered a wonderful excuse for my laziness in the kitchen!…)

A Vegetarian Note(!)…

Oh dear!…not only am I being very lazy right now, but I have also broken my New Year’s resolution!… At the beginning of 2021, I had promised to share a vegetarian recipe every time I posted a new blog, but unfortunately with this blog, I have failed!… Actually, I have done so on purpose, as I thought that Menu Mistress’s vegetarian recipe ‘tab’ was becoming rather full, so instead of bombarding you with too many vegetarian recipes, I have now decided to give you the occasional reprieve, thus giving you the chance to savour them!…

Menu One

Salmon with Lime & Coriander Mayonnaise served with Crushed Potatoes, Coriander & Lime (Serves 4)

This is what I call a ‘cheats’ recipe as it is so simple ! It uses shop bought mayonnaise which you flavour with lime and coriander – it’s not only easy but very tasty! Serve it with Crushed Potatoes with Coriander and Lime (recipe below) – they are wonderful together!

4 salmon fillets, skinless, approx. 150g each

2 tablespoons olive oil

15g butter

100g mayonnaise (I used Hellmanns)

1 small handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Zest of 1 lime, plus extra for sprinkling

Juice of ½ lime

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First make the lime and coriander mayonnaise, put the mayonnaise in a bowl with the coriander and lime zest, gradually stir in the lime juice to taste – you might not need all of it. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter together in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter starts to froth, add the salmon, cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until they are lightly golden and just cooked.
3. Put the salmon on four plates and top with a spoonful of mayonnaise and sprinkle over the extra grated lime zest.
4. Serve immediately with Crushed Potatoes with Coriander & Lime (recipe below)

Crushed Potatoes with Coriander & Lime (Serves 4)

These are particularly good with fish dishes or roast chicken.

400g new potatoes

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 small handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes for 8-10 minutes until just done. Drain and crush lightly with a fork.
2. Season with salt and pepper, then add the lime juice, the zest and the coriander, gently mix. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.

Menu Two

Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce (Serves 4 – 6)

This is the perfect quick midweek roast!…Spatchcock chicken simply means that the chicken is laid out flat by removing its backbone, it enables the chicken to roast quicker and it’s a lot easier to carve. In this recipe by Nigella Lawson, it is served with a garlic cream sauce which is incredibly good. It is delicious served with rice to mop up the sauce or likewise steamed potatoes are great crushed into it! (Check out my other recipe for Spatchcock Chicken with Rosemary, Garlic and Chilli here)

If you get your chicken from your butcher, ask him to spatchcock it for you, alternatively it is very easy to do yourself…

How to Spatchcock a Chicken:

On the backside of the chicken, using a pair of strong kitchen scissors, cut along either side of the back bone to remove it, then flip the chicken over and press down very firmly on its breast bones, it will give a satisfying crack as it flattens! Some people like to insert skewers to help keep the chicken flat during cooking but in my experience they make no difference, so I prefer not to use them as they make it more difficult to carve the bird.

Click here to watch the video on me spatchcocking a chicken on my Instagram Page!

For the chicken:

1 Chicken (approx. 1.5kg), spatchcocked

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling

2 fat cloves garlic, crushed

30g butter, softened

75ml dry white vermouth or white wine

75ml of water

For the sauce:

300ml double cream

4 fat cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes over the inside of the chicken and rub over the 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Leave for 30 minutes or so at room temperature.
2. For the sauce, pour the cream into a small saucepan, add the 4 cloves of crushed garlic and a good grinding of black pepper. Stir well and bring just to the boil, then lower the temperature and allow it to simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid or foil, leave to one side whilst you cook the chicken.
3. Turn the chicken the right side up and place in a roasting tin, smear the soft butter all over the skin and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes.
4. Combine the vermouth (or wine) with the water and pour into the tin around the chicken, place in the oven, 200’c fan, for about 45 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp and the meat is cooked through.
5. Transfer the chicken to a carving board to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the pan juices into the saucepan with the cream. Bring the cream sauce to just under the boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste for seasoning and add most of the parsley and chives.
6. Cut up the chicken and arrange on a platter. Pour over a little sauce and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Serve at the table with the remaining sauce in a jug.

Menu Three

Chicken, Leek and Tarragon Gratin (Serves 3-4)

Such a good way to use up leftover cooked chicken but so delicious that it’s worth cooking a couple of chicken breasts to simply make it! Serve with peas or green beans.

