A Taste of Summer

For you, what does summer taste of?

For me, it's strawberries, new potatoes with mint, asparagus...or combinations of these.

So, as summer has well and truly arrived here in the Auvergne ( apart from the torrential thunder storms), I thought this month's blog should celebrate some of those lovely flavours.

We are starting with at trio of strawberry puds and finishing with a sirop de menthe ( mint cordial) to refresh on a hot summer's day.




Our strawberry patch is the gift that keeps on giving at the moment- so ideas to use up the glut are needed, once all the jam making has stopped. (It's too hot now!)

This trio of desserts can be served separately or all three at once in mini-portions as an Assiette Gourmande.

First one is really simple and combines lots of summer tastes: Strawberry, Mint and Basil Tartare.

Just wash and slice your strawberries, coat them in a teaspoon of olive oil and crème de cassis. Add some chopped mint and basil leaves and spoon the mixture into a chef's ring. Press down lightly and then unmould. Decorate with a few more leaves.

Strawberry, Mint and Basil Tartare

Next, equally simple- Sticky Strawberries with Pistachios.

Wash and slice your strawberries and mix them with a tsp each of rosewater and runny honey. Toss in the crushed pistachios or hazelnuts and serve with crème fraîche or hazelnut yoghurt.

Sticky Strawberries with Pistachios

Now for something a little more time consuming: Charlotte aux Fraises Façon Yvette.

For this recipe- and expert demonstration at our Atelier de Cuisine yesterday- my thanks to Yvette L. You will thank her too when you make it yourselves.

You will need:

300g fromage frais
50 g icing sugar
250g strawberries
1 packet of boudoir biscuits
syrup for soaking- can be alcoholic ( ie crème de cassis or mûre) or blackberry cordial or fruit juice mixed with a little icing sugar)


1. Mix together the fromage blanc and the icing sugar
2. Wash and slice the strawberries and combine with the fromage frais.
3. Soak the boudoir biscuits one by one in the syrup and use them to line the sides of a bowl or mould.

Soak the sponge fingers one by one

4. Put in half the fromage blanc mixture, then a layer of biscuits, then the rest of the mixture and finish with a layer of biscuits

Keep going until the Charlotte is full

5. Place a saucer or plate on the top and weight down with a tin.

6. Place in the fridge for at least an hour before unmoulding and serving.

Charlotte aux Fraises

Finally- to refresh the parts that haven't yet been reached. Try making a fresh mint cordial.

1. Start with a bunch of mint ( about 150g).

Take the leaves from a bunch of mint

2. Bring them to the boil for 5 minutes in a litre of water.

Boil up your leaves

3. Leave to infuse overnight.

4. The next day, strain off the mint and put the liquid back in the saucepan with the juice of 1 lemon and 800g of sugar

5. Bring to the boil and reduce for about 10 minutes until starting to go syruppy.

6. Meanwhile sterilise some old fashioned lemonade bottles ( if you have them- or other glass bottles if not) with boiling water.

7. Pour the syrup into a measuring jug and make back up to 1 litre with boiling water

8. Pour into the bottles and leave to cool.

Bottle it up

9. Serve diluted with plenty of ice.

Here's to summer!

Cheers!

Home made Sirop de Menthe