Treat friends over the bank holiday weekend with this impressive but easy entertaining menu
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Recipes Jennifer Joyce
Photographs Michael Paul
Watercress salad with orange, asparagus and parmesan
30 minutes
Easy
Use non-stick or silicon-coated baking paper for the parmesan wafers or they will stick.
Parmesan 50g, grated
Watercress 150g, woody stems removed
Red chicory or radicchio 2 handfuls of leaves
Asparagus 1 bunch, blanched for 2-3 minutes
Oranges 2, segmented over a bowl to collect the juice
Pitted black olives 12
Dressing
Sherry vinegar 1 tbsp
Orange juice 2 tbsp
Dijon mustard 1 tsp
Extra-virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
- Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cover a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Divide the parmesan into 6 evenly spaced small piles on the baking sheet and flatten them into circles. Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven, let them sit for 1 minute to set then put on a rack to cool.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl, season and whisk well.
- Arrange the watercress, red chicory, asparagus, orange segments and olives on each plate. Just before serving, trickle a little dressing over and top with a parmesan wafer. Serves 6
Pork loin with apricot, sage and pine nut stuffing
2½ hours
Easy
Butter
Celery 2 sticks, diced
Onion 1 medium, chopped
Sage chopped to make 3 tbsp
Thyme chopped to make 2 tbsp
French bread 30g, cubed
Pine nuts 30g
Dried apricots 10, chopped
Boned pork loin 2 kg, butterflied flat
- Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan then add the celery, onion, 1 tbsp sage and 1 tbsp thyme. Season and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Tip the bread, pine nuts and apricots into a bowl and pour the onion mixture over. Season again and mix well. Lay the meat out flat and spread the stuffing over it. Roll up and tie with string.
- Sprinkle the outside of the joint with the remaining thyme, sage and some seasoning. Put in a baking tin and cook for 2 hours. Leave to rest for 20 minutes, remove string then cut into thick slices. Serves 6
Potato gratins with garlic and red Leicester
1 hour
Easy
The red Leicester gives these a sharp flavour and brilliant orange colour.
Butter for the ramekins
Maris piper or King Edward potatoes 5 large, about 1.2kg, cut into 2 cm chunks
Garlic 1 clove, chopped
Onion 1, chopped
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Crème fraîche 150m
l
Milk 125ml
Red Leicester 200g, grated
Parmesan 30g, grated
- Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter 6 ramekins or 1 large baking dish.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain. Fry the garlic and onion in a little olive oil for 5 minutes until soft.
- Mix the crème fraîche and milk together in a large bowl then stir in the potatoes, onion mix and both cheeses. Pour into the ramekins or baking dish and cook in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden and bubbling. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6
Spring vegetables with tarragon butter (pictured above)
10 minutes
Easy
To make this dish in advance without losing the bright green colour, cool the veg in iced water after cooking, then drain. Just before serving, reheat with the butter.
Green beans 100g, trimmed
Sugar snap peas 100g
Peas 50g, fresh or frozen
Butter 25g
Tarragon a small bunch, chopped
- Steam the vegetables or blanch in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and mix with the butter and tarragon and season well before serving. Serves 4
Limoncello syllabub with crushed amaretti
20 minutes
Easy
It's very important not to over-whip the cream so whisk it until it's just starting to thicken then add the lemon mixture. Once you've whisked it again it will be at the perfect consistency.
Lemons 2, zested and juiced
Limoncello 75ml
Double cream 300ml
Caster sugar 100g
Amaretti biscuits 12
- Mix the lemon juice, most of the zest and the limoncello together. Pour the cream into a large bowl and softly whip with the sugar. Drizzle in the lemon mixture and whisk until incorporated. Divide between 6 small glasses and refrigerate for at least an hour. Just before serving, put 6 biscuits in a plastic bag. Crush with a rolling pin and sprinkle over each dessert with a little lemon zest. If you like, serve each with a biscuit. Makes 6
Blood orange Campari cocktails
10 minutes
Easy
The sweet orange juice balances the slightly bitter taste of Campari to make a refreshing aperitif.
Ice
Campari 180ml
Blood orange or orange juice 750ml
Soda water 750ml
Orange 1, for slicing and decorating glasses
- Fill 6 highball glasses with ice. Pour over the Campari, followed by the blood orange juice. Top up with the soda and serve decorated with the orange slices. Makes 6
Goat's cheese balls with chives and pink peppercorns
25 minutes
Easy
These are simple to make but look like you've gone to a lot of trouble. Cut the bread into circles with a small pastry cutter or just slice into squares.
Sourdough bread cut into 16 circles or squares
Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
Soft goat's cheese log 200g
Chives 10g, finely chopped
Pink peppercorns 3 tbsp, lightly crushed
- Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil, season and bake for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove and cool.
- Cut the goat's cheese into 16 pieces and then roll into little balls. Roll 8 of them in the chives and the others in the pink peppercorns. Refrigerate the balls until serving then arrange on the toasts to serve. Makes 16
Brilliant wine match
The wines for this menu have a distinctly Italian air. Pair the watercress and orange salad with a delicate, not too citrussy Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2005 (£3.99, Sainsbury's). Follow on with the fresh and lively Waitrose Italian Organic Rosso 2005 (£4.99), which makes a crisp, crunchy fruit contrast to the rich roast. To finish, go for chilled glasses of Italy's favourite lighthearted sweet, grapey fizz, Asti Spumante (Araldica NV, £5.99 or £3.99 with three for two offer, Thresher).