Rachel Allen - Entertaining at Home

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

3 generous handful of wild mushrooms

50g (2oz) butter, plus extra for spreading

6 slices of bread

100ml (3½fl oz) chive hollandaise (see below)

For the chive hollandaise

2 egg yolks

100g (4oz) butter, diced

Squeeze of lemon juice

1–2 tbsp chopped chives

Salt and ground black pepper

1 First make the hollandaise sauce following the instructions on page 159, stirring the chopped chives into the cooked sauce just before seasoning,

2 Next carefully clean the mushrooms. The best way to do this is to brush off any soil or debris with a pastry brush. Avoid washing them as this will make them soggy during cooking.

3 Place a large frying pan on a high heat and allow it to get quite hot. Add the butter and when it has melted and starts to foam, tip in the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3–5 minutes, tossing regularly.

4 Meanwhile, toast the bread and spread with butter.

5 When the mushrooms are cooked, taste for seasoning then arrange on top of the hot buttered toast, drizzle with the chive hollandaise and serve immediately.

The sweet-sour combination of lime juice and honey is a lovely way to enhance the flavours of some fruit. I like to add chopped mint for a fresh taste. This is ideal for serving at breakfast.

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

Juice of 1–2 limes

1–2 tbsp runny honey

2–3 tsp chopped mint (optional)

750g (1lb 10oz) mixed fruit, such as melon, bananas, raspberries, pineapple

1 In a large bowl, mix together the lime juice, honey and mint (if using). Peel any of the larger fruit (if necessary) and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add all the fruit to the bowl and stir to cover.

2 Leave to macerate for 10–15 minutes before serving.

These gorgeous light fritters make a delicious brunch when eaten with the avocado and mango salsa, but they can be served on their own as a starter. You’ll need a good ripe avocado and mango for the salsa, which shouldn’t be made more than half an hour to an hour in advance or the avocado will discolour.

MAKES 15–20 FRITTERS SERVES 4–6 VEGETARIAN

2 eggs, separated

3 tbsp milk

50g (2oz) plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

200g (7oz) tinned or frozen and defrosted sweetcorn (drained weight)

4–6 tbsp olive oil

For the mango and avocado salsa

1 avocado

1 small or ½ medium-large mango

2 spring onions

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

Squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and ground black pepper

1 First make the salsa. Peel the avocado and mango, remove their stones and cut the flesh into 1 cm (½ in cubes). Trim and finely slice the spring onions.

2 Put all the salsa ingredients into a large bowl, gently mix together and season to taste with salt and pepper, then set aside.

3 Place the egg yolks in another bowl and mix together with the milk. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together until smooth then stir in the sweetcorn.

4 In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then carefully fold into the corn mixture.

5 Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. (If using a large frying pan, you may need to add more oil-it should completely cover the base of the pan.) When the oil is quite hot, add tablespoon-sized blobs of the mixture, very lightly flattening these with the back of the spoon if they are too lumpy. Cook for 30 seconds–1 minute or until golden and crusty underneath, then, using a fish slice or palette knife, gently turn over and cook for a further minute or so on the other side. They are cooked when they are golden in colour and have a light spring to the touch in the centre.

6 Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. (You can do several at once, but be careful not to overload the pan or they will stick together. You will need to add more oil for each new batch.) Serve as soon as possible; kept warm in a baking tray in a low oven where they can sit for about 30 minutes, though they are best eaten straight from the pan!

For a little bit of decadence these make a fabulous starter or a light meal.

SERVES 6

18 oysters (3 per person)

50g (2oz) butter, plus extra for spreading

6 slices of bread

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt (optional) and ground black pepper

1 Open the oysters one by one. Place an oyster on a tea towel, flat side up. Wrap your non-cutting hand in another cloth so you won’t get cut if the knife slips. Take an oyster knife, look for a chink in the shell at the narrow, hinged end, then insert the blade and, applying quite a bit of force, press, turn and lever upwards.

2 Put the opened oysters into a sieve set over a bowl and cut away the flesh from the shells. Discard the shells or wash them and use as salt and pepper holders. Tip the juices into a heavy-based frying pan, then, on a high heat, bring the juices to the boil. When they are boiling, whisk in the butter.

3 Add the oysters and, still on a high heat, toss for 1 minute or until the oysters are warmed through and have firmed up slightly and the sauce slightly reduced.

4 Meanwhile, toast the bread and butter it, and place on plates.

5 Just before serving, add the lemon juice and taste — it probably won’t need any salt. Place the oysters on the buttered toast, pour over the juices, add a grinding of black pepper and serve.

This refreshing tipple is strictly for Sunday mornings. Celery salt isn’t essential, but it goes to perfection, so do get hold some if you can.

SERVES 10

50ml (2fl oz) Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp celery salt (optional)

5 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated horseradish

1 tsp peeled and finely chopped shallot

1.8 litres (3 pints) tomato juice

2 tbsp dry sherry

300ml (½ pint) vodka

10 small sticks of celery, to serve

1 Whiz all the ingredients in a blender, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Serve in glasses over ice with a stick of celery.

A frittata is a thick and almost endlessly versatile Italian omelette. It can be flavoured with just herbs and cheese or almost a whole fried breakfast!

SERVES 4–6 VEGETARIAN

(with non-vegetarian variations)

8 eggs

50ml (2fl oz) milk

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tbsp chopped chives or parsley

110g (4oz) Gruyère cheese, grated

25g (1oz) butter

25cm (10in) diameter ovenproof frying pan

1 Preheat the grill on a medium setting.

2 Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the milk, seasoning with salt and pepper. Next gently mix in the herbs and grated cheese.

3 Place a large non-stick frying pan on a low-medium heat. Add the butter and when it has melted and starts to foam, add the egg mixture to the warm pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked mixture from the bottom, from the outside in, filling its space with liquid egg by gently tilting the pan. Do this 5–6 times, then allow the mixture to cook for a further 2–3 minutes or until the bottom of the frittata is golden — you can tell this by lifting it slightly up at the edge using a palette knife or fish slice.

4 Take the pan off the heat and place under the grill, making sure that you leave a gap of a few centimetres between the frittata and the grill element. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the mixture has fluffed up nicely and is beginning to turn golden brown on top, by which stage the frittata will have cooked through to the centre.