Recipe for success for al fresco picnics together
Taking your family into the great outdoors from Super Saturday July 4 need not cost the earth. A ramble in some of the beautiful countryside England is renowned for, or a stroll along a sandy beach, will give you all exercise and fill your lungs with clean air.
If you choose a remote spot for your day out, and are worried that the family might be hungry after a couple of hours, why not rustle up a picnic?
Here are a few recipes that you can make at home to take with you on your jaunt ...
Balsamic Glazed Shallot, Dolcelatte and Asparagus Tart (serves 4).
Ingredients: 16 shallots, peeled and halved; 150g asparagus tips; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 320g ready-rolled puff pastry;
100g Dolcelatte blue cheese; a little milk or egg for glazing.
Method: Preheat oven to 200c/180c fan /gas 6. Place the shallots and asparagus in a griddle pan, add the oil and toss until lightly coated. Cook over a medium heat turning at regular intervals until softened and beginning to colour, remove the asparagus if it cooks quicker than the shallots.
Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and allow to bubble and coat the shallots and asparagus. Set aside and allow to cool. Unroll the pastry and place on a baking tin, with a sharp knife cut a border around the pastry, approx 2.5 cm from the edge, tap the edges with a knife to separate the layers slightly and prick the middle with a fork several times.
Spoon the shallots and asparagus onto the pastry case, inside the border and top with cubes of Dolcelatte. Brush the edges with a little milk or beaten egg and cook for approx 15-20 minutes until golden and risen. (Recipe: www.ukshallot.com).
Barley salad with rocket, kiwifruit and feta cheese (serves 4).
Ingredients: 100g pearl barley, 100g rocket, 100g fresh cheese, 1 Zespri Green kiwifruit, 1 Zespri SunGold kiwifruit, 1 sprig of basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Method: Put water in a saucepan, add some salt and boil the barley for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander and leave to cool. Place the barley on the bottom of a dish and arrange slices of kiwifruit round the edge. Top with the rocket and diced fresh cheese.
Mix the olive oil with the lemon juice, adding a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and then sprinkle it with plenty of chopped basil. (Recipe: Zespri SunGold Kiwi - www. zespri.eu).
Banana and caramel cupcakes (serves 12).
Ingredients: For the cupcakes - 70g salted butter, at room temperature; 220g selfraising flour; 200g caster sugar; 200ml Arctic Iced Coffee Caramel Latte; 2 large eggs; 1 banana, mashed; for the icing - 400g icing sugar; 100g salted, softened butter; 50ml Arctic Iced Coffee Caramel
Latte; to decorate - caramel sauce and dried banana chips.
Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cake cases. Beat together the butter, flour and sugar until it resembles sand. In a separate bowl whisk the Arctic Iced Coffee Caramel Latte and eggs.
Gradually add this liquid to the cake mixture until it’s all incorporated and smooth. Stir in the banana. Spoon the batter into the cake cases and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
To make the icing, whisk together the butter and icing sugar. Slowly add 50ml of caramel latte until you have a smooth, spreadable icing. When cakes are cold, pipe icing on top, drizzle with caramel sauce and decorate with banana chips. (Recipe: arcticicedcoffee.co.uk).