Carta di musica with olive, rosemary and anchovy salsa

Anchovies are one of those ingredients that split people. Katie hates the little oily, salty strips and will pick up their scent however well concealed in a sauce, under a heap of cheese on a pizza or poked into chunks of lamb. I know that screwed up face and “oh! There’s anchovies in here!” very well indeed. But I adore the things. I always remember my mum eating them straight out of those shallow tins when I was young, and I’ve enjoyed that tangy kick ever since. I’ll find any excuse to put them into a dish. And although punchy in their own right, used subtly they deepen, round off and enhance. But she will always notice. 

 
On the other hand I deplore marmite. I used to bite into my brothers sandwiches by accident and pull that exact same creased expression. I’m often urged to spoon it into mash, sauté with mushrooms just try again on toast but I can’t. So swings and roundabouts I guess.
 
Back to those glorious anchovies. I’ve always had a vastly more savoury tooth, and often crave the deep hit of something salty. Crisps over chocolate any day of the week. Our rosemary plant has been flowering of late, releasing lovely fragrant pine just outside the back door. Recently at work I had an idea of crushing up a few sprigs with more of those anchovies (there is *always* a jar in the fridge) and some green olives. Tapenadey I guess, but a whole lot more rustic, with chunks of individual components giving little bursts of flavour. Even at work I could taste it; I almost ran the four miles back home.
 
But I couldn’t just sit there spooning this delicious concoction into my gob (I totally could and would). I needed some sort of carrier. A good sourdough or focaccia from my local and brilliant Spence or E5 bakeries would normally be the quick answer. But I’ve been criminally quiet on the baking front of late, and thought the whole thing would be that bit more satisfying as a result. I’d stumbled across a recipe for Italian ‘music bread’ a few weeks before and was astounded at how easy they were to knock up. In the fading evening light I dug out the trusty pasta machine, whacked the oven on full blast and the brittle, almost transparent bits of dough worked a treat.
 
Makes a fair few sheets, but they don't hang around for long.
 
Ingredients:
 
For the carta di musica:
 
200g Italian 00-grade flour, plus more for dusting 
4 good tablespoons of polenta 
150ml water 
1 tbsp olive oil 
Sea salt
 
For the olive and rosemary salsa:
 
A handful of green olives, pitted 
4 anchovy fillets 
1 garlic clove 
4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped 
1 tbsp capers, rinsed 
1 lemon, zest and juice 
A pinch of dried oregano 
A pinch of dried chilli flakes 
Extra virgin olive oil
 

Preheat the oven to 220⁰C.
 
Tip the flour into a bowl and mix with the polenta and a generous sprinkle of salt. Form a well in the middle and pour in the water and the olive oil. Work into a dough, adding a little more water or flour if necessary to achieve a smooth consistency. Knead well to release the glutens until the dough has a soft, elastic texture. Roll until thin, dust with a little more flour and then pass through each gradient of a pasta machine until it reaches the thinnest. 

 
Line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper and brush with a little olive oil. Top with the thin strips of dough. Brush with more oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt and bake in batches for 5-6 minutes, or until very crispy and starting to brown in patches.
 
To make the salsa, put the garlic, olives, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, capers, oregano, chilli flakes, and chopped rosemary into a large pestle and mortar. Beat well until everything is finely combined. Pour in enough extra virgin olive oil to loosen into a spoonable salsa. Taste and add salt, pepper or lemon if needed.

Dark chocolate, peanut and coffee torte with salted peanut praline and buttermilk ice cream

This week I’ve got something a little special and different for you. Earlier last month I was contacted by the lovely people at ActionAid asking if I could write a recipe for their Bake A Difference campaign. This year they are specifically targeting 2700 of the world’s poorest children who will spend this Christmas hungry, sick and in danger, and it’s an absolute privilege to support the campaign and help spread the awareness of this in my blog. More information on the great work undertaken by ActionAid, and how you can sponsor a child can be found on this link. Today also marks Giving Tuesday, which hopefully puts things back into perspective after all of the gluttony and silliness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

My brief was to design a recipe inspired by ingredients from one of the six countries that ActionAid are focussing on this Christmas; Afghanistan, The Gambia, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Myanmar. All of these countries traditionally produce and use amazing ingredients in their dishes, from cardamom and rose water in Afghanistan to sweet potatoes and bananas in Malawi, giving me a hard decision in picking just one! In the end I opted for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The swaying factor was the combination of cocoa, peanuts and coffee; just the sort of thing that I would order if I was out at a restaurant. Traditionally a Congolese sweet dish is something called Mikates, a sweet doughnut, but for this post I wanted to take the ingredients produced in the DRC and incorporate them into something that reflected my style of cooking. 
   
I thought that the idea for this campaign was a brilliant one and something that really resonated with me. Although baking has really taken off in the last few years and turned into quite a fashion, the fundamental routes of it have remained the same. Baking makes people happy. It is joyful to start off with basic ingredients and a relief to pull a fantastic finished product out of the oven. But the satisfaction really starts when a cake is given to friends or family. My whole interest in cooking started with baking. I haven’t got a particularly sweet tooth, but what spurred me on was the happiness that a cake as a gift gave others. And I think that this is a universal thing, something that spans countries, cultures and ages. 
   
Although there are a few different elements and stages to this recipe, it is fundamentally an easy cake to make. It is something to have a crack at even if the thought of baking sends a chill down your spine, and it’s a great one to get the kids involved in. Aside from the careful nature of making caramel they can get stuck into pretty much anything; from whisking the egg whites into a satisfying froth to bashing up the praline with a rolling pin. 
   
I added the soured ice cream to take the edge off the rich cake, but really any of these elements work just as well on their own. I will certainly be sneakily tucking into a bowl of that ice cream when no-one is looking, and the salted peanut brittle is addictive stuff. 
   
Serves 6-8    

Ingredients: 
   
For the cake: 
   
225g good quality dark chocolate, 70-85% cocoa solids preferably 
225g unsalted peanuts 
100g golden caster sugar 
125g light brown soft sugar 
225g unsalted butter, softened 
4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites 
1 tsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tsp boiling water 
1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder 
   
For the buttermilk ice cream: 
   
80g golden caster sugar 
400ml double cream 
150ml whole milk 
200ml buttercream 
3 large egg yolks 
A pinch of salt 
   
For the praline:
   
120g unsalted peanuts 
200g golden caster sugar 
1 tsp sea salt flakes 

 
First get the ice cream on. Combine the milk, buttercream, sugar and cream in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. When up to temperature, remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt together, then pour over half of the hot cream mixture. Whisk until the yolks are emulsified, then pour the liquid back into the pan. Return to a low-medium heat and stir continuously until the temperature reaches 85⁰C. Take off the heat and allow to cool quickly, then transfer to an ice cream machine to churn as the manufacturer suggests. 
   
Pre-heat the oven to 150⁰C. 

For the cake, blitz up the chocolate and the peanuts in a food processor until they are the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl and set aside. 

 
Cream together the sugars and butter using a whisk until well combined and very light. Incorporate the egg yolks one at a time, then beat in the chocolate, nuts, coffee and the cocoa powder. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Using a spatula, beat a small amount of this into the chocolate mixture before carefully folding in the rest. Spoon the batter into a lined, 20cm round baking tin and bake for about an hour, or until a skewer is clean when removed. 

 
To make the praline, heat up the sugar in a dry saucepan on a medium-high temperature. As the sugar starts to melt, sway the pan carefully to combine, don’t be tempted to stir. When the colour of the caramel is a deep golden colour, add the peanuts to the pan and mix well with a spoon. Tip the mixture out onto a lined baking tray and allow to set. When cooled, bash into small pieces with a rolling pin. 

When the cake has cooked and cooled, dust with a little extra cocoa powder and sprinkle with some of the praline. Serve with a scoop of the buttermilk ice cream.

Marinated sardines with smoked aubergine and garlic and rosemary focaccia

The sardine season seems to have taken an age to come. On a hot summers day, I can think of little better to eat than a heap of them freshly grilled or even better, barbequed. As a child I couldn’t stand the things. Dad would always cook them and marvel. I ate chicken. Chicken was my friend. Chicken didn’t smell fishy and chicken didn’t have an infinite amount of silly little bones to ruin each mouthful. Why would anyone eat sardines when they could have chicken I would wonder. Now I know damn well. Growing up and acquiring new tastes is a joyful thing. I’m still waiting for cherries.

But back to sardines. I have been a convert many a year now. I filled my flat with smoke whilst the girl was away last July and they shared a fork with cavolo nero and clam. I joked that the washing that draped the clothes horses would never smell the same again. This time there was going to be none of that. Salt and acidity do amazing things to fish, and with a bit of patience I ended up with a dish of cured and marinated sardines that provided a delightful little snack for many sunny evenings. Just like the plates of anchovies that little time-etched ladies hand out in those proper bars on holiday. 

