The Food Diaries

Grilled duck breast with Port and cherries

Whisk together 125ml soya sauce with 125ml Sherry. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 2cm intervals in the duck skin (avoid cutting the meat) of 4 duck breasts (160g each). Place the duck and marinade in a glass dish and cover (or I prefer to use a Ziploc plastic bag). Refrigerate between 2-6 hours.

In a medium saucepan place a dozen black cherries (fresh, frozen, or canned), 200ml chicken stock, 200ml beef stock, 125ml ruby Port and 1 sprig fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, and then simmer till the liquid has reduced down to a thickish sauce (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat. Remove the duck from the marinade and place skin side down in the skillet. Cook until much of the fat has melted into the pan and the skin is crisp (around 10 minutes). Turn over and continue cooking to desired doneness (no more than 5 minutes for medium rare). Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest a couple minutes while you finish the sauce.

Remove the thyme sprig from the sauce. Add 30ml (2tbs) butter to the sauce and whisk till well incorporated.

Slice the duck breasts on a diagonal and fan out on four plates. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve. This goes very nicely with Sweet potato crumble.

I ♥ tomato tart

Bake a shortcrust pastry tart blind (semi-cooked)*.

Meanwhile make your bechamel sauce by warming up 250ml (1 cup) milk. Set aside. In a small saucepan on medium heat melt 1 tbs butter and add 1 tbs flour. Whisk or mix with a wooden spoon till it starts to bubble a bit. Slowly whisk or stir in the milk, ensuring no lumps form. Once all the milk has been incorporated continue stirring till the milk has thickened considerably. Remove from the heat and incorporate 2 tbs sundried tomato paste and 125ml (1/2 cup) grated emmenthal cheese (you can substitute with another mild, white cheese if you like). Season with sea salt and pepper.

Brush the bottom of the semi-cooked tart with 1 tbs creamy dijon mustard. Pour over the bechamel sauce. Layer on rounds of sliced tomatoes (you’ll need about 250g/1/2 lb tomatoes). Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake in the oven (180c) till bubbly and lightly golden (around 15-20 min).

Serve at room temperature. Serves 4.

* Instructions for “blind” baking: [skip to the second paragraph if you have some store-bought shortcrust pastry to hand].

In a food processor (with a pastry hook attached), place 250g butter (or substitute with “good for your heart” cooking margarine) cold and cubed. Add 500g flour and a pinch of salt and pulse till you get a coarse meal. With the motor running slowly add 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water till the mixture forms into a rough dough (do not overbeat). Place on a floured surface and fold over the dough three short times till you get a smooth consistency (do not over knead). Refrigerate 30 minutes before using. Cut the dough in half and set aside one half for another time (it freezes well).

Roll out your dough thinly and place in an 21cm/8-inch round tart pan, trimming the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg yolk, prick the bottom with the tins of a fork and bake in the oven (180c) for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 2-3 minutes

Aubergine (aka eggplant) & red pepper tart

This is a really light, savoury summer tart - which can easily be made dairy-free/vegan.

First up, make your pastry base [skip to the next paragraph if you have some store-bought shortcrust pastry to hand]. In a food processor (with a pastry hook attached), place 250g butter (or substitute with “good for your heart” cooking margarine) cold and cubed. Add 500g flour and a pinch of salt and pulse till you get a coarse meal. With the motor running slowly add 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water till the mixture forms into a rough dough (do not overbeat). Place on a floured surface and fold over the dough three short times till you get a smooth consistency (do not over knead). Refrigerate 30 minutes before using. Cut the dough in half and set aside one half for another time (it freezes well).

Roll out your dough thinly and place in an 21cm/8-inch round tart pan, trimming the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg yolk, prick the bottom with the tins of a fork and bake in the oven (180c) for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 2-3 minutes before using.

Meanwhile, slice 1 large aubergine into rounds (not too thick), brush both sides with a little olive oil, place on a non-stick baking tray in one layer and and bake in the oven at 200c till golden on both sides (turn the aubergine over halfway through) .

While the aubergine is baking, make the sauce. Fry 1 small red onion, finely chopped in a little olive oil on medium heat, till translucent. Add a jar (250g or 1 1/2 cups) of grilled pimiento (mild) peppers along with 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, some chopped fresh thyme, seasoning with sea salt and pepper. Heat through. Puree till smooth.

To assemble: brush the bottom of the semi-cooked tart with either 1tbs creamy Dijon mustard or 1tbs pesto. Spread a couple tablespoons of the red pepper sauce and then place a layer of aubergine overtop to cover. Repeat. Finish with a final layer of sauce and sprinkle on a thin layer of breadcrumbs (around 2tbs).

Put the tart back in the oven for around 15 minutes - or until the breadcrumbs are nicely golden. Garnish with a handful of little basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4.

No-cook appetizers for cool summer snacking

When it gets too hot to cook, switch to these bite-sized snacks, bursting with flavour from new season veggies.

Tomato bruschetta: Rub some croutons with a cut clove of garlic, pile on some chopped tomatoes, top with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and a basil leaf garnish.

Tapenade medley: Rub some croutons with a cut clove of garlic, spread on a thin layer of cream cheese or goat’s cheese, add a blob each of green and black tapenade.

Stuffed cherry tomatoes: Cut cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) in half and gut. Fill with cream cheese or crumbled feta. Top with a peppadew pepper.

Strawberry Kir

In a small wine goblet pour in 1 part creme de fraise or other strawberry liqueur, to 5 parts chilled white Burgundy wine.

Lentil salad with feta, peppers & mint

In a medium pot place 250g Puy lentils (try to source these as they really hold their shape nicely and have a lovely nutty taste to them). Cover with water and add 3 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 small onion, peeled and halved, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 20-25 minutes till tender. Drain and immediately stir in a good glug of olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper.

While the lentils are cooking, crumble 150g feta cheese into a small bowl and add the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Set aside to marinate.

While the lentils are still warm add 1 small jar of sweet roasted peppers (coarsely chopped, or crushed with your hands), 1 stick of celery, very finely diced, the feta cheese and a small handful of mint, chopped.

Serve at room temperature.

You can easily adapt this recipe by (for instance) swapping goat’s cheese for the feta, finely diced tomatoes for the peppers, and parsley or coriander for the mint.

Red endive salad with golden beets, blue cheese & walnuts

Here’s a French classic re-fashioned. Red endives and golden beets provide a lovely contrast in this recipe, though you can easily swap the colours around using yellow endives and red beets instead. Omit the blue cheese for a healthier salad option.

In a salad bowl place 3 red endives, cut in half lengthwise and sliced, 1 small golden beet, scrubbed but still raw, topped and tailed, and very thinly sliced, 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, and 1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts.

To make the salad dressing place the following ingredients in a small jar and shake vigorously: 1 tsp wholegrain mustard, 2 tsp sherry vinegar, 1 tbs walnut oil, 1 tbs rapeseed oil. Pour over the salad. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper.