insideKENT Magazine Issue 40 - July 2015 | Page 57

FOOD+DRINK perfect picnic recipes cont. Smoked Salmon Palmiers These tasty treats are ideal finger food, and just right for nibbling on a picnic blanket by a babbling brook. Ingredients: • 320g puff pastry • 1 egg (beaten) • 1 tbsp poppy seeds • 5 tbsp cream cheese • 100g smoked salmon (chopped) • Fresh chives (chopped) Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) 2. Roll the pastry out and brush one side of it with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the pastry and then carefully turn it over 3. Spread the cream cheese over the other side, place the salmon over the top, and finish with the chives 4. Use a knife to mark a line down the middle (lengthways) of the pastry sheet, but don’t cut all the way through. Now roll each side up tightly until it reaches the middle line 5. Slice the roll into pieces about 1cm thick and place on a lined or greased baking tray and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed up Honey and Grapefruit Lemonade It may sound strange, but this combination of sour and sweet really hits the spot on a hot summer’s day, especially with a sprig of mint! You can make this before you set out, and keep it cool in a Thermos flask. Don’t add the mint leaves until it’s time to serve though, as they’ll go brown. This recipe makes about 1 litre. Ingredients: • Juice 2 pink grapefuits • Juice 1 lemon • 1/2 litre water (use sparkling for extra zing) • 3 tbsp honey • Fresh mint leaves Method: 1. Combine the grapefruit and lemon juice (you can use a jug to make this) and then stir in the honey – it should completely dissolve 2. Now add the water, tasting as you pour to make sure it doesn’t become too diluted 3. That’s it! Serve with fresh mint leaves for a refreshing alternative to fizzy drinks Mini Financiers – Raspberry, Basil and Apricot These sound fancy (they look fancy!), and they will be sure to impress. Take some of the most summery fruits you can think of and bake them into a biscuity dessert. Delicious! Ingredients: • 40g plain flour • 1/4 tsp baking powder • 120g icing sugar (and extra for dusting) • 45g ground almonds • 4 egg whites • 65g butter • 12 basil leaves (finely shredded) • 12 raspberries • 12 pieces dried apricot Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease the moulds with butter (ideally, you will use financier moulds, but if you haven’t got them, muffin moulds will work – your puds will just be a different shape) 2. Sift the flour and baking powder together, and stir in the icing sugar and ground almonds 3. Add the egg whites and whisk 4. Melt the butter until it just starts to brown, then add it to the rest of the mixture 5. Separate your financier mixture into two bowls, and add the basil leaves to one. Leave both bowls to rest for 10 minutes 6. Fill your moulds to about 3/4 full, filling half with the basil mixture, and half with the plain (or you can bake your financiers in two batches in you prefer) 7. Add at least one (two if they are small) raspberry to each mould filled with the basil mixture, and at least one piece of apricot to the plain ones 8. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown 9. Dust with icing sugar before serving 57