Honey-Roasted Pear, Crispy Parma Ham and Dolcelatte Salad

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (August 2019) and taken from Summer Every Day by Acland Geddes and Pedro Da Silva.

Serves : 4

Ingredients :
4 pears (any type will do, but make sure they are fairly firm)
2 tblsp clear honey
50g butter, melted
6 slices Parma ham
150g Dolcelatte cheese
150g wild rocket

Step One : Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6. Core the pears and cut them lengthwise into eight wedges. Toss them with the honey and melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake them on a non-stock baking tray for about 15 minutes : you want them to have begun to turn golden and caramelised, but not to have lost their bite. This is why medium-to-firm pears are essential; if they are too ripe they will fall apart in the oven.

Step Two : Place the Parma ham slices on a wire rack and roast in the oven for eight to 10 minutes. Keep a vigilant watch over them, as they can go from pink to black faster than you think. They should be rigid and deeply coloured, but not burned. Allow to cool on the rack.

Step Three : Mix together the rocket, roasted pears and crispy ham. Scatter the Dolcelatte cheese over the salad as best you can – it’s a sticky cheese, so it will resist being broken up. If you’ve had a bad day and can’t be bothered with wrestling with an uncooperative dairy product, you can always opt for the more accommodating Roquefort or Stilton – the results are just as good.

Ginger and Hibiscus Poached Pears

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine taken from Feasts of Veg: Vibrant vegetarian recipes for gatherings

Poached pears look and taste stunning and are simple to make. Here, they are infused with aromatic fresh ginger and hibiscus tea, and served with vanilla ice cream.

Poached Pears Ingredients (Serves 4):

4 firm pears, peeled but stalks intact
1 ltr strong hibiscus tea (let it steep for 10 minutes)
1 tbsp pureed fresh ginger
1 tbsp pureed lemongrass (optional)
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

To serve:-

Ice cream
Sprinkles of black sesame seeds

Put the pears in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan with the hibiscus tea and add the pureed ginger, pureed lemongrass, agave syrup and vanilla extract.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat but keep the pears in the syrup until serving.
The pears can be poached up to two days in advance, then cooled and kept, tightly covered, in the fridge.
Reheat gently before serving.
Carefully remove the pears from the syrup and serve with vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle the pears and ice cream with black sesame seeds.

Apple and Pear Crumble

Golden autumn fruits combine wonderfully in this popular family pudding.

Serves: 4-6; Prep: 25 mins; Cook: 35-40 mins baking

Ingredients: 500g (1 lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped; 500g (1 lb) firm pears, peeled, cored and chopped; 2-3 tbsp granulated sugar
Topping: 175g (6oz) plain flour; 75g (3oz) butter or block margarine, diced; 40g (1 1/2oz) caster sugar

Preheat oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6.
Put the apples into a heavy based saucepan. Add 125ml (4 fl oz) water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over gentle heat for 5 mins.
Drain the apples and add to the pears and sugar. Mix well with a large wooden spoon and turn into a 23cm (9in) ceramic flan dish.
For the crumble topping, sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the butter or margarine and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.
Spoon the crumble evenly over the apples and pears. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the fruit is cooked. Serve hot, with custard or cream.

Cooks tip: There are several variations to try with the same crumble topping. A lovely summer recipe is to use 250g (9oz) of strawberries and 4 firm peaches. Slice up the two fruits and mix with 4 tbsp granulated sugar. Put straight into the flan dish and spoon the crumble mixture on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

A book with more crumble recipes and a dish to bake it in.

And something for the chef to wear.