The bread was an important reminder to my lack of recent baking and the happiness a flat filled with the smell of browning crust and roasting garlic can create. I have to hand the wizardry of the focaccia recipe largely to baking GOD Dan Lepard, for which it is based. I have taken his recommendation and reduced the yeast levels, which makes for a timely wait but a tasty crumb. The substantial loaf was wolfed down and I sat there like a cheeky child in disbelief that I could consume so much. 

It is pointless to make a small batch of the smoked aubergine to accompany the fish alone, so the amounts stated are for a decent bowlful. Spread on more bread, stir into pasta or eat with a spoon. Either way it lasts little longer than the loaf. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

For the marinated sardines: 

12 sardines, butterflied 
500g table salt 
Extra virgin olive oil, to cover 
3 tbsp caster sugar 
3 tbsp white wine vinegar 
1 lemon, zest cut into large strips 
1 red onion, finely sliced 
1 garlic clove, finely sliced 
1 tsp black peppercorns 
6 sprigs fresh oregano 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1 small dried chilli, crumbled 

For the smoked aubergine: 

2 medium aubergines 
2 shallots, finely chopped 
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 small dried chilli, crumbled 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1 lemon, zest and juice 
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika 
1 tbsp tomato puree 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked 

For the garlic and rosemary focaccia: 

4g fast action dried yeast 
400ml warm water 
500g ‘00’ grade Italian flour 
A large pinch of salt 
8 sprigs of rosemary 
3 garlic cloves 
Sea salt 
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

To finish:

The pickled onions from the marinade 
Fresh oregano leaves 
1 lemon, zest only 
Extra virgin olive oil


First cure the sardines. Mix the salt and sugar together and pour half into the bottom of a dish large enough to hold the fish side-by-side. Lay the opened out fish on top, then pour over the other half of the salt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for two hours, then rinse all of the salt off the fish and pat dry. Clean the dish and place the sardines back in it, then add the onion, garlic, lemon zest, dried oregano, chilli, fresh oregano, peppercorns and white wine vinegar. Pour over enough extra virgin olive oil to cover then toss all of the ingredients until everything is well distributed. Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. 

 
To make the focaccia, mix the yeast and lukewarm water together in a jug until well combined. Tip the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and stir in the yeasty water until a sloppy dough is achieved. Cover with cling film and leave to prove for 45 minutes. Knead very quickly for thirty seconds before repeating the proving process. Lightly oil a work surface and shape the dough into a large rectangle shape, then perform a blanket fold. Transfer back to the bowl and cover for another 45 minutes. Stretch the dough out again and fold, then on an oven tray of about 25 x 30cm lined with greaseproof paper. Cover with cling film and leave for 45 minutes.
 
Preheat the oven to 200⁰C. 

While the dough is performing it’s final prove, mix the sliced garlic, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. When the dough is ready, push it out with your fingers so that it nearly fills the oven tray. Push into the surface with your fingers and spoon over the rosemary and garlic oil mixture. Sprinkle very generously with sea salt and slide into the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until evenly golden on the top and cooked through. 

 
For the smoked aubergine, heat a large griddle pan to a medium-high temperature. Coat the aubergines with olive oil and roll in salt and pepper. Fry for 8-10 minutes on all sides, until the inside is very soft when squeezed. Set aside to cool down. Add a little olive oil to a frying pan and set on a medium-low heat. Soften the garlic, chilli, shallots and dried oregano with the paprika and a little seasoning for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat. When the aubergine has cooled, slice in half and scoop out the middles with a spoon into a food processor. Blitz into a coarse puree, then add the fresh oregano, lemon juice and zest, shallot mixture and olive oil and mix again until everything is well combined. Taste and add more seasoning or lemon juice if necessary. 

To serve, spoon a little of the aubergine puree onto the middle of each plate. Top with three of the sardine fillets, then dot on a little more of the aubergine. Arrange some of the marinated sliced onion on top along with some fresh oregano leaves. Grate over the lemon zest and finish with a little extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper.

Pig head project 2: jowl, apple, cinnamon and fennel doughnuts

I was really happy with my first attempt at creating something out of the pig’s head in the last post. Before starting the project I was fairy anxious as to how it would turn out and taste, as apart from the Hannibal Lecters among us who really likes the thought of eating the face and ears of something? But it just goes to show that you should always give these squeamish things a try, and in this case it was totally delicious. I love the increased popularity of nose to tail cooking, both for the great food it throws up and the minimised wastage from using more of the animal. Farmers do an amazing job to bring us such fantastic well reared produce, so it takes the piss a bit to throw loads of it straight in the bin. It’s mostly just the psychological barrier that needs to be broken down, especially in this country. We have a lot to learn from other countries and cultures, where all of the unglamorous stuff is often a delicacy. 

