To make the blood orange curd, put the orange zest and juices in a saucepan. Put the cornflour in a small bowl, along with 6 tablespoons of the orange juice mixture, and mix well until smooth. Add the cornflour mixture to the saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken. When thick, add the egg yolks and sugar and stir over low heat for a further 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, cube by cube. Add the Angostura bitters and remove from the heat. Pour the curd into the cooked tart shell.
Turn the oven down to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 4.
To make the meringue, rub the lemon wedge around the inside of a spotlessly clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg whites and whisk on high speed until they form stiff peaks, then decrease the mixing speed to medium and gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously. Whisk for 10–15 minutes until you have a stiff meringue and all the grains of sugar have dissolved.
Dollop spoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the curd, swirling to create peaks. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes–1 hour until the meringue is crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin and slicing.
Rhubarb and Pistachio Frangipane Tart
The vibrant green and pink tones in this tart, from the pistachios and the rhubarb, make this a rather show-stopping creation. And it tastes delicious – the slight sourness of the rhubarb, combined with the sweet and nutty frangipane, makes it a dish you will want to go back to for second helpings!
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SERVES: 10 | PREP TIME: 35 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR 25 MINUTES
FOR THE PASTRY
175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
pinch of fine sea salt
115g cold butter, cubed
50g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 egg yolk
FOR THE RHUBARB
200g caster sugar
2 tbsp grenadine
400g rhubarb, cut into 4cm pieces
FOR THE FRANGIPANE
100g caster sugar
100g soft butter
2 eggs
125g shelled pistachios
pinch of sea salt
To make the pastry, rub together the flour, salt and cold butter in a bowl until the mixture has a breadcrumb-like texture (or blitz in a food processor). Stir in the sugar and gradually add the beaten egg to form a soft, pliable dough (you will not need all the egg). Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3–5mm and use it to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin, leaving a little excess pastry to hang over the edges. Return to the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 8.
Line the chilled pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Sit the tart case on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake the tart case for a further 10–15 minutes, until it starts to turn golden and become firm. Remove the baking beans and parchment, brush with the egg yolk and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until evenly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, trim away the excess pastry with a sharp knife.
To cook the rhubarb, put the caster sugar and grenadine in a large saucepan. Top up with 400ml water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Place the rhubarb pieces in the hot liquid and simmer for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and allow the rhubarb to continue to cook in the liquid for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the rhubarb from the liquid into a bowl using a slotted spoon and place in the fridge to cool. Place the saucepan of cooking liquor back on the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Boil until syrupy – keep a close eye on it towards the end to prevent it burning. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the frangipane, beat together the sugar and butter in a bowl until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Put the pistachios in a blender and pulse until they have a breadcrumb-like texture, then mix them into the butter mix with the salt.
Spread the frangipane on the bottom of the pastry case then gently press in the cooked rhubarb pieces. Bake in the oven for 45–50 minutes, until deep golden and the frangipane has just set in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature before removing the tart from the tin. Warm the reduced rhubarb cooking liquor and brush it over the tart before serving.
MARCUS’ TIP:
When working with pastry you need to be as quick as you can, and touch it as little as possible. Any heat, from your hands or the air, will soften it, thus making it difficult to roll and line a tart case with. If it starts to get too soft and tricky to work with, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes at a time to firm up again.
Garden Focaccia
Freshly baked, herb-infused bread smells so wonderful. It takes some willpower not to sit down with a bowl of good olive oil and eat your way through a generous portion of it as soon as it’s out of the oven. It’s Italian in style and very simple and straightforward to make. In this recipe, I encourage you to do a little mixing and matching. Herbs work well, of course, but also vegetables and fruit – a few of my favourite additions are cherry tomatoes, gooseberries, blackcurrants, fennel and asparagus. Practically your five a day.
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MAKES: 1 LARGE FOCACCIA | PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS RISING AND PROVING | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 25 MINUTES
300g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp table salt
30ml olive oil, plus 30ml for drizzling
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast or 23g fresh yeast
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
20cm piece of rhubarb, cut into 1cm-thick slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
½ courgette, sliced lengthways into 3–5mm strips (around 4 strips)
1 tsp flaked sea salt, for the top of the bread
12–16 basil leaves
2 tbsp honey, for drizzling
Mix together the flour and table salt in a bowl.
