by Tom Kerridge
2 x 250g packs cooked Puy lentils
200ml vegetable stock
120g baby spinach
To finish
A handful of coriander leaves, torn
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.
2 For the cauliflower purée, cut the cauliflower into florets and spread them out on one lined baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown, tossing halfway through.
3 Meanwhile, for the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, adding some salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, score the fish on both sides on an angle, making 3 slashes on each side. Lay the fish on the other baking tray. Spread the marinade evenly all over the fish and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
4 To make the cauliflower purée, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the roasted cauliflower florets and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned. Pour in the cream and milk and simmer for 7–10 minutes until reduced and thickened. Tip the contents of the pan into a blender and blitz until smooth. Return the purée to the pan; keep warm.
5 For the spiced lentils, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 7–10 minutes, until softened.
6 Meanwhile, place the tray of fish on the top shelf of the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
7 Stir the curry powder into the softened onion and cook for 30 seconds, then add the lentils. Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir through the spinach and cook for 2 minutes, until it has wilted.
8 Once the fish is cooked, remove from the oven and run a cook’s blowtorch over the skin to crisp it. Leave to rest for a few minutes. Serve the fish on a platter, scattered with the coriander and with the cauliflower purée and spiced lentils in warmed bowls alongside.
Spiced sea bass with roasted cauliflower purée and lentils
North African style nut roast
A delicious veggie Sunday lunch, this nut roast is full of flavour and has a great chunky texture. Combining heat and refreshing coolness, the lovely harissa yoghurt can be served alongside all kinds of meat and veggie dishes. (Jars of rose harissa can be found in the supermarket spice section.) V
Serves 8
390 calories per serving
600g peeled, deseeded butternut squash, cut into 2cm dice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 aubergines, diced
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tbsp ras el hanout
1 tbsp rose harissa
400g tin chickpeas, drained
170g bulgur wheat (dry weight), cooked
100g flaked almonds, toasted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the harissa yoghurt
250g Greek strained yoghurt (0% fat)
2 tbsp rose harissa
For the parsley salad
3 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves
50g baby leaf salad
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Grease a 1.25kg (3lb) loaf tin and line with baking parchment. Line a baking tray with parchment.
2 Place the diced squash on the baking tray, season with salt and pepper and trickle over 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until softened.
3 Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and aubergines and sauté for 10 minutes or until softened and brown. Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the ras el hanout and harissa and cook for 2 minutes. Take off the heat.
4 Using a food processor and the pulse button, briefly blitz half the squash and half the aubergine mix with the chickpeas until chunky but not puréed.
5 Transfer to a large bowl and add the remaining squash, aubergine, cooked bulgur wheat and almonds. Mix well and season generously with salt and pepper. Pack into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.
6 Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt and harissa together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. For the parsley salad, toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
7 Once cooked, remove the nut roast from the oven and leave in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out on to a board. Cut into 8 slices, using a serrated knife, and serve with the parsley salad and harissa yoghurt.
North African style nut roast
DESSERTS ARE GREAT for enticing tentative cooks into the kitchen. Eating well is all about balance after all, and who can resist a slightly gooey chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven, or stop themselves going to investigate the smell of spiced apple crumble wafting around the house? Getting started in the kitchen is often the hardest part, and if puddings help you get there, then that’s fine! From baking sweet things, you can then move on to the other, healthier recipes in this book – and take the rest of the family with you.
Sweet treats are also a fun way for children to learn about cooking. They can help with weighing and measuring out the ingredients, and then give you a hand with mixing and pouring, and licking the bowl! If you set aside an hour or so to bake a cake together on a Sunday, you’ll be helping to create some really positive memories.
If you’re used to buying mass-produced cakes, puddings and biscuits, then my recipes are always going to be better for you, because they are made from proper ingredients and have minimal added sugar. There are lots of fruit-based sweet things too – from Banana and berry nice cream and Plum and ginger fool to Caribbean rum pineapple and Apricot, date and pistachio flapjacks. There’s even a chocolate cake that includes beetroot here; it has a wonderfully rich texture and an amazing colour.
