Hello July! How are you all? I hope you are all very well and have been enjoying the lovely sunny weather? Did you enjoy last month’s recipes and love making them too? I hope you did.
This month I have made 3 recipes that are 3 of my wonderful mum’s favourites and they are also very seasonal indeed.
My first recipe is a summer leek, broad bean and runner bean risotto. It is so unbelievably good and oh so creamy. It is very seasonal with broad beans and runner beans at their best in July. Delicious!
My second recipe is one of my mum’s favourites, it’s a black cherry clafoutis that I serve warm dusted with icing sugar and served with clotted cream ice cream. Yummy!
My third recipe this month is again one of my mum’s favourites, it’s my caramelised peach and raspberry meringues with my homemade strawberry ice cream and a delicious homemade mango and passion fruit coulis. I use shop bought meringues as I find they tend to be more stable to fill than homemade ones but they are just as tasty! This recipe is so summery and perfect for any occasion.
I really hope you love all of these recipes and enjoy making them as much as I did! Have a lovely July! It’s my lovely mum’s birthday in a few days so happy birthday mama! I hope you all have a wonderful July and enjoy the beautiful sun. See you all in August and have fun cooking!
Summer Leek, Broad Bean and Runner Bean Risotto
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large leek
200g cooked broad beans
150g runner beans
Olive oil
300g risotto rice
1 and 3/4 pint vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp crème fraîche
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh herbs-oregano, chives and parsley
Method
- To make this delicious summer risotto, string the runner beans and slice them into 2cm pieces, then cook in a saucepan of boiling water until tender.
- Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the leek and cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Season well with black pepper.
- Stir in the rice and broad beans and cook for a further 1 minute, stirring continuously. Pour in the stock and stir. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the rice is just tender.
- Stir in the creme fraiche and season with black pepper, then cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped herbs, then serve.
Black Cherry Clafoutis with Clotted Cream Ice Cream
Serves 6
Ingredients
300g stoned fresh black cherries
1/2 tbsp softened butter-for greasing
1 tbsp golden caster sugar-for greasing
Batter
3 large free range eggs
100g plain flour
100g golden caster sugar
25g melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
To Serve
Icing sugar-to serve
Clotted cream ice cream-to serve
Method
- To make this yummy summer dessert, preheat your oven to gas mark 4.
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and frothy, then fold in the flour with a metal spoon and stir through the melted butter. Set aside. Meanwhile, grease a 25cm round baking dish with the softened butter, then sprinkle over the 1 tbsp sugar.
- Dot the cherries around the base of the dish, then pour over the batter until the cherries are just covered. Bake for 30 minutes, or until puffy and golden.
- Dust the clafoutis with icing sugar and serve warm with the clotted cream ice cream for a truly delicious summer pudding.
Caramelised Peach and Raspberry Meringues with Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream and Homemade Mango and Passion Fruit Coulis
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 meringue nests
3 peaches
Icing sugar
200g raspberries-halved
Coulis
200g mango chunks
200g passion fruit-weighed after scooping out pulp
1 lime-juiced
30g icing sugar
Mint leaves-to serve
Strawberry Ice Cream
250g strawberries
120g caster sugar
1 /2 lemon-juiced
150ml double cream
Method
- To make the ice cream, puree the strawberries and whisk the cream to soft peaks. Fold the caster sugar, lemon juice and strawberry puree through the cream until incorporated, then place in a tub in the freezer. Every hour mix the ice cream until frozen but still soft scoop. This usually takes 6 hours. We usually use our ice cream maker but this method seems to freeze it quicker and keeps it soft scoop.
- To make the coulis, dice the mango to smaller chunks and place in a saucepan with the passion fruit, lime juice and icing sugar. Bring to a low simmer for 10-12 minutes over a low to medium heat making sure it isn’t bubbling, stirring fairly frequently to help thicken the sauce. Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place into a blender and blitz until smooth. Leave to cool completely then place in a jar in the fridge.
- De-stone and quarter the peaches, then sprinkle 2 tbsp of caster sugar in a frying pan and leave to become caramel and reach light brown in colour. Add the peach quarters and cook until the peaches have slightly turned golden, a little tender and caramelised.
- Now we can start assembling. Place a meringue on each plate with a little cream on the bottom to help keep it in place. Top with a scoop of strawberry ice cream, 2 quarters of caramelised peaches, halved raspberries and a drizzle of coulis. Top with a mint leaf and serve immediately for a yummy summer dessert.
Shopping list for all 3 recipes
Check your cupboards first as you may have a lot of these already
Large leek
200g broad beans
150g runner beans
300g risotto rice
Chicken stock
Crème fraîche
Fresh herbs-oregano, chives, parsley, mint leaves
300g stoned black cherries
Olive oil/butter
Golden caster sugar
300ml milk
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Icing sugar
Clotted cream ice cream
6 meringue nests
3 ripe peaches
200g raspberries/250g strawberries
200g mango chunks
200g passion fruit pulp
1 lime/1 lemon
150ml double cream