As I only used the cheeks and the ears in the last recipe, I still had tons of meat left that I was determined to use. This mostly comprised of the large slabs of jowl, which have a great fat content and almost resemble a piece of pork belly. Traditionally these would be used to make brawn or rillettes, but I had other ideas. For a while now I had been wanting to make doughnuts, but instead of your traditional cream or jam filled varieties I thought about giving them a little twist. Not having a mega sweet tooth, I often ate them and craved something savoury and salty to cut through all of the sugar. So why not combine the two? I guess the inspiration was probably born from eating things like Asian steamed pork buns, apart from this would be much dirtier and more deep fried.

With the doughnut idea, I originally intended the meat to be shredded confit duck, combined with something like cherry. But recently I had an apple filling, and the pork idea lit up. Although normally you would pipe the jam into the cooked buns, the coarseness of the cooked pork mixture meant that I stuffed the dough after the first proving process. I was sceptical about this at first and thought that this might upset the raising process, but once cooked the filling stayed inside and the dough was light and fluffy. I was really pleased with the taste too, that had just the right balance of sweetness, richness and saltiness. It has also opened up my eyes to all of the other filling possibilities out there.

They went down a treat with everyone who I gave them too. After a few nervous looks at the prospect of a pig head doughnut they were wolfed down.

Makes about 8 large doughnuts.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

550g strong white flour, plus more for dusting 
14g instant yeast 
60g caster sugar 
40g salted butter, softened 
2 eggs 
150ml milk 
125ml water 
Salt 
Vegetable oil for deep frying, about 2ltrs.

For the filling:

1 x pork jowl, about 600/700g 
1 carrot, halved vertically 
1 leek, halved vertically 
1 onion, sliced thickly 
3 cloves of garlic 
1 star anise 
1 bay leaf 
A few sprigs of thyme 
1 cinnamon stick 
1 tbsp fennel seeds 
1 glass of white wine 
1 braeburn apple, peeled and cut into large chunks 
30g butter 
1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste 
Salt and pepper

For the sugar coating: 

4 tbsp caster sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp fennel seeds 
A good pinch of salt

 
Pre-heat the oven to 160⁰C. 

First roast the pork jowl. Use the sliced leek, onion, carrot and garlic as a trivet in the bottom of a roasting dish. Top with the star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, thyme, seasoning, white wine and about 150ml of water. Score ½ cm marks into the pork skin and rub in a generous amount of salt. Place the meat on top of the trivet and cover with foil. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meat is really tender, adding the apples underneath the meat for the last hour. Raise the temperature of the oven to 220⁰C and continue to roast until the crackling is crunchy. Strip the soft meat from the crackling, it should fall away with little pressure, and shred well. Reserve the roasted apple chunks. Cut the crackling into strips and sprinkle with salt. 

To make the doughnut dough, get a large bowl and add the flour, sugar, a good pinch of salt and butter. Form a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and water. Warm the milk to a lukewarm temperature and stir in the yeast. Add this mixture to the other wet ingredients and combine them into the dry ingredients using a spoon until it comes together. Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead really well for about 7-8 minutes, or until smooth and slightly elasticky. Put the dough into a clean bowl and cover with a layer of clingfilm. Leave in a warm area for about an hour to prove.

While the dough is proving make the filling. Chop up the roasted apple chunks and add to the shredded pork meat. Heat up the butter in a saucepan on a medium temperature. Add the meat and the apple along with the sugar and some seasoning. Stir together, cover the saucepan and cook gently for about ten minutes. Mash the filling roughly so that everything is combined yet still a little chunky, then taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Tip out onto a plate and allow to cool. 

When the dough has had its first prove, tip out and divide into 8 pieces, depending on how many and what size you require. Knead each piece a couple of times to get rid of some of the air and then flatten a little to create a thick disk. Spoon a tablespoon of the cold filling mixture into the middle and then carefully seal around it, making sure there are no gaps. Roll the doughnuts to create a round bun shape and then transfer to a well-floured surface, seal side down. Cover loosely with a layer of cling film and allow to prove for another hour.

To make the sugar coating, put the sugar, cinnamon, fennel seeds and salt into a pestle and mortar and crush together really well.

