Smoked salmon & lemon risotto

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

350g risotto rice, such as Arborio

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1½ l boiling vegetable stock

170g pack smoked salmon, three-quarters chopped

85g mascarpone lite

3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

grated lemon zest, plus squeeze of juice

handful rocket

Method

Fry the onion in the oil for 5 mins. Add the rice and garlic, then cook for 2 mins, stirring continuously. Pour in a third of the stock and set the timer to 20 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and carry on cooking, stirring a bit more frequently, until that has been absorbed.

Pour in the last of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked and creamy. Take from the heat and add the chopped salmon, mascarpone, parsley and lemon zest. Grind in some black pepper, but don’t add salt as the salmon will be salty enough. Leave for 5 mins to settle, then taste and add a little lemon juice if you like. Serve topped with reserved salmon (roughly torn) and some rocket.

Salmon with new potato & corn salad & basil dressing

Ingredients

400g baby new potatoes

2 sweetcorn cobs

4 skinless salmon fillets

2 very large tomatoes, like beefsteak

For the dressing

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, finely chopped

handful basil leaves

Method

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, adding corn for final 5 mins, then drain and allow to cool a little.

For the dressing, mix the vinegar, oil, shallot, capers, basil and some seasoning.

Heat grill to high. Rub a little dressing on the salmon and cook, skinned-side down, for 7-8 mins. Slice tomatoes and place on a serving plate. Slice the potatoes, cut the corn from the cobs and arrange over the tomatoes. Top with the salmon, then drizzle over the remaining dressing.

Salmon with salsa verde

Ingredients

1 x 25g pack dill, roughly chopped

1 x 25g pack mint, tough stalks removed and roughly chopped

1 x 25g pack flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 x 25g pack chives, roughly chopped

1½ tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp capers

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

1 x 200g tin green olive stuffed with anchovies, drained (85g)

2 lemons, juice only

4 salmon fillets

To serve (optional)

175g wild and white basmati rice

50g stoned marinated black kalamata olives

75g toasted pine nuts

1 red pepper, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. To make the salsa verde, put the herbs, mustard, capers, pine nuts, olives and the juice of the 1 ½ lemons in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

Put the salmon fillets on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Squeeze over the juice of the remaining half lemon and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until cooked through.

If serving with the rice, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Mix together the olives, pine nuts and red pepper. Once the rice is cooked, stir through the olive mix.

Pile the salsa verde on top of the salmon fillets. Serve with the rice.

كيكة الشكلاط بكريمة الشكلاط

المقادير
500 جم شكولاتة سادة - غامقة، مقطعة قطع صغيرة
2 ملعقة كبيرة نسكافيه
4 بيض - مضروب
2/3 كوب سكر
1/2 كوب سكر
2 1/2 كوب سكر
1/2 كوب بودرة كاكاو
1/2 كوب كريمة لباني
2 1/2 كوب دقيق
1/2 ملعقة صغيرة بيكربونات الصودا
1/2 كوب لبن
250 جم زبد
2 ملعقة كبيرة زيت ذرة -



طريقة الطهى
1. فى إناءعميق، يسخن الزبد والنسكافية و ½ كمية الشيكولاتة ¾ كوب ماء على درجة حرارة منخفضة حتى تذوب الشيكولاتة ويصبح الخليط آملس.
2. فى وعاء، يضاف الدقيق والنيسكويك والباكينج صودا ويضاف 2 ½ كوب سكر ثم البيض واللبن. تقلب كل المكونات جيداً باستخدام ملعقة. تضاف الشيكولاتة الذائبة للخليط وتخلط جيداً مع باقى المكونات حتى تمزج.
3. يسخن الفرن على درجة حرارة 160. تدهن صينية للفرن ويوضع الخليط ويخبز لمدة ساعة و40 -50 دقيقة أو حتى تغرز سكينة فى وسط الكيكة وتخرج نظيفة. تخرج الصينية من الفرن وتترك لتبرد تماماً ثم ترفع الكيكة من الصينية وتترك.
4. فى إناء عميق صغير، توضع باقى الشيكولاتة والكريمة و ⅔ كوب سكر وتسخن على درجة حرارة منخفضة حتى تذوب الشيكولاتة وتغلى. تترك لمدة 5 دقائق ثم ترفع من النار وتترك لتبرد.
5. توضع الكيكة فى طبق للتقديم وتغطى من فوق وجميع الجوانب بالشيكولاتة. تزين بأى طريقة ترغبين بها.

