JUNE: Seasonal foods and menu choice (From Worcester News)

JUNE: Seasonal foods and menu choice

8:10am Monday 1st June 2009

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June

This month sees a huge selection of cherry varieties, from the sweet Rainier which has a delicate taste to the Morellos being one of the most popular which can be dropped into a sweet batter and bake as a Clafoutis.

Fennel bulbs should be swollen and ready for eating, lovely served with orange slices and chives to bring out the wonderful aniseed flavour.

Foods for this month are:

Vegetables: artichokes, aspargus, watercress, courgettes, carrots, mangetout, new potatoes, peas, radishes, broccoli, fennel, runner beans, turnips, spring onions, sorrel, broad beans.

Meat: Lamb, Wood Pigeon, Guinea fowl, rabbit, Quail, Venison.

Fish: Bass, sea bream, Brill, Clams, Cockles, cod, coley, crab, Dover sole, grey mullet, haddock, herring, lemon sole, lobster, plaice, prawns, red mullet, salmon, sea trout, turbot, whitebate.

Fruit: Cherries, elderflowers, gooseberries, figs, strawberries, kiwi.

MENU

Serves 4

Starter : Fresh Asparagus in Mornay Sauce

Main: Salmon en Croute, new potatoes tossed in butter and dill, carrots, mangetout

Dessert: Strawberry Water Ice.

Fresh Asparagus in Mornay Sauce

2lb Fresh Asparagus

First cook the spears by tying them together in two bundles and standing them on their cut ends with the tips just above the water in gently boiling, salted water for 5–10 minutes, or until just tender. Remove the spears carefully from the saucepan, put them into a colander and rinse under cold water to halt the cooking. Drain well.

Mornay Sauce

1 oz Butter
1 oz plain flour
½ pint milk
2 tbspn of your Asparagus water
2 tbspn of double cream
4 oz Chedder cheese
Salt and black pepper.

For the Sauce:

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and cook this roux for a few minutes until thoroughly blended.
Gradually stir in milk until the sauce is smooth and has thickened.
Blend in Asparagus water and double cream.
Grate the cheese and add 3 oz to the sauce, season with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill to moderate heat. Lightly grease four heatproof dishes.

Arrange the asparagus in single layers in the prepared dishes. Pour the sauce evenly over the asparagus, sprinkle the 1oz of cheese over the top and cook under a moderately hot grill until golden brown and bubbling hot.

Salmon En Croute

1 x approx 1kg side of salmon, skinned, pin boned and cut in half
¾ to 1lb Asparagus
2 tbspn double cream
½ level tsp chopped dill
Salt and pepper
3 thin gammon rashers
8oz of prepared puff pastry
1 egg yoke
1 tbspn milk

Wash and trim asparagus, tie in bundle, cook upright in pan of lighly salted water for 20/30 mins until the tips are soft to the touch.
Drain thoroughly and cut off the soft tips, rub them through a course sieve or liquidise.
Blend cream and dill into the asparagus puree and season to taste.
Spread puree over one half of the salmon and put the fish together (any remaining puree can be spread over the top of the salmon).
Wrap gammon slices round the salmon and set aside. Roll out puff pastry on floured surface to a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Place salmon in the centre of pastry and wrap pastry over the fish.
Beat the egg yolk lightly with the milk and brush the edges of the pastry. Seal the long joint firmly with more egg. Tuck in short ends of pastry neatly and seal with egg.
Place the salmon on a wet baking tray with seam beneath.
Cut a couple of holes in top of pastry for steam to escape, decorate with pastry leaves and brush with egg.
Bake in centre of oven pre-heated to 425F (mark 7) for 20 mins, then lower the heat to 375F (mark 5) and bake for a further 20-25 mins or until the pastry is golden brown.
Serve the salmon with new potatoes tossed in butter and dill, carrots and mangetout.

Strawberry Water Ice

½ lb Strawberries
1oz Icing Sugar
¾ pint of lemonade
2 egg whites

Wash and hull strawberries, drain well and cut into small pieces.
Rub the strawberries through a sieve and stir the sugar to a puree, (alternatively liquidise icing sugar and strawberries).
Add enough lemonade to the puree to make ¾ pint of liquid.
Spoon mixture into ice cube trays or a plastic freezing container, cover with foil or a lid and place in to freezer. When mixture begins to freeze around the sides of the container remove from freezer.
Scrape the frozen bits into the centre of the container with a fork to break up any ice crystals. Whip egg whites until stiff, but not dry and fold them into the strawberry mixture.
Return to freezer in either original container or spooned into small moulds. Cover and freeze until the ice is set.
Serve the Strawberry water ice into glasses or in their moulds.

Enjoy this menu and keep an eye out for our July choice.

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