*if you haven’t any leftover chicken simply add 2 chicken breasts to a pan of boiling water, remove from the heat and leave to poach for about 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

800g potatoes (such as maris piper)

400g leeks

4 spring onions

30g butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon plain flour (gluten free if required)

200ml white wine

400ml milk

400g cooked chicken (see note above)

A large bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves chopped

1. Peel and boil the potatoes, drain and allow to cool before thinly slicing.
2. Quarter the leeks lengthways, then hold them together and slice them across into small pieces. Chop the spring onions.
3. Melt the butter with a tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan, stir in the leeks and spring onions, cook over a medium heat until soft and patched with gold. Sprinkle over the flour, stirring until it has been absorbed, increase the heat a little and add the wine, stirring until thick, then stir in the milk. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Tear the chicken into bite-size pieces and stir through the leek sauce along with the chopped tarragon. Pour into a baking dish and arrange the sliced potatoes , overlapping, over the top. Brush with olive oil.
5. Bake in the oven, 200’c fan, for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes a golden and crisp.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake (with or without Liquorice Sauce!)

When I was working in St Johns Wood, London, over 20 years ago, I used to visit, almost daily, the local patisserie (now sadly gone), and order a slice of their baked cheesecake. It was the here that I discovered the incredible creamy nature of a proper, baked, cheesecake. Since then I have always had a soft spot for baked cheesecake, but since becoming gluten free I have found it difficult to find those without a crumbed, wheat base. So, when a girlfriend raved about Nigella Lawson’s Basque Burnt Cheesecake, I was very pleased to discover that it was baked without a crumb base so is totally gluten free. I have now baked it on a number of occasions – it is my new addiction! It is not only delicious but incredibly easy to make, admittedly it doesn’t look as good as a traditional baked cheesecake, but as we all know, looks can be deceiving! Nigella recommends a liquorice sauce to complement it, I have included the recipe here, but unless you’re an avid liquorice lover, I actually don’t think you need it – it really is perfect on its own. However, if you do make the liquorice sauce, do also try it over vanilla ice-cream!

Nigella likes this cheesecake served at room temperature, but I must admit that I rather like it straight from the fridge, but either way it is wonderfully smooth and creamy.

A couple of notes before cooking it – make sure that the ingredients are at room temperature as this will give a smoother texture. Also, the tin should have sides which are no deeper that 6cm, as you want the cheesecake to rise up (and burn!). Finally, don’t be too fussed if the lining of the tin looks a little messy, it’s supposed to be a rough and ready ‘look’!

600g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature

175g caster sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

300ml sour cream, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

25g cornflour

*20cm springform cake tin with sides no deeper than 6cm

1. First of all you need to line your cake tin. This is simply a matter of taking two long pieces of baking parchment with enough length to fit into the tin with an overhang of 5-7cm. Press the first length down into the tin and then take the second piece and lay it across, perpendicularly, the first piece, so that the tin is completely lined. It will look messy and creased! I find that it helps to place something heavy in the tin to keep the paper in place until you need it.
2. Using a mixer/processor, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until it is light and smooth – this should be done for quite some time – at least 3 minutes (if by chance you do mix it by hand it will need elbow grease and more time!).
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one fully before adding the next. Then add the sour cream, continuing to beat the mixture to fully combine.
4. Slow down the mixer to beat in the corn flour and finally beat in the salt.
5. Before pouring the mixture into the cake tin, use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and give the mixture a final stir. Pour into the tin (having removed whatever you have used to weigh down the lining!!) and rap the tin a few times on the work surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
6. Place in an oven, 200’c fan, for 50 minutes, by which time it will have risen and be chestnut brown in places. It will, however, still seem undercooked and very ‘jiggly’ but do not be tempted to cook it for longer as it will set as it cools.
7. Remove the tin to a rack and leave to cool. It will sink – it isn’t supposed to look pretty! After about 3 hours it will be cool enough to eat.
8. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge, as you prefer. To serve, unclip the sides and lift it up with the edges of the parchment. Place it on a plate with the parchment still around, peeling it back to cut into slices. If using, serve the liquorice sauce on the side (recipe below).

Liquorice Sauce

If you are a liquorice lover, this sauce from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’, is definitely a ‘must try’. It’s a good accompaniment to the Basque Burnt Cheesecake (above), but is also wonderful simply spooned over vanilla ice-cream! It will keep well in the fridge.

*You can get the liquorice pellets from good Italian delis or online at Amazon – I used Amarelli Spezzata.

