RECIPES & WINE Midsummer treats

In the KITCHEN

The great taste of summer in a delicious warm pudding that you can enjoy with cream or custard!

BLUEBERRY & VANILLA COBBLER

Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus cooling. Serves Four. 450g blueberries • 1 tbsp golden caster sugar • 1⁄2 lemon, zest and juice • 1 1⁄2 tsp cornflour • 100g plain flour • 1 tsp baking powder • 1⁄4 tsp fine salt • 50g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling 45g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled • 75ml double cream • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Preheat the oven to 180°c, gas mark 4. In a small-medium baking dish (about 1.5 litres in volume, at least 5cm deep) toss the blueberries with 1 tbsp caster sugar, the lemon zest and cornflour. Spread evenly over the base and squeeze over the lemon juice. For the cobbler topping, in a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and 50g sugar. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the cream and vanilla, mixing with a wooden spoon until just combined. Use a teaspoon to scoop up the topping, or use your fingertips to make teaspoon-sized balls, and arrange over the blueberries (don’t worry if there are gaps). Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp sugar, then bake for 35-45 minutes until the cobbler is golden and the fruit is bubbling up below. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with more double cream, yogurt or ice cream, if liked. For a different flavour, try swapping the vanilla in the cobbler topping for 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon. n

In the KITCHEN

These friands will end up being best friends... these little almond cakes are inspired by French patisserie and are sublime with a dollop of cream!

STRAWBERRY & PISTACHIO FRIANDS

Preparation Time: 25 minutes. Cooking Time: 25 minutes plus cooling. Makes 12. 100g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing • 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 100g pistachios • 2 tbsp caster sugar • 50g ground almonds • 125g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting 1⁄2 tsp fine salt • 6 egg whites • 8 British strawberries, sliced

Preheat the oven to 180°c, gas mark 4. Brush the 12 holes of a muffin tin with melted butter; dust each with a little flour, shaking out any excess. Pulse the pistachios and caster sugar in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Tip the ground pistachios into a mixing bowl with the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and salt. In a separate large bowl, using a balloon whisk or electric beaters set to a low speed, whisk the egg whites for about two minutes, until frothy and foamy. Sift the dry ingredients over the egg whites and fold in gently until just combined. Pour in the melted butter and stir until just combined. Evenly spoon or pour the batter into the holes of the tin, until each is three quarters full. Gently place a few strawberry slices on top of each and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-22 minutes, until risen, golden brown at the edges and just firm to the touch in the centre. Cool the friands in the tin before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with more icing sugar to serve. n

The local gin that’s fit for a king... or at least, a Duke!

Belvoir Castle’s own gin uses eight hand-picked botanicals and has been developed by Emma Manners, the 11th Duchess of Rutland... Premium craft gin maker Brentingby has partnered with Belvoir Castle, working with Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland to create Belvoir Gin. Its eight botanicals include juniper, coriander, angelica, orange peel, fig, vanilla, chamomile and liquorice root. Classically London Dry in nature with rounded woodiness, it’s presented in a bottle whose chinoiserie feel is designed to mimic the castle’s state rooms, designed by James Wyatt for the 5th Duke. n £39.95 / 70cl / 43% ABV, See www.belvoircastle.com or www.brentingbygin.co.uk.

The Wine Cellar

Wine of the Month

Château Mouton Rothschild 2015 Pauillac 1er Grand Cru Classé

£550 x 1, (£6,600 x 12) 75cl / 13.5% ABV

If you’re looking for something to lay down in your cellar for a rainy day – or an extravagant night – Waitrose has secured a small number of this Château Mouton Rothschild from the producer’s 2015 vintage. Adding to the likelihood of its appreciation in value is the Gerhard Richter artwork on the label. Cassis and cherry from Bordeaux’s finest Cab Sav/Merlot blend.

Available from Waitrose Cellar, www.waitrose cellar.com.

‘NATIONAL PROSECCO DAY’ MIGHT SOUND LIKE A CYNICAL MARKETING PLOY, BUT STILL, WHAT’S THE HARM IN POPPING A CORK FOR THIS FASHIONABLE FIZZ IN AUGUST...?

NATIONAL PROSECCO DAY: Pop a cork for this fashionable fizz on 13th August 2021...

A pink gin with Hope & Glory!

1. With no sense of modesty, Pale Fox claims its single estate Prosecco is the finest in the world. Floral to the nose with apple and acacia, and a peach minerality at the end, £25.95 / 75cl / 11% ABV.

2. A beautiful blush Prosecco from Veneto with silky raspberry notes and a dry finish, thanks to its Glera and Pinot Noir grapes. Its name translates as ‘joyous and high spirited!’ which, we’re confident, is just how you’ll feel too! £11.99 / 75cl / 11% ABV.

3. A quirky bottle but the charm of Alessandro Gallici’s 2019 Anniversary Prosecco goes much deeper. With lemon and peach, it’s a super vintage cuvée, direct from Veneto, £16.99 / 75cl / 11% ABV. The newest premium gin from Lincoln-based Bandsman, sitting alongside Bandsman Gin and Bandmaster London Dry. This special edition has a few subtle changes from pink peppercorns to rose and hibiscus petals which are suspended in a botanical basket above the liquid in the distillery’s copper pot still. The result is a clear London Dry gin which is smooth and floral. Next, British raspberries and rose petals add a beautifully fruity taste without being too sweet, as well as a natural pink blush. £30 / 50cl / 40% ABV, www.bandsmangin.co.uk.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.