Upside-down blueberry and elderflower cake

If you're thinking of celebrating Midsummer Day this weekend here’s a fabulous pudding cake from my friend Scandinavian food writer, Signe Johansen’s Scandilicious Baking.

Signe writes: There is something gloriously nostalgic and retro about fruity upside-down cakes. I adore this blueberry one with its beautiful deep indigo colour, hint of elderflower and light sponge made with Greek yoghurt. This is a real crowd-pleaser, great for celebrations and special occasions. This cake doesn’t keep well as the blueberries lose their fresh intensity relatively quickly after cooking, so be sure to get your friends around to enjoy it on the day of baking!

Serves 8-10

400g fresh or frozen blueberries

50ml elderflower cordial

4 medium eggs

250g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g refined spelt (or plain) flour

125g ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp fine sea salt

125g butter, melted

125g Greek yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3-4, and lightly oil a 23cm round cake tin (springform, if you have one). Wrap the outside of the tin in a layer of aluminium foil to create a tight seal, in order to prevent any blueberry juice leaking out. Spread the blueberries evenly over the base of the cake tin, drizzle with elderflower cordial and set aside to macerate.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl (or mixer) for 5-8 minutes until pale and fluffy. When you remove the whisk, the trail of mixture it leaves on the surface should remain visible for 2-3 seconds. Combine the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

Gradually mix the melted butter, yoghurt and dry ingredients in to the beaten egg mixture in stages, alternating between them, until you have a smooth, thick cake batter.

Pour the batter over the blueberries and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top looks golden and feels springy and firm to the touch. The sides should be slighty lifting away from the edges of the cake tin. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before releasing the springform (if applicable), carefully flipping the cake upside down on to a plate so that the blueberries are facing upwards and removing the tin.

This cake is wonderful just as it is, or you could try it with a scoop of good vanilla or clotted cream ice cream, or perhaps a dollop of Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche.

Variations:
Try this with raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, mixed summer berries, cherries, cloudberries or thinly sliced or quartered plums, apricots or rhubarb. Apples work really well too, but be sure to cut in thin slices and fan them out on the bottom of the cake tin as this helps to cook them properly (plus it looks pretty!)

What to drink: I'm not sure you really need wine with cake but if you're serving it as a pudding you might fancy a glass. I'd go for a sweet Bordeaux like Sauternes or a wine from one of the Bordeaux satellites like Loupiac, Cadillac or Saussignac or a late harvest Sauvignon. An auslese or other late harvest riesling should work too.

© Signe Johansen 2012. Recipe extracted from Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen, published by Saltyard Books, £25 www.signejohansen.com

Walnut meringue cake with buttermilk cream and poached rhubarb

If you're looking for a show-stopping dessert to serve for a summer party try this utterly delicious tiered meringue cake I tasted (correction, 'ate') the other day at The Three Crowns.

I managed to inveigle the chef Lee Urch into giving us the recipe. Do give it a try!

Lee writes: "This 'cake' is a matter of quick assembly so you need your three components ready for use and a large pretty platter or tray to carry it to the table."

For the Walnut Meringues (makes 10)

400g egg whites (about 8 medium eggs)

800g caster sugar

200g walnut pieces (the freshest you can find)

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Then slowly add half of the caster sugar until you have a stiff and glossy meringue (easy in a Kitchen Aid of course). Your mix must be stiff as possible at this point before carefully folding in the remaining sugar and the walnuts.

Taking a large metal spoon - scoop out 10 meringues onto a baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment (a small blob of meringue mix in each corner of the baking sheet will hold it in place)

Place in a preheated 150°C oven. Close the door and immediately turn down to 110°C. Bake for 50 mins. Allow meringues to cool and harden before using.

