Spring recipes from Seasonal Berries. Full of fresh, colourful and delicious spring ingredients.
Fraisier strawberry cake
Extra special valentine/Mother’s day special
Wow the special person in your life with this impressive looking cake, this classic French recipe has a few short cuts, so you don’t need to be a master baker to make this version!
Cuts into 10 slices
Prep: 45 minutes
Cook: 35-40 minutes
225g (8oz) soft margarine
225g (8oz) caster sugar
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Grated rind of 2 lemons
4 medium eggs
6 tablespoons limoncello liqueur
Filling
150ml (¼ pint) double cream
500g (1lb 2oz) carton luxury vanilla custard
Topping
2 tablespoons apricot glaze or apricot jam minus the pieces of fruit
250g (9oz) readymade marzipan
Little icing sugar
Few small strawberries
Few chocolate hearts
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan) Gas 3. Grease a 20cm (8 inch) heart shaped springform tin with a little oil then line the base with a piece of non-stick baking paper.
- Add the margarine, sugar and flour to a large bowl, electric mixer or food processor. Add the baking powder, lemon rind and eggs and beat together until smooth.
- Spoon into the lined tin, level the surface and bake for about 35-40 minutes until well risen, golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the centre of the cake.
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes then loosen the edge, remove the tin and lining paper and cool on a wire rack.
- When the cake is cold, cut into two thinner rounds, trimming the top level if it is a little domed, then spoon the limoncello over the cut sides. Wash the cake tin and line the base and sides with two strips of clingfilm. Put one of the cake halves in the tin and pull up the clingfilm if needed so that it slightly overhangs the top of the tin.
- Sort through the strawberries, reserve the medium sized ones for the side of the cake and the larger ones for slicing. Cut the medium sized ones in half and arrange in a ring around the outside of the cake in the tin so that the cut edge is pressed against the clingfilm. Slice the rest and arrange as an even layer to cover the base cake.
- Add the water to a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine powder and leave to soak for 5 minutes then stand the bowl in a saucepan of just simmering water and heat until the gelatine has dissolved and become a clear liquid.
- Whisk the cream until it forms soft swirls in a bowl then fold in the custard. Gradually fold in the dissolved gelatine in a thin steady stream then pour the custard mix over the strawberries in the tin and chill for 10 minutes until just setting.
- Add the second cake half to the tin and press lightly into the custard. Gently spread the apricot glaze or jam over the top of the cake. Knead and roll out the marzipan on a piece of non-stick baking paper then cut into a heart, using the cake tin as a guide. Lift over the top of the cake and press into place with fingertips dusted with icing sugar. Chill for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, unclip the sides of the tin, peel away the clingfilm, then carefully lift the cake off and transfer to a plate. Decorate the top with the small strawberries and piped chocolate hearts, if liked.
- Cook’s tipNot a fan of marzipan then simply leave it out and spread the top of the cake with melted chocolate or simply dust with sifted icing sugar instead.
To make chocolate hearts, melt 50g (2oz) dark chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of very gently simmering water. Spoon into a piping bag made of non-stick baking paper, snip off the tip then pipe heart shapes over a sheet of non-stick baking paper set on a baking tray. Chill until set then peel off the paper and add to the top of the cake when ready to serve
Herby rack of lamb with spring blackberry salad
Easy entertaining
Serves 4
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 21-22 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 x300g (10oz) French trimmed racks of lamb
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons runny honey
15g (1/2oz) fresh dill, chopped
25g (1oz) fresh parsley, chopped
25g (1oz) fresh mint, chopped
Salad
500g (1lb 2oz) small anya potatoes, scrubbed, halved or thickly sliced depending on size
150g (5oz) frozen peas, or shelled weight of fresh peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
40g (11/2oz) butter
150g (5oz) blackberries
50g (2oz) rocket leaves
Blackberry gravy
150g (5oz) blackberries
1 tablespoon blackberry or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
2 teaspoons runny honey
250ml (8fl oz) lamb stock
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) Gas 6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, season the fat on the lamb with salt and pepper then fry, fat side downwards in the pan for 4-5 minutes until golden.
- Add the lamb and pan juices to a roasting tin and spread the fat with the honey. Roast for 15 minutes. Mix the herbs together then spoon 2 tablespoons into a bowl for the sauce, sprinkle half the remaining herbs over the lamb, keep the rest for the salad. Roast the lamb for 5 more minutes.
- Meanwhile cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for 15 minutes until just tender, adding the peas for the last 5 minutes.
- Transfer the lamb to a serving plate, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes. To make the sauce, add the blackberries, vinegar, mustard, honey and stock to the roasting tin. Bring to the boil, scraping up the pan juices and mashing some of the blackberries to release their juice. Boil for 2 minutes then add the reserved 2 tablespoons of chopped herbs and a little extra salt and pepper to taste. .
- Drain the potatoes and peas, dry the pan and heat the oil then gently fry the fennel for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Add the butter, the cooked potatoes and peas, and toss together in the butter. Add the blackberries, rocket and remaining chopped herbs with a extra salt and pepper and toss together.
- Spoon the salad into a serving bowl. Reheat the sauce if needed and pour into a jug. Transfer the lamb to a chopping board and cut into cutlets, serve with the salad and sauce.
Cook’s tip
If you prefer your lamb well done, then roast for 5-10 minutes more before adding the herbs.
Seared salmon with Thai strawberry sauce
Super speedy
Incredibly versatile, strawberries taste great added to sweet chilli dipping sauce, with extra chilli and ginger for an oriental twist.
Serves 4
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8-10 minutes
250g (9oz) strawberries, hulled
½-1 red chilli, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
2.5cm (1 inch) piece root ginger, peeled, grated
1 tablespoon sweet chilli dipping sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
4 salmon steaks, each about 150g (5oz)
200g (7oz) thin rice noodles
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
300g (10oz) stir fry vegetables with bamboo shoots and water chestnuts
150g (5oz) frozen edamame beans
Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Lime wedges to serve
- Mash the strawberries in a bowl then mix with the chilli and ginger then stir in the dipping sauce, soy and fish sauces.
- Line the grill rack with foil then put the salmon steaks on top and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the strawberry sauce over each salmon steak. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning over once until browned and the strawberries have made a deep coloured glaze.
- Meanwhile add the rice noodles to a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender, then drain.
- Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the stir fry vegetables and frozen edamame beans, stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in half of the strawberry sauce then add the noodles and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining strawberry sauce to a small bowl, set this on a large platter, stir half the coriander into the noodles then spoon on to the platter. Break the salmon into large flakes, scatter over the noodles with the remaining coriander. Serve with lime wedges, if liked.
Cook’s tip
For steak fans, cut a grilled steak into thin slices and add to the noodles instead of the salmon flakes.
More recipes can be found on http://www.seasonalberries.co.uk/