Sometimes puddings are about pure decadent celebration, and for those occasions I suggest you skip straight to the rich Chocolate truffle tart, Sticky date pudding with coconut caramel or Chocolate and peanut butter brownies. These are unashamedly luxurious, and I reckon anyone you make them for will immediately want to make them too. Food is there to be enjoyed and there’s nothing wrong with the odd treat once in a while, especially if it tastes this good.
Yoghurt pannacotta with poached rhubarb
Rhubarb has a wonderful sharpness that works so well with dairy. Be careful not to overcook it, as you want it to retain a little bite to contrast with the creamy pannacotta.
Serves 6
315 calories per serving
4 sheets of leaf gelatine (fine-leaf, quick-dissolving)
150ml single cream
150ml whole milk
150g golden caster sugar
Finely pared zest of 1 lemon (removed in strips, with a vegetable peeler)
2 vanilla pods, split and seeds scraped
400g full-fat Greek yoghurt (8–10% fat), at room temperature
For the rhubarb topping
450g rhubarb, cut into 5cm lengths on an angle
40ml grenadine
Finely grated zest of ½ orange, plus 40ml orange juice
40ml water
40g golden caster sugar
To finish
20g unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 110°C/Fan 100°C/Gas ¼. Line a roasting tray with baking parchment.
2 Place the gelatine in a shallow dish, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes or until soft.
3 Meanwhile, put the cream, milk, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla seeds into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer and take off the heat. Immediately lift the gelatine out of the water and add it to the hot creamy milk, stirring until it has dissolved.
4 Pour the mixture into a large bowl, discarding the lemon zest.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in the yoghurt and set aside to cool a little.
5 Pour the mixture evenly into 6 serving glasses (each 400ml capacity). Stand the glasses on a tray and place in the fridge for 2–3 hours to set.
6 Meanwhile, place the rhubarb in the lined roasting tray and spoon over the grenadine, orange juice and water. Sprinkle over the orange zest and sugar. Mix well, then spread the rhubarb out in a single layer. Cover the tray with foil and bake for about 50 minutes or until the rhubarb is just cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray.
7 To serve, top the set pannacottas with the cooled rhubarb and syrup from the baking tray. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
Yoghurt pannacotta with poached rhubarb
Quick chocolate mousse
I know it sounds a bit bizarre to use avocado in a dessert, but the rich creaminess is honestly fantastic. It results in a luxurious, rich mousse without needing to add loads of cream or sugar. V
Serves 8
380 calories per serving
2 ripe avocados, halved, stoned and peeled (prepared weight 190g)
2 ripe medium bananas (prepared weight 210g)
80g good-quality cocoa powder
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
120ml maple syrup
10 Medjool dates, chopped
100ml milk
To finish
40g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
50g pecans, toasted and chopped
50g macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 Put the avocado flesh into a food processor and add the bananas, breaking them into pieces. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla and orange extracts, orange zest, maple syrup, dates and milk. Blend until smooth.
2 Spoon the mousse evenly into glass bowls and grate chocolate over each portion. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and sea salt flakes to serve.
Quick chocolate mousse
Strawberry Eton mess
This pretty and colourful pudding is a fun one to assemble with kids. You really don’t have to worry about what the end result looks like, so get everyone involved layering up the fruit, meringues and cream, and scattering over the nuts. V
Serves 4
645 calories per serving
For the meringues
2 large free-range egg whites
115g caster sugar
For the strawberries
600g strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 tbsp elderflower cordial
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp water
For the vanilla cream
400ml whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
400g Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
For the mint sugar
A handful of mint leaves
50g demerara sugar
To finish
Unsalted pistachios, chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 110°C/Fan 100°C/Gas ¼. Line two baking sheets with non-stick silicone mats or baking parchment.
2 To make the meringues, put the egg whites into a very clean, large bowl. Using an electric whisk on a medium speed, beat until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Sprinkle in half the sugar and beat well for 1–2 minutes. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar. Once it is all incorporated, beat for another 2 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy.
3 Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain piping nozzle. Pipe about 50 rounds (no more than 2.5cm in diameter) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly and leaving a little peak in the middle of each as you lift the nozzle. Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off. Leave the meringues inside for a further hour with the door closed. Take the meringues out and set aside until cold.
4 Meanwhile, put 350g of the strawberries into a bowl and spoon on the elderflower cordial. Stir well and set aside to macerate.
