Greengages on toast with lavender and fennel flowers
By late summer, the last greengages are perfectly ripe. Cooked simply in the oven, the almost tropical flavours intensify. We pile them on toast, over cream cheese with honey from our bees (well, it seems only fitting), and a little sea salt. A scattering of lavender and fennel flowers brings a floral pop that compliments the fruit.
Serves 2
10 ripe greengages
75g cream cheese
2½ tsp honey, plus a little extra for drizzling
A pinch of sea salt
4 slices of sourdough bread
A sprig of lavender flowers, divided into tiny individual blooms (optional)
A sprig of bronze fennel flowers, divided into individual blooms (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Halve and stone the greengages. Put them in a single layer in a roasting tin, skin side down, and pop them in the oven for around 10 mins until they’re cooked through, but still holding their shape, and have released a small amount of their pale yellow juices into the tin.
2 While the greengages are cooking, mix together the cream cheese, honey, and sea salt. In doing this the cream cheese will loosen a little, so put it back in the fridge to firm up until you’re ready to serve. Lightly toast the bread and set aside to cool.
3 To assemble, simply spread a spoonful or two of the honeyed cream cheese onto a piece of toast. Top with the roasted greengages and spoon over any juices from the tin, plus an extra drizzle of honey if the fruit is a little on the tart side. Scatter over a pinch of the herb flowers to finish (you’ll only need a tiny amount – use them like a seasoning).
Cook’s note: This is best served with the toast and cream cheese cool and the greengages still slightly warm. »