How To Entertain This Month, With Kirthanaa Naidu
Created in partnership with LONDON ESSENCE
The cocktails are both super fresh as they’re all twists on highballs, with a sparkling element to them. The starter and main I chose are very much seasonal and based on what my local greengrocer is selling at the moment – like shallots, which I’ve turned into a savoury tarte tatin main with lots of miso. It goes so well with the refreshing elderflower flavour of the Orange & Elderflower Spritz. It also goes beautifully with the crème fraîche on the side.
The starter is a butter bean dish. It’s really simple – just lemon juice, lemon zest and really good quality butter beans. Because I’m Asian, I always need to add an Asian ingredient to my dishes if they’re traditionally British recipes. Here, I cooked down courgettes with lemon zest, garlic, a bit of curry powder and smoked chilli. Then there are crispy curry leaves on top for a bit of crunch.
Nothing says summer like a Victoria sponge. It’s such a crowd-pleaser, even among people who don’t always love cakes. This one has been zhuzhed up – the cake itself is brown butter sponge, which creates a lovely nutty flavour. Then it has malt cream instead of traditional whipped cream, which uses honey and Horlicks powder. The strawberry compote isn’t too sweet – and has been designed to pair with the Raspberry Rose Royale. The drink’s non-alcoholic, so can be enjoyed by all your guests.
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The Drinks
Orange & Elderflower Spritz
Build the elderflower liqueur, wine and lemon juice in a highball glass, over ice.
Top with London Essence Tonic Water and gently stir.
Garnish with a lemon peel twist – and serve.
Raspberry Rose Royale
Pour 10ml of Everleaf Forest and 7ml of lemon cordial in a highball glass, over ice.
Top with London Essence Crafted Soda and gently stir to mix.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry and a lemon peel twist – and enjoy.
The Food
Butter Bean With Curried Courgettes & Crispy Curry Leaves
In a food processor, blend the butter beans with a little of their liquid, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Gradually drizzle in olive oil while blending until a smooth paste forms.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
Fry the curry leaves until crispy, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add the sliced garlic and cook for 2 minutes until softened.
Add the smoked chili flakes and curry powder, cooking until aromatic.
Add the courgettes and cook until softened, then finish with lemon zest.
To serve, spread the butter bean purée on a serving dish. Top with the curried courgettes. Garnish with the crispy curry leaves.
Miso Shallot Tarte Tatin
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
Prep the shallots by peeling them and cutting them in half lengthwise.
In a bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar, miso paste, and water. Set aside.
In an ovenproof frying pan, melt the sugar over medium heat until it caramelises. Add the thyme and butter to the caramelised sugar, stirring until the butter is melted and incorporated.
Pour in the balsamic mixture, mixing it into the caramel. Remove the pan from the heat.
Carefully place the shallots, cut side down, into the pan until the surface is completely covered.
Roll out the puff pastry slightly on a floured surface, then cover the shallots with the pastry, tucking in the edges.
Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through.
Once baked, let the tarte tatin cool for a minute before inverting it onto a serving plate. Serve with creme fraiche.
Brown Butter Sponge Cake With Horlicks Cream & Strawberry Compote
In a pan, combine the strawberries with 5 tbsp of sugar and honey. Cook over low heat for approximately 8 minutes, or until the strawberries have softened.
Allow the compote to cool in the fridge until ready to assemble the cake.
In a heavy bottom pan over medium heat, melt 250g of cubed butter and cook. It will slowly melt and the foam up and start smelling nutty. Occasionally stir so the milk solids don’t catch, once the milk solids browns.
Once ready, pour into a bowl to avoid blackening in the residual heat from the pan and leave the brown bits – that’s where the flavour is.
Cool in the fridge until solidified but still soft to the touch. Or this can be done overnight at room temp, or speed up the process by beating the butter in a bain marie over cold water. We need the butter at room temp and soft to the touch.
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a cake tin. Using a paddle attachment, beat the room temp soft brown butter, light brown sugar, and caster sugar until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition to prevent the batter from splitting.
Add the milk and vanilla extract and mix gently until combined. Avoid overmixing.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream, Horlicks, and honey until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overmix to avoid curdling.
Once the cake has cooled, spread a generous layer of Horlicks cream on top. Add a layer of strawberry compote. Repeat the process for the top layer of the cake.
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