An Island Chef – My Summer Recipes. Summer sees a wealth of produce available around the island to cook with. You will find juicy, sweet strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants, as well as tart, sharp gooseberries, delicious in a crumble or served with oily fish like pan-fried trout. Salads and vegetables are in abundance, from crunchy radishes and ripe tomatoes to peas, green beans and courgettes. The local smallholders and hedge veg suppliers grow over two hundred different types of produce.
Eating seasonal, locally sourced food is good news for several important reasons. It is more flavourful and nutritious due to the short time between harvest and you buying it. This is because there is less time for the nutrients to break down. There is a big reduction in transport costs by buying locally. Buying local drastically lowers the carbon footprint. Finally, buying from growers and producers close to home helps support the local economy, providing income and jobs. Most importantly, they taste absolutely fantastic.
My Summer Recipes
For me, this summer is going to be all about seasonal ingredients, seafood, and salads. I will be posting some fabulous seasonal recipes that are great to eat with family and friends. Nothing is more seasonal in Jersey right now than tomatoes. I use sweet, ripe tomatoes to make the classic Spanish tapas recipe Pan con Tomate or tomato bread. If you like tapas, imagine a plate of delicious Gambas al Ajillo. An authentic dish of garlic prawns served perhaps with a chilled glass of Rias Baixas wine made from the native Albariño grape.
And if you don’t have the luxury of lots of fabulous seafood on your doorstep, don’t worry. What about a Smoked Mackerel Nicoise Salad for a tasty al fresco treat? Or Salade Parisienne, potatoes, boiled egg, ham and green beans with a tangy wholegrain mustard vinaigrette. Finally, don’t forget all those wonderful berries in a smoothie or with homemade Granola and yoghurt for a delicious start to your day. For more recipes, simply click on the the links below, and don’t forget to follow my social media and sign up for my email.
Roasted Vegetables with Red Pepper Houmous
I was very lucky to be given some locally grown vegetables a couple of weeks ago. A colleague was going away and gave me, amongst other things, beetroot and fennel. Add a few store cupboard staples and the result was truly delicious.
The Secrets of a Great Greek Salad
We are lucky in the Channel Islands to get some great salad vegetables and with just a few additions that means anyone can make a beautiful Greek Salad. We can talk later about what exactly those ingredients should be, but first, we need to look at the origins of this Mediterranean marvel.
How I fell back in love with the Caesar Salad
For most of my working life restaurants and pubs have had Chicken Caesar Salad on the menu. In fact, for a long time, it seemed almost the only salad option. Unfortunately, it was not always done well. My finished Caesar salad was a revelation the mix of flavours perfect and it was beautiful as a light lunch.
A Taste of Jersey Summer – Confit Byaldi
We are lucky to have so much fantastic food right on our doorsteps from the humble hedge veg, dedicated producers big and small, and all fishermen and farmers. I think this rather special version of Ratatouille called Confit Byaldi captures the best of our island horticultural production.
Lobster and Prawn Thermidor
Lobster Thermidor is a classic way of serving lobster. Usually served in its own shell. Cooked in a very rich sauce of béchamel, cream, egg yolks and finished under the grill with Gruyere or Parmesan. There is some debate as to whether the sauce is flavoured with brandy and English mustard.
My Dressed Crab is simply Perfect
Island life in the summer is summed up for me in one dish. When I holidayed as a child with my family in the Isles of Scilly this was always the peak season foodie treat. At the end of our time away a trip to a harbourside restaurant and a freshly caught and prepared Brown crab. This doesn’t mean of course you cannot enjoy my recipe wherever you are.
Summer Fruit Pavlova
Summer Fruit Pavlova. It’s peak strawberry season; tennis rackets are in full swing at Wimbledon. But even if the weather isn’t playing ball I thought it would be nice to write about one of my family’s favourite desserts. Pavlova, a big pile of meringue with an icky-sticky marshmallow-like centre. Piled up with whipped cream and topped with fruit.
Strawberry Milkshake & White Chocolate Cupcakes
The secret of this recipe to use Nesquik milkshake powder which gives a real milkshake flavour to both the cake and the topping and I added another childhood favourite some white chocolate buttons to give it my own little twist.
