The Recipe Room

Who doesn’t love a cool chocolate or fruit mousse for dessert? Well, now that raspberries are in season (traditionally throughout July and August), what better dessert to make with those freshly picked, or freshly bought, pink, furry, juicy fruits than a delicious raspberry mousse? It makes a real summertime treat for adults and kids alike.

Everyone in my family loves it, and we can never get enough! The best thing about it is that it can be made all year round because frozen raspberries make for an equally great mousse.

Fun fact: I found out the other day that almost all the raspberries sold in the UK are grown in Scotland, and that their production forms an important part of the Scottish economy, particularly in the Tayside area where raspberry farmers earn about £12m a year!

I’d always thought mousses were hard to make, but it’s actually not that difficult, especially if you have an electric whisk! You just need to be very careful and slow when folding in the whipped cream and beaten egg whites so as not to deflate the mixture, and it should be a success! (Also have a go at this white chocolate mousse.)

Watercress! That crunchy, peppery green leaf that’s in season in May! There are lots of meals you can make with it if you use your imagination. I love it stuffed copiously into sandwiches, laced into salads drizzled with honey and balsamic vinegar, and many other ways. But today I’m here to share a really yummy version of  soup – rich and tasty watercress soup.

It’s developed over time, based on several recipes that I’ve tried and tested until I’ve reached this particular set of ingredients. No doubt the recipe will keep evolving; as I love to experiment and move things on after a while. It’s good to keep fresh and enjoy change in life, wouldn’t you say? I love the addition of a little Tabasco in this soup; it’s just there in the background giving a little extra twang to your taste buds!

Soup and salad is a perfect meal for spring and summer. Why not pair this soup with a watercress and mango salad?

Watercress is actually a member of the mustard family (which explains its mild heat). When you’ve bought it, cut the stems, wash it really thoroughly and then pat it with kitchen paper. You can store it for up to 4-5 days in the fridge in a plastic bag. Watercress is full of vitamins A and C; contains calcium; and is of course fat and cholesterol free – until you add the cream!

Why not try this wonderful hot apple tart with cream as a great pudding to celebrate any occasion – perfect as apples are in season all year round.

For more apple goodness, try these caramelised apples with real custard.

What you need:

• Pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
• 8 eating apples, whatever you can find that is in season. Washed, peeled and cored.  4 cubed and 4 sliced into thin wedges.
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g caster sugar, plus a sprinkle for caramelising the apples at the end
• ½ tbsp runny honey
• Tub of double cream to serve

What to do:

1. First make the apple filling.  Heat the butter slowly in a pan until it melts before adding the cubed apple pieces and coating them all in the butter.  Cover the pan with its lid and cook the apples over a medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Stir in the honey and cook on for a further 5 minutes.  Now stir in the sugar, and the cinnamon, puréeing the soft apple with the spoon as you do so.  Leave the puréed apple mixture overnight to cool, or if you’re in more of a hurry, you can cool it in the fridge.
2. When you are ready to cook the tart, preheat the oven to 200ºC and line a circular, ceramic oven-proof dish with parchment paper.
3. Roll open the puff pastry and lay it over the baking dish, pressing it gently to the sides of the dish and cutting off any excess pastry around the top edge.
4. Spread the puréed apple into the pastry casing, using a spatula.  Leave a 1.5cm gap of uncovered pastry all around the edge.
5. Place the apple wedges very gently over the apple purée filling, so that they are slightly overlapping, start at the outer edge and work your way into the centre in rings.
6. Bake the tart in the oven for around 15-20 minutes, until the apples turn golden brown in colour.
7. Remove the cooked tart from the oven, sprinkle over a little caster sugar and cinnamon, and under a very hot grill, caramelise the apples.
8. Serve hot with a generous dollop of double cream.

30 minutes to prepare (plus cooling time) 40 minutes to cook

Makes: 4-6 servings

Moules mariniere brings back memories of holidays in the south of France and close to the Spanish border where moules frites (mussels and chips) and mussels in Asturian cider are very popular.

British Mussels are in season in February.  If you’re lucky enough to find good ones, you will soon be making succulent and tasty mussels in a white wine and cream sauce, which you can enjoy as a starter, or as a main meal with nice hunks of granary bread, chips or a mixed salad.  It looks stunning in its presentation and is sophisticated to the palette.

Moules mariniere is most fun prepared in company, sampling the white wine together as you cook.  I use a splash of good white wine from the bottle I want to drink with the meal rather than a cheap cooking wine, which I believe improves the flavour significantly. Try this recipe with a very well chilled oaked chardonnay.

What you need:

• 1.75kg fresh mussels
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 15g butter
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 100ml white wine
• 120ml double cream (substitute for light crème fraiche if desired)

What you do:

1. Wash the mussels thoroughly, removing and binning any that have opened and don’t close when lightly pressed in your fingers.
2. Remove the beards from the mussels – these are the tough and fibrous strands which stick out of the closed shells.  Rinse the mussels once again.
3. Melt the butter in a large pan (which needs to be large enough for the mussels to reach only half way up the pan) and fry the shallots and the onion until soft.
4. Splash in the wine and add the mussels.  Turn up the heat at this point, cover the pan with a lid, and steam the mussels for 3-4 minutes.  Whilst the mussels are cooking, move them about every now and then by gently shaking the pan; there’s no need to remove the lid to do this.
5. Pour in the cream, add the coriander, and remove from the heat.

10-15 minutes to prepare and cook

Makes: 4 generous starters or light main meals