When the doughnuts have nearly finished their proving time, start heating the frying oil in a large, wide saucepan to 160⁰C.

To cook the doughnuts, carefully lower them into the hot oil using a large greased spoon. Cook in small batches depending on the size of your saucepan, but do not overcrowd. Fry slowly for about 4-5 minutes on each side to ensure that the middles are cooked through. Scatter a good amount of the sugar coating onto a plate or board. As soon as each doughnut is cooked, transfer straight over and roll well so that every bit of the surface is covered. Eat whilst still warm, with a bit of the crackling on the side.

Courgette, lemon and cinnamon mini muffins

Sometimes amongst all of the serious day-to-day cooking, it’s refreshing to make something a bit more fun and lighthearted. I don’t bake nearly as much as I should. As it’s just Katie and I living in our flat, it always seems a bit silly to make a big cake or a batch of muffins that will take us days and days to get through. But every time I do I really enjoy it. There’s nothing like the smell of a cake baking in the oven, and the joy when you pull it out and see the results (most of the time anyway…). Cake also brings unlimited happiness. People are connected when giving it as a gift, and many can recall fond, vivid memories of cakes that relatives made them when they were young. 

Baking is also partly responsible for my passion for food being the way it is today. Years ago I was an intern for a food charity in Brighton, and every Wednesday, a different member of staff had to bring in a cake. This started as something lighthearted and simple, but as the weeks went by the standard of the cakes rose staggeringly. Simple scones and sponges turned to juice soaked almond cakes and multi-layered tarts. This stoked a fire inside of me, and for the first time I strived to find recipes and use techniques that I would never have dreamed of before. Gradually this enthusiasm transferred to the rest of my cooking, and before long I was making my parents dinner on a regular basis and gaining confidence in what I was doing. I certainly wouldn’t be the cook I am now without that progression, and I am still striving to learn more all of the time.

These cakes are easy. Really easy. There is no painstaking creaming of butter and multitude of stages. It’s simply a case of mixing the wet ingredients with sugar and then adding the dry bits. I made these the other day for Katie and they were the perfect afternoon pick me up with a nice cup of tea. 
 

Courgette cake has been around for a few years now, but it still raises eyebrows whenever I make it. But it is just as good a vegetable for baking with as the more traditional carrots or beetroot. I used them in this recipe to celebrate the closing of the courgette season for this year. I really love courgettes. They are such a versatile vegetable; amazing stirred through pasta with brown shrimps, roasted with honey or eaten raw in thin ribbons. I was the happy recipient of many bags of courgettes from my parent’s allotment this summer, and I will be sad to have to wait until next year to have them again. They add moisture and texture when added to sponges, and contrary to old wives tales, will not make it heavy. The important thing to remember is the draining process. Courgettes contain loads of water, and you don’t want that leaking into the sponges as they cook!

Makes approx 16 mini muffins.

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

200g courgettes
1 tbsp salt

200g caster sugar
200ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 lemon, zest only
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g plain flour
1 pinch of salt

For the frosting:

400g icing sugar
200g cream cheese
1 tsp lemon curd
75g butter

For the spiced sugar topping:

1 tbsp ground cinnamon  
1 tsp ground allspice 
A little grated nutmeg
1 tsp caster sugar
Butter for greasing


Preheat the oven to 170ºC (fan).

Grease the mini muffin tray with butter. Cut 16 approx 3” x 3” squares out of greaseproof paper, and use these instead of muffin cases to line each slot. 
 
Grate the courgette coarsely, then mix with the tablespoon of salt and transfer to a sieve. Allow to drain over the sink for about half an hour, then tip onto a clean tea towel and squeeze out any remaining moisture. Set aside.

To make the sponge put the caster sugar, eggs, oil and lemon zest into a large mixing bowl and whisk well together.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, raising agents and salt. Whisk this into the sugar, egg and oil mixture until well combined. Finally stir through the dried courgettes. Spoon the mixture into the lined mini muffin tray holes, filling each to about three quarters full. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the sponge is just cooked. 
 

When baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

Make the icing by beating the cream cheese in a large bowl until softened. Thoroughly mix in the icing sugar, then add the butter and beat well until combined. To finish, stir through the lemon curd. Add a little more icing sugar at this point if the frosting is still a little sloppy.

Ice the cooled cakes in the style of your choice. I like to spoon on the icing and roughly shape with a palette knife. You could also pipe it or simply use a spoon.

Mix the sugar and spices for the topping together in a small bowl and lightly sprinkle over the top of the cakes.

