PISTACHIO AND ELDERFLOWER ECLAIRS KEVIN’S SOURDOUGH CRACKERS

These choux slippers are filled with a pistachio cream and topped with a musky, fruity elderflower cordial icing. If you can’t find pistachio paste, make your own by whizzing blanched pistachios in a food processor – they will give you a bright green colour and an intensely clean, nutty flavour.

YOU WILL NEED Large piping bag fitted with a medium closed star nozzle ● Large baking sheet lined with baking paper ● Medium piping bag fitted with a medium closed star nozzle ● Small piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle

MAKES 20 HANDS ON BAKE

1½ HOURS + CHILLING 30 MINS

FOR THE PISTACHIO CRèME

2 egg yolks (see tip above right) 75g caster sugar

25g cornflour

1tsp vanilla paste

250ml whole milk

50g white chocolate, finely chopped

75g unsalted butter, at room temperature

75g pistachio paste

25g shelled unsalted pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra to decorate

Finely grated zest of ½ an unwaxed lime

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY

75g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature

100ml whole milk

1tsp caster sugar

A pinch of salt

125g strong white bread flour, sifted 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Icing sugar, for dusting

TO FILL & DECORATE

250g raspberries

150g icing sugar, sifted 3tbsp elderflower cordial Green food-colouring paste

Make the pistachio crème

Whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar, cornflour and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. In a small saucepan, heat the milk until just boiling. Pour the hot milk onto the egg-yolk mixture, whisking continuously until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and cook it over a low heat for 3 minutes, whisking until thickened and you can no longer taste the cornflour.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. Add the white chocolate, then stir until smooth and melted into the crème. Cover the surface to prevent a skin forming and leave the crème to cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, beat the butter until pale and light. Gradually, add the beaten butter to the cold crème, mixing well between each addition. Add the pistachio paste, chopped pistachios and lime zest and mix to combine. Cover and chill for 1 hour, or until ready to use.

Make the choux pastry

While the crème is chilling, melt the butter with the milk, sugar, salt and 100ml of water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir, then quickly bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Immediately slide the pan off the heat, quickly add the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until smooth. Return the pan to a low heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute, until the mixture is glossy and cleanly leaves the sides of the pan. Tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl and leave it to cool for 5 minutes. Heat the oven to 190°C/ fan 170°C/gas 5.

A little at a time, add the eggs to the mixture, beating well between each addition with a wooden spoon or spatula until the batter is silky smooth and reluctantly drops off the spoon in a V-shape — you may not need to add the last tablespoon of egg.

Scoop the mixture into the large piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle. Pipe the choux into 20 neat 12cm-long éclairs on the lined baking sheet. Chill them for 10 minutes. Dust the top of the éclairs with icing sugar and bake them on the middle shelf for 30 minutes, until golden brown, crisp and puffed up. Leave them to cool on the baking sheet.

Fill and decorate the éclairs

Using a serrated knife, cut each éclair in half horizontally. Spoon the pistachio crème into the medium piping bag fitted with a medium star nozzle and pipe it over the bottom half of each éclair, then top it with 4 raspberries and gently press on the lid. Repeat with the rest of the éclairs.

Whisk together the icing sugar and elderflower cordial and add a tiny dot of green food-colouring paste to make a thick-but-spreadable pale green icing. Spoon the icing into the small piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle and pipe a neat, smooth line over the top of each éclair. Leave to set for 2 minutes, then scatter with a few finely chopped pistachios. Leave the icing to set completely before serving.

I’ve always thought what a waste it was to just bin the bits of sourdough starter I wasn’t using each time I was refreshing it — enter my sourdough crackers! In this recipe, I’ve flavoured them with just a sprinkling of salt, but herbs and spices work too.

YOU WILL NEED 3 baking sheets, lined with baking paper

MAKES ABOUT 30

HANDS ON 45 MINS BAKE 10 MINS

■ 200g sourdough starter discard (homemade or available online)

100g plain flour, plus extra if needed

50ml extra-virgin olive oil ½tsp salt

Rock salt, for grinding

Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until they come together in a ball. Sourdough starters can vary widely depending on what and when you feed them and what stage they are at, so you may find that you need to add a little more flour if the dough is too loose.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces to make it easier to roll. Roll out 1 piece at a time between 2 sheets of baking paper until 2mm thick, keeping the rest of the dough covered with a clean, damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Once you have rolled out the first piece, use a sharp knife to cut out leaf shapes, each measuring about 8cm x 4cm.

To decorate the leaves, score a line down the centre of each leaf shape, taking care not to cut all the way through the dough, and feather the edges by cutting small notches every few millimetres around the outside of the leaf. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make incisions in between the central line and the feathered edges to represent the veins. Re-roll any offcuts to cut out more crackers. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces.

Gently lift the crackers onto the lined baking sheets, grind some salt over and bake them for 10 minutes, until lightly golden and firm. Leave to cool and crisp up on the baking sheets.