Three-cheese soufflés

Ingredients

50g butter, plus extra for greasing

25g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated

300ml full-fat milk

2 bay leaves

5 tbsp plain flour

½ tsp English mustard powder

pinch of cayenne pepper

140g Gruyère (or vegetarian alternative), grated

3 eggs, separated

8 slices goat's cheese (see 'Try', below)

150ml double cream

salad leaves, to serve (see 'Try', below)

Peach Melba trifle

Ingredients

12 amaretti biscuits, broken in half

150ml orange juice (a good carton one is fine)

4 ripe peaches or nectarines

225g jar raspberry coulis or sauce

500g carton vanilla custard

284ml carton double cream

Method

Put the amarettis into a glass bowl and pour over the orange juice. Slice the peaches or nectarines and save a few good slices. Add the rest to the bowl and mix lightly. Drizzle over a little raspberry coulis, followed by the custard.

Whip the cream until it just holds its shape then spoon over the trifle. Top with the reserved peach slices and drizzle with a little more raspberry coulis. Chill for up to 2 hours, until ready to serve.

Blueberry trifle

Ingredients

For the custard

25g golden caster sugar

2 tsp custard powder

2½ tsp cornflour

350ml semi-skimmed milk

1 egg yolk

1 vanilla pod, slit lengthways

200ml/7 fl oz tub half-fat crème fraîche

For the cake

50g golden caster sugar

2 eggs

50g self-raising flour

2 tbsp wild blueberry ‘St Dalfour with no added sugar’ fruit spread

3 tbsp marsala

For the fruit

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

zest 1 small lime

225g blueberries

For the topping

200g / 8oz tub organic Greek yogurt

250g / 9oz tub light mascarpone

2 tsp golden caster sugar

Method

Make the custard: blend the sugar, custard powder and cornflour with 1 tbsp milk to make a runny paste. Beat in the egg yolk. Pour the remaining milk into a pan, scrape in the vanilla seeds, add the pod, then allow to come just to the boil. Stir this into the cornflour paste, then pour into a clean pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until thickened. Remove from the heat, then stir in the crème fraîche until smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming, allow to cool, then chill until completely cold.

Make the cake: heat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly oil and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Put the sugar and eggs into a bowl. Whisk with electric beaters for 5 mins until very thick, paler in colour and the consistency of whipped cream. Sift over the flour and quickly, but lightly, fold it in. Spoon the mixture into the tin and carefully level it, being careful not to squash it. Bake for 25 mins until risen, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Peel off lining paper. Halve the cake so you have a semi-circle. (The other half can be frozen for another time.) Split the semi-circle in half with a knife, then sandwich back together with fruit spread.

Put the sugar and lime zest for the fruit into a pan with 2 tbsp water. Bring slowly to the boil until the sugar has dissolved, then bubble for 1½-2 mins until syrupy. Tip in the blueberries, then cook very briefly, stirring once or twice only, just until they start to burst and release their juices (but still stay whole) and you get a purple syrup. Set aside to cool.

The sponge and custard layers can be built up to 2-3 hrs ahead of when you want to serve. Cut the jammy sponge into cubes, then place in the base of a glass dish. Drizzle over the Marsala. Keep about ¼ of the berries back for the top, then spoon the rest over the sponge with a little syrup. Discard the pod from the custard, then pour it over the fruit.

Just before serving, beat the yogurt, mascarpone and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Pile onto the custard, then drizzle over the reserved fruit and syrup. Use a skewer to swirl some of the juices through the creamy topping. Serve straight away or the syrup discolours the topping. This is best eaten the same day.

Salmon en croûte

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large shallots, finely chopped

140g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

juice ½ lemon

100g packet watercress, chopped

2 tbsp snipped dill

1 tbsp snipped chive

2½ tbsp half fat crème fraîche

6 sheets filo pastry each about 38 x 30cm (125g total weight)

2 x 350g skinned salmon fillets

Method

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the shallots and fry for 2-3 mins to soften, then add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir-fry over a high heat for another 3-4 mins, or until the mushrooms and shallots are golden and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Pour in the lemon juice – after a few seconds, that should have evaporated too. Remove from the heat, then stir in the watercress so it wilts in the warmth from the pan (see step 1). Stir in the dill and chives, and season with a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. When the mushroom mix is cool, stir in the crème fraîche. Lay one of the filo sheets on the worktop with the short end facing you. Brush all over with a little of the remaining oil. Layer up 4 more of the filo sheets in the same way, brushing each with a little of the oil.

Lay one of the salmon fillets, skin-side up, across the width of the filo, positioning it about one-third of the way up. Season it with pepper. Spoon and spread the cooled mushroom mix over the top of the fillet (see step 2). Lay the other salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Season again. Fold the short end of pastry nearest to you over the salmon, then bring the other end over to completely enclose the salmon (see step 3), lifting it so the join can tuck under it. Fold both pastry ends over as neatly as you can.

Brush the outside with a bit more of the remaining oil. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo, pressing it lightly on top in big folds (see step 4), then carefully brush with the last of the oil. Can be prepared 3-4 hrs ahead up to this point and chilled. Transfer the salmon parcel to the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check while it cooks and if the top starts to brown too quickly, lay a sheet of foil very loosely over it. Remove from the oven and let the salmon sit for 2-3 mins before slicing.