5 Put the remaining 250g strawberries into a small pan with the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the strawberries are softened. Leave to cool, then blitz using a small food processor until smooth.
6 For the vanilla cream, whip the cream in a bowl until thick, then fold in the vanilla seeds and yoghurt. Swirl through half the strawberry purée, then crumble in half of the meringues. Stir gently to just combine.
7 For the mint sugar, blitz the mint leaves and sugar in a small food processor until the mixture looks like a green crumble.
8 Divide half of the remaining meringues between 4 serving bowls. Spoon on half of the vanilla cream mix, macerated strawberries and strawberry purée. Repeat these layers and finish with a sprinkle of mint sugar and chopped pistachios.
Strawberry Eton mess
Banana and berry nice cream
The perfect solution for those over-ripe bananas sitting in your fruit bowl! This is an easy, almost instant ice cream that tastes sweet and rich, even though it doesn’t contain any added sugar or cream. V ❄
Serves 4
210 calories per serving
3 ripe medium bananas, peeled (about 300g peeled weight)
300g mixed frozen berries
100ml coconut milk
4 tbsp maple syrup
30g flaked almonds, toasted
50g dried cranberries
1 Thickly slice the bananas and freeze on a tray until firm.
2 Place the frozen bananas, berries, coconut milk and maple syrup in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you aren’t ready to eat it straight away, place in a container and pop it in the freezer for later.
3 Spoon the ice cream into bowls and top with flaked almonds and cranberries. (Alternatively, you can serve it in waffle ice-cream cones.)
TIP ✔ If you have bananas over-ripening in the fruit bowl but don’t want to turn them into a ‘nice cream’ straight away, peel, slice and freeze them on a tray until firm, then pack into a freezer container. Keep frozen until needed.
Banana and berry nice cream
Caribbean rum pineapple
Pineapple has such a sweet, heady flavour, it can handle spices well. Ginger biscuits add a contrasting crunch and an extra layer of flavour to this decadent dessert. V
Serves 8
480 calories per serving
1 large pineapple
120g light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
100ml dark rum
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
50g butter
For the ginger nut biscuits
50g butter, softened
75g light brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
To serve
500ml coconut ice cream (shop-bought)
25g coconut flakes, toasted
1 lime, for zesting
1 To prepare the pineapple, slice off the top and bottom, then stand it on a board and slice off the skin, removing the ‘eyes’ too. Turn the pineapple on its side and cut into 6–8 thick rounds. Remove the core from each round, using a small plain cutter or a small, sharp knife. Lay the pineapple slices in a shallow tray.
2 Put the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, rum, vanilla seeds and butter into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved. Pour this syrup over the pineapple and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
3 Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
4 To make the ginger nut biscuits, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the golden syrup and beat until evenly combined. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger together over the mixture and mix briefly until it just comes together to form a doug
h.
5 Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 3mm thickness. Using a 6cm plain cutter, cut out 20 rounds and lay on the lined baking sheets. Bake for 10–12 minutes, rotating the trays and swapping them over on the shelves halfway through cooking. Remove and leave to cool on the trays.
6 When ready to serve, heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Lift the pineapple slices out of the marinade onto a plate. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a high heat. Lower the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
7 Cook the pineapple rings on the hot griddle, in batches if necessary, for 2–3 minutes on each side or until charred on both sides.
8 Lay a griddled pineapple slice on each serving plate and place a scoop of ice cream in the middle. Drizzle over the sauce and crumble a ginger nut or two over each plate. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and zest a little lime over each portion. Serve at once.
Caribbean rum pineapple
Plum and ginger fool
If you have fruit that needs using up, turn it into a creamy, light fool for an easy pud. You could happily use strawberries or raspberries in place of plums and ginger. V
Serves 8
640 calories per serving
12 ripe plums, halved and stoned
4 balls of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped, plus 4 tbsp syrup from the jar
50ml water
100g caster sugar
600ml whipping cream
600g Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
For the almond crumble topping
100g plain flour
80g golden caster sugar
80g cold butter, diced
1 tsp almond extract
80g flaked almonds, roughly chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2 Put the plums, chopped stem ginger and syrup, water and sugar into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes or until the plums are softened and tender. Leave to cool slightly.
