Instead of zigzagging down to Portugal in our campervan this summer, we’ll be at home. Still, I intend to make it a summer to remember. I’m seeing the beauty of our parks and countryside with fresh eyes, and, thanks to the recent run of knockout weather, we have been eating most meals outside. This pavlova has been on our table a few times – it brings a lot of cheer – and the leek and mustard rolls have been packed for low-key family picnics. It’s going to be a British summer in every sense, and I am embracing it.
Brown sugar pavlova with Pimm’s-roasted strawberries
Vegans can make meringues using aquafaba (the water from a can of chickpeas). Here is a quick recipe: Whip 150g chickpea water with a pinch of salt until very stiff, add 150g of caster sugar and 1½ tsp cream of tartar, and whip on high until the sugar grains have dissolved. Use coconut yoghurt in place of dairy.You will need a stand mixer or an electric hand whisk for this.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 8
For the meringue
4 eggs (see above for a vegan alternative)
100g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 pinch salt
For the Pimm’s fruit
500g strawberries, larger ones halved
50ml Pimm’s
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 small bunch mint
For the cream
200ml double cream
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Heat the oven to 140C (130 fan)/gas 2. Separate the eggs and put the yolks to one side for another use. (You can use them for mayonnaise, custard or add them to scrambled eggs, making them extra rich).
Make sure the bowl you’re using for the egg whites is very clean, then whisk them to stiff peaks. Add the sugars and salt, a tablespoon at a time, whisking between additions.Once all the sugar is added, whisk on the highest setting for about five minutes, until all the grains of sugar have disappeared. Rub the meringue with your fingertips: if you can still feel the grains, keep going.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, dotting a little of the mix on each corner of the tray to stick the paper down. Spoon the mixture into the middle of the tray: use the back of a spoon to make a circle roughly the size of a large dinner plate (about 24-26cm in diameter), then use the spoon to make it lower in the middle and a little higher around the sides. Once you have a shape you like, use the spoon to create waves and peaks in the meringue, which will look great when it is cooked. Bake for an hour, until golden on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Take the meringue out of the oven and turn up the oven to 190C/(180C fan)/gas 6. Toss the strawberries in the Pimm’s, lemon zest and mint, spread on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, until everything caramelises. You are looking for the strawberries to soften but hold their shape. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cream with the vanilla and a couple of tablespoons of the liquid from the roasting pan. Once everything is cool and you are ready to eat, pile the cream on to the meringue, and top as artfully as you like with the fruit.
Seeded sweet leek and mustard picnic rolls
Use whatever root veg you need to use up here; mine included carrot and squash but parsnip, celeriac and sweet potato would all work – steer clear of potatoes, though, as they are too starchy. If you are vegan, use shop-bought puff pastry (most supermarket brands are vegan), vegan cheese in place of the cheddar and a non-dairy milk instead of the egg wash.
Prep 25 min
Cook 35 min
Makes 12 medium rolls
Olive oil
2 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
200g root veg, peeled and grated (see intro)
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 tsp english mustard
100g cheddar, grated
Salt and black pepper
1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
1 medium egg, beaten
Seeds, to top (I use a mix of black and white sesame, linseeds, fennel and caraway mixed with a pinch of salt)
In a large frying pan, heat a little olive oil and add the leeks and onion. Cook for 10 minutes until soft and sweet.
Add the garlic, grated root veg and the fennel seeds, and cook for another five minutes, until the root veg has lost its rawness and the mixture has come together. Tip into a bowl to cool. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/gas 7.
Once cool, add the parsley, lemon zest, mustard, cheddar and some black pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Unroll the puff pastry on a floured surface, then cut in half lengthways so you have two long, thin rectangles. Have the egg and a pastry brush to hand.
With the long side of the rectangle towards you, spoon half of the mixture along the middle of the rectangle and then press it into a long sausage with your hands. Egg-wash the far edge of the pastry. Pull the near side of the pastry over the vegetable mixture, then carefully pull the egg-washed edge on top to seal.
Carefully turn the whole thing over so it sits on where the pastry joins, then cut it into six equal pieces. Repeat with the other rectangle.
Put the little rolls on a baking paper-lined tray, brush with the beaten egg, then generously sprinkle with the seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