For the rhubarb

6 sticks (about 800g) of rhubarb (as pink as possible)

100g caster sugar

peel of 1 orange, cut into strips

1 piece of stem ginger, finely grated

Chop the rhubarb into 3cm pieces. Wash this well and place in a single layer in a large ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the caster sugar, orange peel (this can be discarded once cooked) and the grated ginger. Cover the dish tightly with foil and place in a 150°C oven for 15-20mins until the rhubarb is tender but still holds it shape and you have a lovely pink juice in the bottom of the dish. Let the rhubarb cool in the dish before using. As with most of these things it's best if it doesn't see the fridge!

Buttermilk cream

2 cups of buttermilk

1 cup of double cream

2/3 cup of caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

1pkt gelatine powder or 4 sheets of gelatine

Dissolve the gelatine as per the manufacturer's instructions. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl combine half the double cream and the buttermilk until smooth.

In a small saucepan dissolve the sugar and the other half of the double cream and scrape in your vanilla pod. Let this infuse over a low heat but do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in your prepared gelatine. Add this to the buttermilk and cream mix. Set in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

The cream should not set solid and will hardly hold its shape when scooped over your meringues - and be all the better for it!

Now you have all the components ready it's time for the fun part:

Whip a pint of double cream quite stiffly but take care it doesn't go buttery. Pile up your meringues on your platter - using the cream to keep them in place. Try and get as much height as possible for that spectacular look!

Once you have your 'mountain' (see my rather dark and blurry picture taken at the restaurant) you can now tumble over the cooled fruit and pour/scoop over your buttermilk cream. Finish off the whole affair with a dash of extra chopped walnuts and a good dusting of icing sugar. A big spoon is a must so all your guests can get stuck in to the mighty stack....

Note: this pudding contains nuts.

What to drink: I'd go for a Moscato d'Asti with this but you could try an off-dry sparkling rosé

Supreme of guinea fowl with broad beans, fresh morels and herb gnocchi

A smashing recipe from Chris and Jeff Galvin's Galvin: a Cookbook de Luxe which you could make to impress on Father's Day. It's one of those books that teaches you to cook like a Michelin-starred chef - so also a great present for any Dad who fancies himself in the kitchen.

Chris and Jeff write: This is one of those delightful dishes where all the ingredients come into season at the same time. If you can't get fresh morels, use any good wild mushrooms in season

Serves 4

2 guinea fowl crowns (the main body with the legs taken off)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 quantity of Herb Gnocchi (see below)
3 tablespoons olive oil
40 small fresh morel mushrooms
160g shelled broad beans, blanched and thin outer skin removed
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

For the herb paste
90g softened unsalted butter
80g curly parsley, chopped
100g fresh white breadcrumbs

For the sauce
1/2 garlic clove
50ml white wine
1 sprig of thyme
300ml Brown Chicken Stock (see the book or substitute your own home-made stock)
1/2 lemon

First, make the herb paste to go under the guinea fowl skin. Put the butter, parsley and breadcrumbs in a blender or food processor and blitz until they combine. Transfer to a piping bag.

Prepare the guinea fowl. Remove the wishbone and wings from the birds (these are used in the sauce later), then push your fingers between the skin and breasts to loosen. Pipe the herb paste into this cavity on both birds and spread it out evenly.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan until smoking hot. Seal the guinea fowl on both breasts in the pan until golden brown. Transfer the pan to an oven preheated to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and cook for 25 minutes, basting regularly. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Once rested, remove the breasts from the crowns and keep warm.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, chop the wing bones into very small pieces. Heat a heavy-based saucepan, just big enough to hold the bones in a single layer, until it is very hot. Add the chopped bones to the pan with the garlic and reduce the heat slightly. There is no need to add any oil as the wings will start to release fat as they cook.

Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, ensuring the pan is hot enough to roast the bones but not so hot that they burn. You are looking for the wing pieces to turn a deep golden yellow colour. Add the white wine and thyme and cook until reduced by three-quarters. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10–15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to a light coating consistency. Season with salt, if necessary, and finish with 1 or 2 drops of lemon juice. Pass the sauce through a piece of muslin or a fine sieve.