15g hard pure Italian liquorice pellets

90g caster sugar

300ml water

Pinch of fine sea salt (optional)

1. Put the pellets in a small saucepan with 300ml water. Stir in the sugar. Place over a low heat until the liquorice has melted – giving it a stir now and again.
2. Now turn up the heat and let it bubble away until it has reduced to about 150ml and is syrupy –  this can take up to 20 minutes.
3. Taste, adding a pinch of salt if you desire before serving.

I’m hoping that that sun will be out in Suffolk this week as we are holidaying there!…We have booked an Airb&b cottage near to Framlingham, I have since discovered that this is Ed Sheeran’s home town – his song ‘Castle on the Hill’ was referring to Framlinghams’s very own castle! Anyway, apart from star spotting(!), I am looking forward to discovering yet another corner of the UK  that I have never really visited. I have researched a few nearby gastro pubs (watch out for my reviews), but I will probably cook a couple of lunches and dinners so that we can relax and enjoy our rented cottage and its garden. Cooking in an ‘unknown’ kitchen, without ones trusted utensils, can be a challenge, plus I don’t want to spend too much time at the stove, so I have been thinking about a few menus which will require little effort. I thought that this week I would share these, as no doubt they will be useful for you to have, not only for cooking at home but also away!…

Menu One is ‘One Pot Summer Chicken’, all you have to do is brown the chicken pieces and cook them in a pot with some stock and lovely fresh vegetables – baby gem lettuces, asparagus and peas. It really doesn’t need much to accompany it, just a good glass of wine and hopefully some warm weather to enjoy it al fresco; although, some steamed new potatoes wouldn’t be a bad thing. Menu Two is ‘Mullet with a Mustard Crust’, this is simply a case of mixing the mustards and spreading them over fish, then baking them in the oven for about 20 minutes. Once again a good salad and steamed potatoes are a good accompaniment. Finally, not one but two recipes for this month’s ‘Blast from the Past’ recipe. I posted these last July, both recipes use Sauce Vierge, which is a no cook tomato and herb sauce. The sauce can be served with fish – in this case simply pan fried plaice or for an even simpler alternative and a vegetarian option, it is delicious served with spaghetti – ‘Spaghetti alla Sauce Vierge’!

Enjoy…See you next Tuesday for my ‘Tuesday Treat’!

(Don’t forget to check out my ‘Eating Out’ page for new restaurant reviews – just recently I enjoyed ‘Bocca di Lupo’ in Soho and ‘Claude Bosi’ in South Kensington!)

One Pot Summer Chicken with Asparagus, Peas & Lettuce (Serves 4)

This is such an easy dinner dish, all you have to do is brown the chicken pieces and cook them in a pot with some stock and lovely fresh vegetables – baby gem lettuces, asparagus and peas. I particularly love the baby gem lettuces in this dish, they are one of my favourite summer vegetables; if you haven’t cooked them on their own before, you really should try them – see my recipe here! It really doesn’t need much to accompany it, just a good glass of wine although, some steamed new potatoes wouldn’t be a bad thing!

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 small chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 baby gem lettuces, halved lengthways

400ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 thyme sprigs

250g asparagus

160g fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons crème fraiche

Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

1. First of all prepare your asparagus, snap off and discard the woody ends and if the tips are particularly large cut them in half lengthways. Keep to one side.
2. Place a wide, large casserole dish with the oil over a high heat, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook on a high heat until the skin has browned. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, stir, then add the lettuce halves, cut side down, for 30 seconds. Then flip them over and add the stock and thyme and bring everything to the boil.
4. Lower the heat to just below boiling and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Add the asparagus and peas and cook for a further 6-8 minutes until al dente.
6. Check the chicken thighs are cooked through and lift out onto a plate.
7. Stir in the crème fraiche and chopped parsley, season to taste.
8. Return the chicken to the pan to serve at the table.

Mullet with a Mustard Crust (Serves 4)

Such a lovely way to cook this fish and so tasty! It is simply a case of mixing the mustards and spreading them over, then baking the fish in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with a good salad (use a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – recipe below) and steamed potatoes.

4 Red Mullet, gutted and scaled

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

200g grainy mustard (such as Meaux)

Olive oil

1. Make 3 incisions across the fish on each side.
2. Mix the Dijon and grainy mustard together and spread quite thickly over the fish – you may not use all of the mustard mix.
3. Lightly oil a large baking tray, place the fish on it and bake in the oven, 200’c fan, for 20 minutes.
4. Serve at once with steamed potatoes and a good salad – I like to dress it with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe below.

Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Make up a salad as desired and dress with this honey-mustard vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

Finely grated zest and juice of half an unwaxed lemon

1 teaspoon of honey

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Whisk all the ingredients together.

‘Blast from the Past Recipes‘

I first posted the following two recipes last July, they are perfect summer dishes…if you haven’t already tried them, I urge you to now!!…

Fillet of Sole with Sauce Vierge (Serves 4)

Sauce Vierge is a French sauce generally made with tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and herbs, there are many variations but my favourite version is one I found in a cookbook by Nina Parker, ‘Nina’s St Tropez’. It balances the flavours of the vinegar and lemon juice perfectly with the herbs, and is an ideal accompaniment to a delicate fish like sole. It is also a great sauce for pasta – so keep any leftovers for lunch the next day (recipe below)! This fish dish should be kept simple so that the delicate flavour of the sole is not overpowered – so  serve simply with fine green beans and steamed new potatoes.

2 large knobs of butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

4 sole fillets

Juice of 1 lemon, plus one lemon quartered to serve

Sea salt and black pepper

For the Sauce Vierge:

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

Bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

300g tomatoes, about 4 medium

4 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons caster sugar

Juice ½ lemon

60ml olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, deseed, discarding any liquid – pat them dry on kitchen roll, slice into strips, then finely dice, add to a bowl along with the other sauce ingredients, mix well and season to taste.
2. To cook the sole, melt a knob of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat, add half the garlic. Reduce the heat to medium, add two of the fillets, skin side down, cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Just before turning the fish add half of the lemon juice. Carefully turn the fish over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove to a warmed plate whilst you cook the other 2 fillets in the same way.
5. Serve immediately with the Sauce Vierge and the lemon wedges, fine green beans and steamed new potatoes.

Spaghetti with Sauce Vierge (Serves 4)

This is a perfect summer pasta dish, a delicious ‘no cook’ sauce for spaghetti with the added bonus of being vegetarian!

400g Spaghetti

Sauce Vierge – recipe above

1. Make up the sauce vierge – see recipe above.
2. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions until al dente.
3. Drain the spaghetti and mix with the sauce vierge.

Chocolate and Cherry Pavlova

I only discovered this recipe last week, it is incredibly delicious so I had to share it straightaway!!..It is inspired by the retro dessert, black forest gateau, but made with chocolate meringue instead of sponge – it’s fantastic. The recipe is from Rosie Birkett’s cookbook ‘The Joyful Home Cook’, and with recipes like this, it truly is a joyous book! Cherries are in season at the moment, but this recipe would work well year-round, even when they are out of season, as they are macerated in Marsala wine which sweetens them. Although it is made with meringue, once made up, this dessert does keep quite well in the fridge as unlike traditional meringues it is mixed with hazelnuts and chocolate which give it a coarser texture that doesn’t dissolve with the addition of cream. Having said that, I do think it tastes better fresh, and there won’t be much leftover once you get started on it!…

100g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate), roughly broken up

4 egg whites

220g caster sugar

½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

100g blanched, skinless hazelnuts, roughly chopped

500g cherries, pitted

175ml Marsala wine or cherry liqueur

350ml double cream

10g dark chocolate for grating

1. First, macerate the cherries. Put them in a bowl and cover with the Marsala wine, tossing them so that they are thoroughly coated. Set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (a bain-marie).
3. Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually, in batches, add the caster sugar, whisking constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy. Whisk in the vinegar. Pour the melted chocolate down the sides of the bowl, turning the bowl to distribute it evenly, then add the nuts and fold them through lightly so that the meringue is marbled with the chocolate.
4. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment, draw a 20cm circle on each and spread the meringue mixture evenly onto each circle – creating two meringue discs.
5. Bake in a preheated oven, 110’c fan, for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, lift the meringues and parchment onto wire racks to cool.
6. Whip up the cream until it just forms soft peaks – being careful not to over-whip it.
7. Drain the Marsala from the macerating cherries and fold it into the cream – it will seem runny at first but will thicken as you incorporate it. Now fold in half of the cherries.
8. Peel the baking parchment from the cooled meringues. Place one of the meringues on a serving plate, spread with just over half the cream mixture and top with the other meringue disc. Top with the remaining cream mixture and then the remaining cherries. Grate over the dark chocolate and serve.