That’s supper sorted!
There’s a good reason why Halloumi cheese
is one of the standby ingredients in my fridge. Unopened, it will last for
ages, and I like knowing there’s something other than predictable pasta that I
can pull out of the bag in an emergency. I like to slice it, dredge it in a
light coating of seasoned flour, fry it in a little olive oil until it’s a nice
golden color then turn over and repeat. Finally, I dress it with a mixture of
olive oil, lemon juice, finely chopped spring onions, chives or coriander and
some red chilli. Bliss.
Fried
halloumi – a delicious standby
Easy meringues
When I’m asked to bring a dish to a party,
brownies or meringues are my usual crowd-pleaser.
So when my pal Alison turned 60 recently, I
offered meringues…but then discovered she was expecting around 200 guests. Eek!
I definitely didn’t want to be landed with a pile of yolks at a busy time. So I
decided to give Dr Oetker Egg White Powder a go (From 1,49 for the equivalent
of 12 whites, available tin major supermarkets), and was very pleasantly
surprised. I honestly could not tell the difference between the powder and
fresh whites. I baked teaspoonful-sized meringues, then sandwiched the cooled
ones together with a filling made from whipped cream, coffee, light brown
sugar, rum and toasted pecans. Gone in a flash!
Almost-instant
meringues make a glamorous pudding
Flower power
I defy anyone on this earth to consider
Jill Fade’s crystallized edible flowers anything other than completely
exquisite – guaranteed to supply the wow factor on a summer celebration cake.
Jill grows all the flowers – violas, cornflowers and primroses are typical – at
her Devon farmhouse without chemicals or pesticides. What’s more, neither
flavoring nor coloring is added and each flower is crystallized within an hour
of picking – and carefully packed to ensure it arrives intact. Flowers last for
at least six weeks after dispatch. Prices start at $5.99; call 01598 740494 or
visit meadowsweetflowers.co.uk for more details.
Golden
globes: Asian pears are wonderfully juicy
A perfect pear
Until a few weeks ago, I’d never eaten an
Asian pear… I’m not sure why not, but now I’m hooked on them. They’re in most
supermarkets at this time of year, and taste like a cross between an apple and
a pear. But the best thing about them is their extreme juiciness – be prepared
to get messy.