In a jug, combine 150ml tepid water with the olive oil and yeast (crumbling in the fresh yeast, if using) and mix together. Make a well in the flour and pour the liquid into the well. Mix to form a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead for 7–10 minutes, until smooth. This can be done by hand on a lightly floured surface or using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Lightly grease the inside of a bowl with oil, place the dough in it and cover the bowl with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, add the chopped herbs to the bowl and knead them through the dough.
Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and roll it out into a large rectangle, approximately 18 × 30cm and 1cm thick. Push the rhubarb into the dough and top with the onion, courgette and two-thirds of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, place on a well-floured baking tray, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to prove for 30 minutes.
While the dough is proving, preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 8 with a heavy baking tray inside. After 20 minutes, drizzle the remaining olive oil on the tray and place it back in the oven.
Carefully remove the hot, oiled tray from the oven and slide the proved dough onto it. Turn the oven down to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the basil leaves and drizzle with the honey and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before serving.
Green Olive and Fennel Seed Bread
This versatile bread is great for sandwiches, toast and also just to eat with some good olive oil. We have a fennel seed bread we have served
at our restaurants for quite some time and it creates a very subtle aniseed flavour, without overpowering. If you are not a fennel fan, I would still encourage you to try it. But if you really must, you can swap it for some finely chopped rosemary or thyme.
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MAKES: 1 LARGE LOAF | PREP TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES, PLUS RISING AND PROVING | COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES
1 tbsp fennel seeds
300g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
200g wholemeal flour
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast or 23g fresh yeast
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
2 tsp table salt
50ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling
100g green olives, sliced
Put the fennel seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat and toast for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, moving them gently. Tip them into a mortar and lightly crush with pestle, or grind in a spice grinder. Mix the fennel with the flours, yeast (crumbling the fresh yeast, if using), sugar and salt in a bowl, then add the olive oil and 275ml of tepid water and mix to form a soft, smooth dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead for about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth. This can be done by hand on a lightly floured surface or using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Lightly grease the inside of a clean bowl with oil, place the dough in it and cover the bowl with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface, knock it back, add half the olives and knead it into a long oval-shaped loaf about 25cm long. Arrange the remaining sliced olives on top then transfer to a floured baking sheet. Drizzle the loaf with a little more olive oil, then cover it loosely with clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
While the dough is proving, preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 7.
Once proved, bake the bread in the oven for 25–30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Freshly baked, homemade bread is a great way to introduce kids to brown bread if you are finding they are reluctant to eat shop-bought brown bread. Leave out the olives if they don’t like them. Serve it warm, with their favourite topping.
Pumpkin Seed, Cumin and Cheddar Buns
Pumpkin seeds are loaded with nutrients and are a great way to add texture to any dish. These buns are like pinwheels, and the colour of the seeds makes them rather eye-catching. If you like, you can freeze the whole roll, then defrost and slice for a quick bake – they make a great accompaniment to a bowl of delicious soup for a winter’s lunch.
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MAKES: 12 BUNS | PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES, PLUS RISING | COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES
FOR THE DOUGH
1 tbsp cumin seeds, plus extra for dusting
500g strong white flour
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast or 23g fresh yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra for seasoning
50ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
FOR THE PUMPKIN SEED PASTE
120g pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
150g Cheddar cheese, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the cumin seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat and toast for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, moving them gently. Tip them into a mortar and lightly crush with pestle, or grind in a spice grinder. Mix the cumin with the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and 275ml of tepid water in a bowl to form a soft, smooth dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead for about 10 minutes, until dough is smooth. This can be done by hand on a lightly floured surface or using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Lightly grease the inside of a bowl with oil, place the dough in it and cover the bowl with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Place the pumpkin seeds in a roasting tray and toast in the oven for 10–12 minutes until they start to pop. Set aside 20g of the seeds and put the remaining 100g in a blender or food processor with the pumpkin seed oil and a good pinch each of salt and pepper and pulse until a chunky paste is formed. Tip into a bowl, mix with the grated cheese and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle, about 25 × 40cm and 1cm thick. Spread the pumpkin seed mix onto the dough, leaving a 4cm border along one long edge of the dough. Carefully roll the dough in on itself, starting at one long edge, leaving the border exposed. Brush the border with warm water then fold it over the top of the dough. Roll the bread until the border seal is underneath. Cut the roll into 12 slices and place each piece, cut side up, on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining pumpkin seeds on top of the slices. Carefully cover the entire tray with oiled clingfilm and place somewhere warm to prove for 30 minutes.
