Midnight Mimosa
“He waited two hours at a table and bought a glass of champagne that tasted like pulverised starlight (and which, of course, went straight to his head). Then, as he was starting to think Vanessa would never appear, he saw her, with a group of friends, standing at the bar…”
Makes 4.
PREP TIME: 5 mins
TOTAL TIME: 5 mins
Ingredients
1 c. sweetened pomegranate juice
1 bottle champagne
Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
In champagne flutes, fill with 1/4 cup sweetened pomegranate juice and top off with champagne.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled.
Try matching these with my Sunlight Mimosa, which uses fresh orange juice instead of pomegranate juice, with an optional dash of Grand Marnier.
Tom’s Fancy Cheese on Toast
‘Toast,’ said Tom Argent longingly, realising how long it had been since he’d had anything to eat. ‘What I’d give for a piece of toast, with smashed avocado and chilli and lime. Or hot buttered crumpets, with strawberry jam . . .’
Ingredients
8 tbsp seasoned tomato sauce (homemade is best, but shop-bought passata actually works fine)
200 g soft goat’s cheese
½ tsp chopped thyme
Sea salt, black pepper
Crusty toasted bread, to serve
Spoon the seasoned tomato sauce around the bottom of a small baking dish. Roughly crumble the goat’s cheese on top, and sprinkle with some dried herbs and black pepper. Bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve immediately, on thick toasted bread, with a fresh summer salad.
Or, if you’re craving something sweet…
Fat Boys
“Here there were pastries, cooked on the spot, deep-fried and rolled in sugar; and there were displays of spices laid out on brightly coloured mats.”
Ingredients
100g Unsalted butter (diced)
175g Plain flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
3 large eggs
1L sunflower oil (for frying)
1 pinch sea salt
200ml Cold water
100g caster sugar (for sprinkling)
Dipping sauce
150g Dark chocolate (70%)
150ml Double cream
10g Unsalted butter
1 stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon dulce de leche or condensed milk
1 Vanilla pod
Method
Put the butter, cold water and a pinch of sea salt into a pan and bring to the boil on the stove.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. As soon as the water boils, take it off the heat and quickly stir in the sifted flour and baking powder.
Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth and it comes away from the sides of the pan.
Tip the mixture into a bowl and cool for a couple of minutes.
Then gradually add the beaten eggs one at a time, beating well until the mixture is smooth, glossy and drops from a spoon. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave the batter to one side to rest for 30 minutes.
The dipping sauce
Chop the dark chocolate and put into a bowl. Put cream into a small pan, add the cinnamon stick, dulce de leche or condensed milk, butter and vanilla pod split and seeds removed but put in cream, and bring to a simmer.
Remove vanilla pod and stir until smooth. Then pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until totally melted.
To cook the Fat Boys
Fill a large pan one third full with oil. Heat to 180-190C. Fit a large piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzle and fill with batter. Once the oil has come up to temperature you can start to cook the pastries.
Pipe 2 or 3 finger-length strips of batter directly into the pan, cutting off each strip with a pair of scissors.
Don’t try to cook too many at once or the oil will cool down and your pastries will be greasy, rather than crisp, golden and light.
Cook the pastries for about 45 seconds to one minute on each side until golden and crisp. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle liberally with caster sugar.
Serve with thick hot chocolate dipping sauce.
King’s Cross Buns
“This marvellous city was London. Tom’s neighbourhood was King’s Cross, though long ago it had once been known as Battlebridge. Tom had never asked himself why; as far as he knew, it was just a name. But names are secret, powerful things, not to be given lightly. And cities are curious places, where the skin between the Worlds rubs thin, and sometimes things (and even kings) can cross from one side to the other.”
(makes 12)
Ingredients:
150g strong white flour
350g wholemeal flour
75g soft light brown sugar
7g fast-action yeast
5g salt
45g butter, melted
1 large egg
3 tsp mixed spice
300ml whole milk
250g mixed dried fruit
100ml boiling water
90g apricot jam (to glaze)
Dried edible flower petals, to decorate (marigold petals are nice).
For the crosses:
75g plain flour
75ml water
Method:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar & spices.
Warm the milk & butter together in a saucepan or microwave & leave to cool slightly until just lukewarm.
Add the egg to the milk mixture & whisk to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture & pour in the milk mixture.
Stir until the mixture no flour remains & a dough is formed (you many not need all of the milk mixture, alternatively use a little water if your dough feels a bit dry).
Empty the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface & knead for 10 minutes (or 5 minutes if using a dough hook in a stand mixer) until it is smooth, elastic & it has a slight shine.
Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with clingfilm & leave to rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
Whilst your dough is rising, pour the boiling water over the mixed dried fruits, cover with a tea towel & leave to soak.
Once your dough has risen tip it out onto a floured work surface & knock back the dough (knead out the air pockets).
Stretch out the dough slightly, strain the dried fruits & empty this onto the dough.
Knead the fruit into the dough until evenly distributed.
Divide your dough into 12 evenly sized pieces & use your hands to shape each piece into a ball (I prefer to cage my hands around the dough & move in a circular motion on the worktop).
Place your buns onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving enough room between each for them to rise.
Cover with cling film, a tea towel, or (my preference) place inside a bag for life & leave to prove for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until they have doubled in size.
When the buns are ready, make the topping by combining the plain flour & water to make a paste.
Spoon the paste into a piping bag & use this to pipe crosses on the top of each bun.
Bake the buns at 190C for 15-20 minutes until pale golden-brown & they sound hollow when tapped underneath.
Whilst the buns are baking, warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan until fluid.
Once the wholemeal hot cross buns are baked, remove from the oven & brush all over with the warmed apricot jam before leaving to cool on a cooling rack.
Decorate with dried flower petals.
Serve with butter, wild strawberry jam, or a slice of Ye Olde Cheshire cheese…
Enjoy!