CHANTERELLE & APRICOT

Baked chanterelle mushrooms with dried apricots (Serves 2)

2 large handfuls of chanterelles

1 clove of garlic, finely sliced

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

6 dried apricots, halved

Lemon zest

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Bake at 200°C wrapped in baking parchment for half and hour or fry in a pan.

Serve on toast

She modelled a pale grey cable knit jumper with apricot doeskin pants.

DATE & EGG

Oeuf en cocotte

Baked eggs with dates, sour cream & nutmeg

Per person:-

2 dates, chopped

1 egg

1tbsp sour cream

Few scratches of nutmeg

Pinch sea salt

Bake in a ramekin dish set in a bain-marie for 15-20mins at 180°C until the egg white has just set.

 The French exchange student seemed so exotic.  

ORANGE & JUNIPER

Marmalade & juniper frozen yogurt

¾ cup milk

1tbsp juniper berries, crushed

1 ½ cups yogurt

2tbsp agave syrup

140g marmalade

1tbsp gin

Heat the milk & juniper & leave to infuse for a couple of hours

Strain & churn the milk with the yogurt, agave & marmalade adding the gin at the very end

Freeze

Served on a brioche roll

Unapologetically & unfashionably started to learn ballroom dancing.  This, the new haircut & ice cream for breakfast was all part of getting over the break-up.

CLOVE & COFFEE

Clove iced coffee

Grind 1 clove with the coffee beans for 2 people
Filter and cool

Serve poured over frozen coffee ice cubes

Petrichor; the clean, spicy smell of rain on dry earth

LIME & PARMESAN

Lime risotto with Parmesan crisps  (Serves 2)

Butter

½ white onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

40ml vermouth

1 cup risotto rice

150ml hot vegetable stock

½ lime, juice & zest

Grated Parmesan

Salt & pepper

4tbsp Parmesan, grated

Saute the onion & garlic 5 mins till soft

Add the Vermouth for 2 mins then the rice and stir till absorbed

Add a ladle of stock at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed

Add the lime, Parmesan & seasoning

For the crisps flatten a tbsp of cheese in a pan till browned, turn

 “…I noticed that the moment captured on the table was just an instant”

Daniel Spoerri, 1968

BROCCOLI & SHERRY

Broccoli with chopped egg & sherry breadcrumbs

(Adapted from Simon Hopkinson; The vegetarian option)

80g butter

40g wholemeal breadcrumbs

Salt & pepper

2tbsp sherry

Tender-stem broccoli, steamed

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1½tbsp sherry vinegar

Heat 40g butter in a pan until frothing & add breadcrumbs & seasoning

Colour for few mins & add the sherry

Stir for 10 to 15 mins

Scatter over the broccoli with the chopped egg

Heat the rest of the butter, take of the heat and add the vinegar

Pour over the broccoli

A new tune, one part expectation, two parts Spring sadness, & for the rest, just the great delight walking alone & liking it.

Tove Jansson; Tales from Moominvalley

CELERIAC & GRAPE

Celeriac & grape salad 
Nigel Slater recipe from Tender II

A frost that cackled and crunched under foot.  This and ruthlessly pruning back the old tree under the influence was a heady combination.   

BANANA & CAVIAR

Banana buckwheat pancakes with crème fraiche and caviar

Add sliced banana & cinnamon to a buckwheat pancake batter

Top with crème fraiche and caviar

Jacob Philadelphia would execute mysterious undertakings of stage magic throughout Europe and Russia.

CELERIAC & ANISE

Braised fennel & celeriac with Pastis
(Recipe from Simon Hopkinson; The vegetarian option)

2 heads of fennel, 8 long wedges each

1 medium celeriac, fat chip shapes

2tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

50g butter

3tbsp Pastis

100ml white wine

Juice & zest 1 lemon

2tbsp chopped parsley & fennel fonds

Preheat the oven 150°C

Fry the fennel & celeriac in the oil & seasoning 15 minutes

Add the butter, pastis & wine

Cover and bake in the oven 1 hour

Stir in the chopped parsley & fonds

Insects are just like you & me except some of them have wings

Kuzhali Manickarel

HONEYCOMB & PARMESAN

Honeycomb & Parmesan on charcoal crackers

The sharp, angular architectural sketches reflected the imagery of suburban modern life 

BLOOD ORANGE & CAPERBERRY

Blood orange, fennel & chicken salad with caperberries

2 blood oranges, segmented

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

150g shredded chicken

1tbsp red wine vinegar

2tbsp olive oil

½tsp Dijon

Sea salt

2tsp pumpkin seeds

2tsp caperberries

The truth was always a little adjustable

JALAPENO & HORSERADISH

Jalapeno Bloody Mary

1 cup tomato juice
1 finely chopped jalapeno

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

½ tbsp finely grated horseradish

½ tbsp Worcestershire, or to taste

¼ tsp celery salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup vodka

Infuse the tomato juice with the jalapeno pepper for at least 24 hours.  Strain.

Shake everything with ice in a jam jar.

I want to be in magazines

And be part of the scene

I want to see my paintings hang

In every gallery

I want the world to stop and stare

Whenever it sees me

But most of all I want to be

In David Hockney's diaries

Television Personalities; David Hockney’s diaries

ROOT VEGETABLES & POMEGRANATE

Root vegetable & pomegranate hotpot

Recipe from Simple cooking by Nigel Slater 

“But you ought to have a clean shirt: I could plant turnips in that one.”

The grass harp; Truman Capote

PEAR & BAY

Pear & Bay compote (Adapted from Kinfolk magazine)

3 pears

1tbsp lemon juice + few strips of zest

1/3 cup honey

1 bay leaf

Bring all the ingredients to the boil for 10 mins

He lived in far too spiritual a manner to be a seducer in the ordinary sence

The seducer’s diary; Søren Kierkegaard