I’m back to my top lists. I’m just sneaking in there with my top three
for the month of June. It’s been a bit
manic this month with the impromptu trip to Brazil a few weeks ago, but I’m
nearly caught up with my blog backlog, and there’s always July to enjoy the
below suggestions.
Strawberries and Raspberries – It’s
finally the time for the jewel-like berries grown in the UK. Strawberries are very Wimbledon appropriate this
week, but I like them in other ways apart from the usual cream. If your strawberries have gone a bit squishy,
or aren’t the sweetest, roasting is a brilliant way to intensify the sweet stickiness (perfect with pancakes/waffles/French toast). I’ve got a bit more of soft spot for the
seedy, sometimes sharp, raspberry though.
I’m using them in my breakfast overnight oats (with almond milk and
sunflower seeds) at the moment, or they are great in a simple salad with lamb’s lettuce and a
crumbled mild goat’s cheese or goat’s curd.
Fischer’s – Chiltern Firehouse is the place to be (or try and get a table at) in Marylebone, but Fischer’s, the new place from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King (of other celebrity stalwarts The Wolseley, The Delaunay etc), is now five minutes away on Marylebone High Street. It’s got a classic Viennese cafe menu, and I’m sure the sleekness and polish of their other restaurants – all schnitzels or sausages for dinner, Gröstl for breakfast (a kind of Austrian hash with paprika fried potatoes, onions, bacon and a fried egg) or naughty Konditorei in the afternoon.
Broad Beans – Removing the bright
green beans from the furry pods and silvery skins is a little time-consuming but
quite soothing and definitely worth the effort (the skins are a little bitter/chewy). After cooking, plunge in cold water and the
skins should slip off. My favourite way
of using at the moment is mixing them with lots of sweated shallots and garlic,
chopped parsley, then topping with a poached egg and shavings of pecorino. This cheese goes particularly well with broad
beans – you could also combine in a risotto, or as a simple pasta sauce with
egg yolks to bind and the fragrance of fresh mint stirred through.