Big news! Summer is just round the corner.... apparently. This means the weather is finaly starting to warm up slightly- it's been 15' this week- which is something to get ecxited about when you live in England.
So this article is all about the aproach of Summer. I always find, in summer, that less is more when it comes to food. I mean it is often nicer to eat a refreshing salad, rather than a roast joint as you would in winter. The same goes for desserts. Who wants to eat a bioling hot apple pie on a 25' day? (perhaps wishful thinking for england...) In this season, i prefer to eat lighter, creamier desserts- like meriques, fruit salads, ice creams etc. Your not so full-up and dont look like a puffer fish right before your holiday.
Another important factor for when cooking in Summer is the fact that if you are entertaining you dont want to be slaving away in a kitchen for hours on end, whilst everybody else is soaking up the sunshine and enjoying themselves. As a rule, i try not to over-complicate my cooking to not spend too long in the kitchen.
This recipe is one of my favourites for summer, as it takes about 10-20 minutes to make and serves six. My Mango and Passionfruit Fools are a favourite in my house because they're a sweet, simple way to satisfy everybody. Their creamy and are served chilled, so are nice and cooling on a hot day. You can make singular ones, as i normally do, but if you're entertaining, it can be made in one big dish. They have to be left in a fridge to set, so you can make them the night before if you like so you dont have so much to do the next day.
Ingredients-
2 Large, ripe Mangoes
6 Passionfruits
300ml Double Cream
3 tbsp Icing Sugar
Start off by dicing up 1 and a half of the mangoes (saving the half left over) and adding to a blender. Blend the mango until smooth and then add the insides of 4 passionfruits and the icing sugar. Blend again to combine. Taste the mixture at this point so you can add more sugar if the mix is not sweet enough to your taste.
Now, gently whip the cream until the cream can hold it's shape and then fold through the mango and passionfruit blend. This will give the fools a nice rippled orange and white effect. Finaly, spoon the fools into individual ramekins and leave for at least 2 hours in a fridge- or preferably- overnight. Just before serving, dice the leftover mango and sprinkle over the tops of the fools, along with the leftover passionfruits. Serve chilled.
So this article is all about the aproach of Summer. I always find, in summer, that less is more when it comes to food. I mean it is often nicer to eat a refreshing salad, rather than a roast joint as you would in winter. The same goes for desserts. Who wants to eat a bioling hot apple pie on a 25' day? (perhaps wishful thinking for england...) In this season, i prefer to eat lighter, creamier desserts- like meriques, fruit salads, ice creams etc. Your not so full-up and dont look like a puffer fish right before your holiday.
Another important factor for when cooking in Summer is the fact that if you are entertaining you dont want to be slaving away in a kitchen for hours on end, whilst everybody else is soaking up the sunshine and enjoying themselves. As a rule, i try not to over-complicate my cooking to not spend too long in the kitchen.
This recipe is one of my favourites for summer, as it takes about 10-20 minutes to make and serves six. My Mango and Passionfruit Fools are a favourite in my house because they're a sweet, simple way to satisfy everybody. Their creamy and are served chilled, so are nice and cooling on a hot day. You can make singular ones, as i normally do, but if you're entertaining, it can be made in one big dish. They have to be left in a fridge to set, so you can make them the night before if you like so you dont have so much to do the next day.
Ingredients-
2 Large, ripe Mangoes
6 Passionfruits
300ml Double Cream
3 tbsp Icing Sugar
Start off by dicing up 1 and a half of the mangoes (saving the half left over) and adding to a blender. Blend the mango until smooth and then add the insides of 4 passionfruits and the icing sugar. Blend again to combine. Taste the mixture at this point so you can add more sugar if the mix is not sweet enough to your taste.
Now, gently whip the cream until the cream can hold it's shape and then fold through the mango and passionfruit blend. This will give the fools a nice rippled orange and white effect. Finaly, spoon the fools into individual ramekins and leave for at least 2 hours in a fridge- or preferably- overnight. Just before serving, dice the leftover mango and sprinkle over the tops of the fools, along with the leftover passionfruits. Serve chilled.
