This Month's Recipe...
June - Starter - Radish and Horseradish Sauce for Grilled Summer Meat
From page 358 of The New English Table.
Get the radish family together for a salsa. It sounds terrible, but is irresistible when eaten with grilled mackerel, sardines, pork, beef or chicken.
Serves 4
1 bunch of radishes (about 20), with their leaves
5cm/2 inch piece of fresh horseradish
2 spring onions, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon English or French mustard, whichever preferred
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Separate the leaves from the radishes, then chop both leaves and radishes into small dice. Put them in a bowl. Grate the horseradish into the bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and leave for 20 minutes or so, until the flavours have amalgamated.
Main – Sea Trout and Lentils
From page 322 of The New English Kitchen.
Lovely colours – grey-greens and pinks, with bright green leaves. No one will ever know this is leftovers.
Serves 4
120g/4oz Puy lentils
240g/8oz cooked sea trout, in large flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1cm/1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1cm/1/2 inch piece of lemongrass, finely chopped
1/2–1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lemon juice
4 tablespoons avocado oil
6 sprigs of coriander, chopped
Put the lentils in a pan, cover generously with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until tender, then drain and leave to cool. Season to taste.
Break the sea trout into large flakes and mix it lightly with the lentils. Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and pour it over the top.
Kitchen Note
This salad will also work with smoked white fish, very fresh grilled mackerel or trout, and even the flesh pulled from kippers.
Dessert – Flowerpot Cheesecake Decorated with Flowers
From page 102 of The New English Table.
Without a doubt, this is the prettiest cheesecake for a spring feast, slightly sweet, rich yet light from the addition of egg white (which helps with the set). It is not baked, so eat with strawberries, and some sweet nutty biscuits like those on page 311 of The New English Table.
You will need a spotless middle-sized flowerpot (approximately 600ml/1 pint in capacity), lined with enough clean, damp muslin to overhang the edges.
Serves 4–6
300ml/½ pint double cream
225g/8oz full-fat cream cheese, or whole-milk ricotta cheese
55g/2oz caster sugar
2 egg whites
To serve:
grated zest of 1 lemon
various edible flower petals, such as pansies, marigolds and nasturtiums – gaudy windowbox colours are good
fresh berries, such as strawberries, red currants and white currants
Lightly whip the double cream until thickened. Push the cream cheese or ricotta through a sieve, then combine with the cream. Do not over mix. Stir in the sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold them into the cheese mixture. Pile into the lined flowerpot and bring the muslin over the top to cover. Stand the flowerpot on a rack placed above a bowl in the fridge and leave overnight.
To serve, un-mould, sprinkle over the lemon zest and decorate with fresh edible flowers, then eat with fresh berries.
