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Fooling around with holiday food

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Michelin-star chef Tom Kitchin creates recipes ideal for holiday entertaining

May brings with it a real sense of spring – and two bank holidays, the second of which is on May 25, which means a lot of us are either spending a little more time relaxing and enjoying good food, or getting ready to entertain visitors.

Whether you’re lucky enough to be off or not, it’s a great time to try out some new recipes. Many spring ingredients are in abundance, and the glorious seasonal colours you can bring to the plate not only look wonderful, but taste outstanding too.

If you’re entertaining, it’s a good chance to give your recipe repertoire a little twist. Smoked salmon is a great crowd pleaser, but making a fresh smoked salmon pate can be really simple but impressive and if you make up a batch, you can enjoy it for lunch the next day too.

Chicken is great for entertaining or as a family Sunday roast, but if you want to try something different, guinea fowl can be a lovely alternative. Guinea fowl is a game bird so it has a fantastic flavour that’s a little deeper. It can be used in pretty much any chicken recipe, but tastes delicious matched simply with lemon and garlic.

If you can, get hold of some wild garlic which is plentiful at the moment and brings a light, fresh flavour to any dish. It’s pretty safe to pick it yourself as long as you check, but it’s easy to identify thanks to its recognisable smell. You can spot it along river banks or in woodland and it really is worth making the most of while it’s in season.

Another star of the season is rhubarb. Rhubarb features on the lunch menu at our restaurant The Kitchin as soon as it comes into season, and it’s one of those ingredients that always leaves our diners with a smile on their face. The vibrant colour makes any dessert look appealing and the sweet, tart taste is the perfect finish to any spring meal.

SMOKED SALMON PATE

  • SERVES 4-6
  • 250g smoked salmon
  • 100ml whipping cream
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill
  • Cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp lemon confit diced or lemon rind

Place the smoked salmon, whipping cream, lemon juice and chopped dill into a blender and blend. Add a teaspoon of lemon confit and keep blending until you achieve the consistency that you desire. If it is still seems too firm, you can add a little more cream and lemon juice. Remove and place in a bowl. Season well with the cracked black pepper – but remember to go easy on the salt as the smoked salmon is already salted. Serve with fresh toast or bread.

LEMON AND GARLIC ROASTED GUINEA FOWL WITH SAUTEED POTATOES

  • SERVES 4
  • 1 free-range guinea fowl, about 1.2kg
  • Olive oil for marinating and cooking
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dried herbs de Provence
  • 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed
  • 500g baby new potatoes (ideally similar in size), washed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1/2 tsp head of garlic (cut horizontally)
  • 1 lemon, halved or cut into wedges
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 2 baby gem lettuces, halved lengthways
  • 25g unsalted butter, in pieces

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. To make it easier to cut the breast from the bird, first remove the wishbone. To do this cut down either side of the wishbone with a sharp knife, then reach in with your fingers and hook the bone out. Cut the breasts and legs from the guinea fowl carcass and put them into a dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the dried herbs. Leave to sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut each fennel bulb into 6 wedges. Cut any larger baby potatoes in half.

Heat a large heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the guinea fowl legs and breasts to the pan, placing them skin side down. Cook for 5-6 minutes until they start to take on a nice golden colour, then turn and do the same on the other side. Remove the guinea fowl pieces to a plate and set aside. Return the frying pan to the heat and add a little more olive oil if needed. Tip the potatoes into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the fennel and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Scatter over the caraway seeds and add the garlic, lemon and thyme.

Place the guinea fowl on top of the vegetables, cover the pan with the lid and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove the guinea fowl breasts to a warm plate, cover and set aside to rest in a warm place. Give the potatoes, fennel and guinea fowl legs a stir, put the lid back on and return to the oven for a further 12-15 minutes until cooked. Add the lettuce, dot with the butter, cover and cook for a further 2 minutes. Place the guinea fowl breasts back on top of the potatoes and fennel and serve.

RHUBARB AND VANILLA

  • SERVES 6
  • For the rhubarb consomme:
  • 500g rhubarb
  • 50g sugar
  • 3 gelatine leaves – pre-soaked in water until soft

Place the rhubarb and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and slowly heat until all the juice is released from the rhubarb. Save small pieces of rhubarb for garnish and pass through a sieve and allow to cool slightly. Add the gelatine and pour in to six small individual moulds to set.

  • For the mini meringues:
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour

Heat the oven to 100C/Gas mark 1. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. To make the meringue, using an electric mixer or electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites with the wine vinegar until they begin to froth and increase in volume. Now whisk in two-thirds of the sugar, a little at a time. When stiff peaks form, add the remaining sugar and sift in the cornflour. Fold in, using a large metal spoon, until just incorporated.

Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and start to pipe small kisses on the baking sheet. Place these into the oven and let the meringue kisses dry out for 35 – 45 minutes. Turn off the oven but leave them in there with the door open to cool completely.

To serve: When the jelly is set, top with mini meringues and garnish with pieces of cooked rhubarb, a thin slice of orange and a few sprigs of mint.