Melon & ham. Same old, new presentation

Chocolat and meringue semifreddo, raspberries

A fabulous recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He added a recipe for meringues, but our French baker makes them so good, why bother

150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 large eggs
75g caster sugar
225ml double cream (>35% fat)

Line a 1kg loaf tin (ie, around 11cm x 22cm internal dimensions) with clingfilm. Put the chocolate in a basin over a pan of simmering water until melted, then leave to cool until tepid.

Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk (or mixer) until quadrupled in volume, thick, pale and creamy. The mix should hold a trail when you lift the beaters. Fold in the chocolate. Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into the mixture, too.

Roughly crush 2 or 3 meringues – you want some nice big bits in there – and fold into the chocolate mix. Spread into the tin and freeze for about eight hours. You should be able to slice it straight from the freezer. Serve in small slices (it's very rich), with some raspberries alongside.

Instead of freezing the lot, we poured some in nice glasses and kept them in the fridge, to serve this combination of mousse and icecream 

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Best hummus ever, Ajo Blanco and Spicy Aubergines

 Best hummus ever

 Ajo Blanco, cold soup from almonds and garlic

Aubergine, Japanese style

 Cucumber Raita

As we didnot change anything (it tasted so delicious), here are Simon Hopkinson's recipes. We made the tomato curry as well (surprisingly good) but by then it was too dark for a picture.

http://www.simonhopkinson.tv/recipe/12/ouzo.aspx

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Dorade, babyleeks, parmesan

Boil the baby leeks for 2 minutes in water, the broil them in a hot griddle pan. 

Serve with a mustard dressing (1,5 tsp Dyon mustard, 1,5 tsp white wine vinegar, 8 tsp olive oil) a soft boiled egg and Parmesan flakes.

I added some beetroot for color.

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Pan-fried small sole, fennel/potato salad, fennel mayo

Cut a fennel bulb in thin wedges, keep the green. Fry in a griddle pan. Cut 2 potatoes in 3 mm slices, boil in salted water for 15 mins till just done. The potatoes should still have a 'bite'.

Cut the fennel green finely and mix with 6 tbsp mayonaise. Add some lemon juice. Use 1 tbsp of the mayo to cover the potatoes lightly. 

Use a plastic bag to dust 2 soles with flour. Sauté the fish in lots and lots of butter, 3 mins per side, all the time spooning butter over the fishes

Serve as shown 

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and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle

Asparagus, pear, sorrel

This Alain Passard recipe asked for white asparagus and red sorrel, which I didnot have.

So I blanched green asparagus for just under 3 mins and rinsed them under cold water to stop the cooking. Heated 30 grs salted butter. Dried the asparagus and put them in the butter when it started to foam. 

Cut a nice pear in 8 parts (leaving the skin on) and added these segments to the asparagus. Turned everything a few times, 5 to 6 mins in total. 

At the last minute added the shredded green sorrel. Plated, keeping the butter in the pan.

Mixed the juice of 1/2 lemon with the butter and poured the sauce over the plates, with some seasalt and black pepper.

Ham, salsify, honey/mustard dressing

Boil the salsify (schorseneren) for about 20 mins. Drain and fry a minute or two in a hot grillpan. 

For the dressing mix 2 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Then add wall- or hazelnut-oil and whisk. 

I wanted to add some chives...but didnot have any. 

Serve with a soft boiled egg, ham and some caviar.

Follow me on Instagram @peterschoenmaker7 

and have a look at my book 'Breakfast in Gascony' on Amazon for your Kindle