Charlotte Pike

Dinner

Butter and milk buns

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1Buns

There’s something special about a really good bun. Home made burgers are a wonderful thing, and I published my best-ever recipe in one of my cookery books. I think most people will now recognize that a bad burger patty is just not nice, but I think more and more people are coming to realize that a bad bun is just as bad.

This is a great, easy recipe for an enriched dough, made with butter and milk. It’s half way towards a brioche, which I also really like, but I feel as though this is a slightly more versatile bun, which also goes extremely well with the aubergine burger recipe in my vegetarian cookbook.

Butter and milk buns

Makes 12 large buns

Ingredients

550g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading.

1 tsp sea salt

2 heaped tsp quick action dried yeast (I find Doves Farm the best)

300ml full cream milk

50 butter, melted

2 egg yolks

You may wish to glaze the buns with 1 egg yolk and a sprinkling of sesame seed

Method

1)   Place the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.

2)   Then, put all the remaining wet ingredients into a jug and whisk together.

3)   Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to form a sticky wet, dough.

4)   If using a stand mixer, knead for 10 minutes on a medium speed. If making the buns by hand, then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for around 10 minutes until smooth and ever so slightly tacky to the touch. Try not to add too much extra flour.

5)   Place the dough into a large mixing bowl and cover well with cling film. I like to put a tea towel over the top, too. Leave for around 4 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

6)   Knead the dough again briefly now, knocking the air out of it. Divide it evenly into 12 pieces and form evenly shaped balls.  Place on a floured tray, cover with clingfilm again, and allow the buns to rise again. This will take around two hours.

7)   Preheat the oven to 230C or equivalent.

8)   Glaze the buns with egg wash and sprinkle over some seeds if you’re using them.

9)   Bake for 25-35 minutes until they feel light, but crusty. They will be a deep, glossy brown.

10)  Allow to cool on a wire rack and devour.

Summer fruit salads

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There is something wonderful about the abundance of delicious fruits in season at this time of year. When ripe, juicy and fragrant, you need nothing more than a napkin to enjoy summer fruits at their best.

That said, a fruit salad is a pretty perfect way to end a meal. An elegant bowlful of fruit is simple to prepare, looks sensational and makes a light, refreshing and nutritious pudding.

These fruit salads are hardly recipes – more of a pairing of ingredients. Together, they are almost greater than the sum of their parts, and work with a wide variety of cuisines.

When making a fruit salad at home, I don’t use sugar on the fruit. This is simply for health reasons, and I happen to enjoy the flavour of the fruit on its own. But, a fruit salad is a wonderful option when cooking for friends and family. In this case, I’d make a sugar syrup, cool it and pour it over the fruit and allow it to macerate for an hour or two before serving. This creates plenty of perfumed juice, which is even better enjoyed with some homemade vanilla ice cream, and also keeps the fruit for a little longer when cut. Just be sure to use the most perfectly ripe fruit you can find – it’s not worth making this with flavourless fruit. 

1slm

Strawberry, lemon and mint

Hull and halve 400g of strawberries. Mix with a tablespoon of lemon juice, and the zest of half a lemon, (I use Amalfi lemons) a tablespoon of caster sugar, if desired, or 75ml sugar syrup. Add 3 tbsp chopped mint and stir.

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White nectarine, blueberry and mint 

Quarter and de-stone three white nectarines. Mix with a tablespoon of caster sugar, if desired, or 75ml sugar syrup. Add 100g blueberries and 3 tbsp chopped mint and stir.

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Nectarine, strawberry and sweet geranium

Quarter and de-stone three white nectarines. Mix with a tablespoon of caster sugar, if desired, or 75ml sugar syrup. Add 200g hulled and quartered strawberries and 6 small sweet geranium leaves and stir.

 1PBM

Pineapple blueberry and mint

Cut a large pineapple into 1” chunks, ensuring you cut out the woody core first. Mix with a tablespoon of caster sugar, if desired, or 75ml sugar syrup. Add 100g blueberries and 3 tbsp chopped mint and stir.

Poached rhubarb with orange and cardamom and rosemary ice cream

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I wanted to share a seasonal dessert I made recently. This ice cream is amazing with all manner of tarts, particularly apple and rhubarb, but, looking for something lighter on this occasion, I decided to poach some fresh, local rhubarb with orange and cardamom to accompany the ice cream. The two were such a good match, but either would be delicious on its own. They make a delicious, easy to make dessert, which can also be prepared in advance.

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Poached rhubarb with orange and cardamom and rosemary ice cream

Well, the rhubarb part isn’t really a recipe. I placed the rhubarb into the pan. Added the zest of a large orange, four heaped tablespoons of cardamom sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. I poached the rhubarb for around 10 minutes over a moderate heat until tender, but not too long as I didn’t want it to fall apart. I decanted it into a bowl and chilled in the fridge before serving.

To make the ice cream. I followed this recipe (or use any simple vanilla custard ice cream recipe) and infuse it with one large, bruised sprig of rosemary. Pass through a metal sieve to ensure there are no needles left in the custard before freezing.

Serve the two together for a seriously delicious dessert.