Strawberry labneh
400g natural, thick, full-fat Greek yoghurt; 400g strawberries; 1 ½ tsps. caster sugar; 2 tsps rosewater; 3 Tblsps good quality honey; chopped pistachios to serve
Mix yoghurt with a pinch of salt. Line a sieve with muslin and place over a deep bowl. Spoon in the yoghurt and put in the fridge to strain for 4 hours. Meanwhile, hull and quarter strawberries, mix with the sugar and rosewater and leave to macerate. After 4 hours, turn the labneh into a clean bowl and gently fold through the honey. Puree ¼ of the berries in a blender and fold into the labneh so you have a rippled yoghurt. Serve in glass bowls with the rest of the strawberries on top and scatter with pistachios. (Serves 4).
Raspberry brulee
1 vanilla pod; ½ a lemon, pared zest only; 300ml double cream; 100g raspberries; 4 egg yolks; 2 Tblsps golden caster sugar; 2 Tblsps demerara sugar.
Split vanilla pod and scrape seeds into a pan with the lemon zest and cream. Toss the pod in too. Heat until just before cream boils – tiny bubbles will be forming at the edges. Turn off heat and infuse for 15 mins. Heat oven to 160C, put 4 ramekins into a roasting tin and fill tin with boiling water so about 2cm of each ramekin is uncovered. Divide raspberries between ramekins, reserving a few. Using an electric whisk, whisk egg yolks and caster sugar until very pale and fluffy.- about 3 mins. Remove zest and vanilla pod from the cooled cream and slowly stir cream into the egg mixture. Transfer to a jug and slowly pour into ramekins then top with reserved raspberries. Bake in oven for 20 – 25 mins until the custard forms a skin and holds a slight wobble when tray is nudged. Allow to cool then chill in fridge for at least 4 hours. If you don’t have a blowtorch, heat grill to high, sprinkle demerara sugar over each ramekin and either use blowtorch to caramelise the top or place under the grill until sugar has melted and crisped. Allow to settle for 5 mins before serving.
BBQ rum and caramel bananas (a perfect dessert if you’re having a barbecue)
50g butter, softened; 40g light brown muscovado sugar; 1-2 tsps treacle; 1 -2 Tblsps spiced rum; 6 unpeeled bananas; ice cream to serve (we suggest coconut)
Mix butter with sugar and treacle, then add the rum. Make a split through the inside curve of each banana skin, being careful not to cut all the way through. Spread a spoonful of spiced butter inside each skin. Put bananas – curved side up so butter doesn’t leak out when it melts – onto individual sheets of foil large enough to wrap them completely. Crimp up foil to make a parcel then put on the embers for 15 mins, turning once. The bananas should be sticky and caramelised, but check one and cook for longer if necessary. Serve with a scoop of ice cream.
(Recipes from BBC Good Food magazine)
Rose Chinery
