Claffoutis

 A classic french recipe where you can use almost any fruit in season. Try strawberries, apricots, plums, orange, or any fruit mix.

For the batter:

• 50 gr plain flour (you can also use half cornflour or ground almonds)
• 5 tbs sugar
• a drop of vanilla extract 
• pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 250ml milk (or half crème fraîche)

Beat all the ingredients until it is a smooth batter without lumps.


Pour over fruit which has been arranged neatly in a well greased tart mold.
Bake in the oven at 180ºC for about 30 minutes.

Serve hot or cold, with a little icing sugar.

Strawberry and Lemon Choux

Spectacular dessert, adapted from 

Good food Annabel Langbein

Serves 6-8 people:

For the Choux

• 60 g butter, diced
• 60 g plain flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 60 g sliced almonds

For the filling

• 200 ml whipping cream, chilled
• 150 ml of lemon curd
• 200 gr strawberries, sliced
• icing sugar for dusting

Preparation:

1. For the choux ring: preheat the oven to 200ºC fan. Fanbake function is best if your oven has one. Mark a 24cm circle on a piece of baking paper and then draw an 20cm circle inside it to create a doughnut shape. Do this easily by drawing around two plates. Place the paper upside down on a baking tray to stop the marks transferring to the pastry.

2. Place the butter and 125ml water in a medium saucepan and heat unti it boils. Once the butter has melted, add the flour all at once and beat for about 1 minute over the heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan .

3. Remove from the heat and transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat for 20 seconds. Now beat in the eggs one at a time. The mixture should be thick enough to drop from a spoon in clumps, rather than falling freely.

4. Spread the batter between the lines on your baking paper, spreading to form a ring. Run a fork over the mixture. The pastry will split while cooking and this encourages it to split along the top rather than at the sides. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C fan and cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and feels firm when tapped. Turn off the oven and leave the pastry ring inside for an extra 15 minutes.

6. Remove the pastry from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. When it has cooled a little, split horizontally using a serrated knife. You need to assemble and fill the Choux ring about 30 minutes before serving.

7. For the filling: whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then loosely fold in the lemon curd. Spread the lemon cream mixture over the base of the cooled pastry ring and scatter with sliced strawberries.

8. Replace the lid of the ring and dust liberally with sifted icing sugar.

Serve in wedges. 

Majorcan baked Fish

This recipe is very versatile. This is the basic recipe, you can make as many variations as you can think of

Ingredients for 4:

• 4  hake, Cod or any other white fish fillets
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 100 ml white wine, stock or water
• salt, pepper
• 2tbs flour, for coating the fish

Gently fry the onion and the potatoes in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, in a large ovenproof pan with lid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover them while cooking to prevent them from coloring too much. You want them cooked through but still pale.  Now add a little whine or water to make a sauce.

While the onion and potatoes are cooking, season the fish fillets and coat them with flour.
Fry them in a separate pan, for 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan and reserve.

When the potatoes are cooked though, remove the lid and arrange the fish fillets on top. Pour some of the sauce and onions over the fish.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180ºC.
Serve hot, straight from the oven

Variations:
Lemon cream: add 100 ml of double cream and the juice of half a lemon to the sauce.
Mushrooms: fry some mushrooms with the onion and potatoes. continue as above
Peppers: fry 1 red pepper with the onion, instead of the potatoes.

Macarroni a la Russia

Easy and delicious,
An authentic italian recipe created in 1931

Ingredients for 4:

300 gr macaroni
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 chili, chopped
2 tbs. tomato concentrate
100 ml double cream
1 small glass of Vodka
Salt, pepper,
Grated Parmesan, to taste

Cook the macaroni for lo 6-7 until just cooked. Drain and reserve along with a little of the cooking liqueur.
Fry the pepper for a few minutes until soft. Add the Chili, vodka, tomato concentrate. When it starts to bubble add the pasta;  stir until heated through. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the cooking liqueur until it is the consistency of single cream.
Serve in hot plates with grated parmesan and a green salad.

Lemon Cream

600ml/1 pint 2fl oz double cream

250g/7oz caster sugar

5 lemons, juice and zestFor the berry compôte

400g/14oz fresh mixed berries

150g/5oz sugar

4 pieces ready-made shortbread, to serve (optional)

Preparation method

For the lemon cream, bring the double cream to the boiling point in a heavy-based saucepan. Immediately reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering.

Add the sugar, stir well, then continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture has thickened and the sugar has dissolved.

Add the lemon juice and zest and continue to simmer for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes.

When the cream mixture has cooled slightly, pour it into four tall serving glasses. Set aside until completely cool, then chill in the fridge for at least two hours.

Serve as it is or with almond wafers