Remove the clingfilm and bake the rolls for 25–30 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
These dishes have come about since having children. For the last 17 years we’ve had many different holidays, but the best have been in cottages in the UK, when we shop at local farmers’ markets and in the same familiar supermarkets, then set about creating some wonderful food. I’ve cooked some of my loveliest dishes in a relaxed environment with my family all around me. Wherever you are, whatever you may be doing, you find yourself cooking with an open mind and a glass of wine in your hand, and you’ve got the best people around you. Holidays are special – we don’t get many of them – and these recipes are about being relaxed and having fun with food.
Salmon Pastry
Salmon en croute is a very classic French dish which I used to make when I first started my apprenticeship at the Savoy Hotel. It had to be perfect – a crispy, flaky pastry covering a just-cooked fillet of salmon. I have slightly simplified the process here, so that less can go wrong. Instead of a whole fillet I have used fillet portions, to make individual servings. It makes a great Sunday lunch, served with salad, or a comforting supper served with steamed potatoes.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS SALTING AND CHILLING | COOKING TIME: 25 MINUTES
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp rock salt
½ bunch of dill, fronds finely chopped, stalks chopped
4 × 120–40g pieces of salmon, skinless and pin-boned
80g cream cheese
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 gherkin, finely chopped
1 tsp capers in brine, finely chopped
2 × 320g sheets of all-butter puff pastry, each cut into 4 rectangles, refrigerated
1 egg, beaten
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the fennel and coriander seeds in a small, dry frying pan and toast over medium heat until fragrant. Crush in a spice grinder or using a pestle and mortar then add to the rock salt and chopped dill stalks and stir. Coat the salmon pieces in the salt mixture, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Rinse the salt off the salmon pieces under cold running water then pat them dry with kitchen paper.
Mix the cream cheese, chopped dill fronds, lemon zest, gherkin and capers together in a bowl with a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 7 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Lay 4 of the pastry rectangles on the lined baking tray. Divide the cream cheese mix into 4 and place a spoonful in the centre of each piece of pastry. Smooth it out, leaving a 1cm border around the edges of the pastry. Brush the borders of each pastry piece with the beaten egg.
Place a piece of salmon on top of the cream cheese mix, flipping the skinny end of the salmon un
der the fillet so that it fits well in the rectangle.
Take the remaining 4 pastry rectangles out of the fridge and place them on top of the salmon pieces. Using the side of your hand, carefully press the edges of the 2 pastry pieces together, to seal the salmon in. Using a fork, gently crimp a 5mm border around the edge of each parcel. Brush each parcel with beaten egg then place the entire tray in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Bake the salmon parcels for 20–25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for a few minutes then serve.
MARCUS’ TIP:
This is a dish that needs to be cooked as soon as it is assembled, to avoid a ‘soggy bottom’ on the pastry!
Easter Slow-cooked Leg of Lamb with Spiced Rub
Lamb leg is one of my favourite joints to cook for a family roast and there’s no better time to serve it than Easter. This recipe requires a little planning in advance, as the rub is best left on the lamb for at least 24 hours, so it has the chance to season the meat all the way through. The spices work really well with the aubergine, which absorbs all of the cooking juices, creating a delicious chunky sauce to serve alongside. At home we usually have lamb with buttered new potatoes.
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SERVES: 6 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS MARINATING | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 2 HOURS
1 bone-in leg of lamb (about 1.8kg) (brined for 3 hours if you wish – use 1 quantity of the brine from Crackling’d Slow-cooked Pork Shoulder with Baked Apple Sauce)
Marcus Everyday Page 14