Raspberry and lemon thyme macarons

I think that after the last few recipes that I have written for this blog, it’s about time that I did a bit of baking again. Although I have really focussed on savoury food recently, baking is how I got into cooking in the first place and still is a real passion of mine. I just love the happiness that a cake or other baked good creates in people. Even those like me without a real sweet tooth often can’t resist a slice!

I bit off a little more than I could chew with this recipe though. I had been wanting to have a go at making macarons for quite a while, but being relatively out of practice and slightly blase about how tricky they might be, I found them a real challenge. In hindsight this is really no surprise; the immaculate macarons that appear in patisseries are perfected and laboured over for years before getting right - what sort of chance was I going to have on my first go!? My first effort was far from perfect, with the finished macarons a little cracked on top instead of that lovely flat glossy look. But practice makes perfect, and I will definitely try again.

For the base of this recipe I turned to Felicity Cloake’s ever useful Guardian column. It was reassuring to find that she also had problems with her efforts, and I was intimidated by the amount of flack that she received from the macaron police in the comment section. But as a guide or introduction to a dish I find columns like hers very helpful, and from there you can change ingredients to suit what you are making. 

Her original recipe is posted on the Guardian website here: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/17/how-to-cook-perfect-chocolate-macarons

Instead of the chocolate flavouring used by Felicity, I went for something a little different. I love using raspberries in desserts, especially where anything meringue based is concerned. A meringue topped with whipped cream and stewed raspberries is often the perfect end to a summery meal. To incorporate them in this recipe I thought that dehydrating them in a low oven and them powdering them would work. This would intensify the flavour of the berry, and at the same time remove the chances of liquid getting into the macaron mixture and destabilising the finished result. Lemon thyme works really well with berries in sweet dishes, and I left the leaves whole so that the odd leaf could be seen on the surface (back off you macaron purists!)... 

Despite the imperfections they went down a storm and were quickly devoured. Surely that’s what baking is really all about.

Makes about 20

Ingredients:

125g raspberries 

2 tbsp lemon thyme, leaves picked and left whole

130g ground almonds

170g icing sugar

150g egg whites

120g caster sugar

Pinch of salt

For the filling:

150ml double cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 vanilla pod

125g raspberries

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 lemon, juice only

The night before baking, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and scatter 125g of the raspberries on top. Put into a low oven heated to 60-70ºC and leave overnight. In the morning the raspberries should be completely dried out. Tip the raspberries into a small food processor or coffee grinder and blitz until you have a fine powder. Add the thyme leaves and set aside.

Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof parchment. Using a pencil, draw 3cm circles a couple of centimeters apart (I used the top of a squash bottle for this). This will really help with the piping later. Set aside until needed later.

Sieve the almonds, icing sugar and raspberry powder together into a bowl and set aside.

Weigh out the egg whites and pour into a large bowl. Using an electric whisk, mix the egg whites until they reach soft peaks then slowly add the caster sugar, a little at a time. Whisk on a high power until the meringue goes shiny and thick and forms stiff peaks. To test this, you should be able to tip the bowl upside-down without the contents tipping out. 

Fold in the icing sugar, almonds, lemon thyme and raspberry to the meringue, then mix well to knock out a little of the air. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and carefully pipe inside the circle templates on the baking sheet. Try to keep the piped macarons as flat as possible, you don’t want little peaks rising from them. Once all the circles have been filled, drop the baking tray onto the surface from about 6” a couple of times, which will help knock the bubbles out. Leave to rest for between 45mins - 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 170ºC (Fan).

After the macarons have rested and formed a skin, carefully place in the oven for 17 minutes. Open the oven door a couple of times during this cooking time to help the steam escape. Once cooked, slide the macarons on the greaseproof paper onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely. 

While the macarons are cooling make the filling. Put the remaining raspberries, the lemon juice and caster sugar into a small saucepan and cook on a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and a lot of the juices have escaped from the raspberries. Sieve the mixture into a bowl, pushing down on the raspberries with a spoon to get all of the liquid. 

Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and bubble away on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, until it thickens and forms a syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod and place in a medium bowl with the double cream and icing sugar. Whisk until soft peaks form, then fold in the cooled raspberry syrup.  Spoon into a piping bag.

Gently peel the cooled macaron halves from the baking sheet with a palette knife. Pipe a little of the filling mixture onto one half and sandwich carefully with the other. They will be quite crunchy if eaten straight away, but will become very soft, light and chewy if put in the fridge for a couple of hours. Devour at will.