Just before serving, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the gnocchi and sauté for 2–3 minutes or until golden all over. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the morels and sauté gently for 2–3 minutes or until tender. Season with a little salt. At the same time, reheat the broad beans in a pan of boiling salted water. Drain, then sauté the beans in the remaining olive oil for 30 seconds and season with salt.

To serve, slice each guinea fowl breast into 3 and place in the centre of each serving plate. Surround with the gnocchi, morels and broad beans. Finally spoon over a little sauce and serve immediately.

What to drink: This is the perfect dish to pair with a fine red burgundy or other top Pinot Noir. Premier cru Chablis or another subtly oaked Chardonnay would also be a good match.

Herb Gnocchi
Makes 20

1 large Desiree potato, weighing about 400g
100g fine sea salt
1 small free-range egg
35g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
50g Italian ‘00’ flour
1 tablespoon of chopped mixed herbs (chervil, parsley and tarragon)
8g sea salt
freshly ground white pepper

Wash the potato well and prick it with a fork. Place the fine salt on a small baking tray, put the potato on top and place in an oven preheated to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Bake for about 11/2 hours, until tender. Remove from the oven, cut the potato in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Pass it through a fine sieve into a bowl; you should have about 200g sieved potato.

Lightly beat the egg with the Parmesan, them work this mixture into the potato with a spatula or wooden spoon. Make sure the mixture is well combined but be careful not to overwork it. Add the flour, herbs and salt and a few twists of pepper and mix together to make a dough. Turn the dough out on to a work surface and shape into a long sausage, about 1.5cm thick. Cut it into 20 pieces.

Add the gnocchi to a large pan of boiling salted water. They will sink to the bottom initially but when they rise to the top, they are cooked. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, refresh in iced water and then drain well.

Galvin: a Cookbook de Luxe is published by Absolute Press at £25. Photograph ©Lara Holmes. For more about the Galvins' restaurants see www.galvinrestaurants.com

 

 

Pea, parsley & cheddar dip with pumpkin seed crackers

A recipe from a charming and inventive cookbook this week - blogger Rejina Sabur-Cross's Gastrogeek. I've picked it because I love dips - who doesn't? - but also because of the amazing-looking crackers.

Regina writes: "This is one of my all time favourite dips, and the crackers are insanely easy to make – in fact every time I’m in the supermarket and I see those expensive packets of gourmet crackers, I always remember just what a piece of cake it is to bake these and make a beeline straight for the flour section instead. Perfect for snacking on in front of the telly or passing round with drinks.

Serves 4

For the dip

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon salt

150g frozen petits pois, defrosted

2 tablespoons soured cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1‑2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

70g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

25g toasted pine nuts

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic powder

freshly ground black pepper

Crush the garlic clove with 1 teaspoon of salt to form a paste. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining dip ingredients. Blitz together using a hand-held electric blender and place in the fridge to chill.

For the crackers

50g plain or spelt flour, plus extra for dusting

50g wholemeal or rye flour

5 teaspoons of seeds of your choice

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or other hard cheese, for sprinkling

pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix the flours with about 6 tablespoons of water to form a supple dough. Turn a roasting tin or baking sheet upside down, dust it with flour and roll the dough out to cover the tin. It should be nice and thin - don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Sprinkle the dough with a little water and from a slight height (to ensure even distribution) sprinkle over the seeds, cheese and a pinch of salt. Pop the inverted tin in the oven and bake for 15‑20 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Remove and slide a spatula under to loosen the cracker before breaking up into big bite-size shards.

Serve the hot crackers with the cold dip. Any leftover crackers will keep in an airtight container for a few days.

What to drink: I'd probably go for a Sauvignon Blanc or Semillon with this but you could drink an Italian white like a Vermentino, a rosé or even a glass of sparkling wine like a Cava.

Gastrogeek by Rejina Sabur-Cross is published by Kyle Books, priced £15.99. Photography: Chris Terry