Simon Stallard - The Hidden Hut - Irresistible Recipes from Cornwall’s Best-kept Secret

Makes 12

350g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

a large pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus 12 small rosemary sprigs

120g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

120g dried apricots, roughly chopped

2 large eggs

125g golden caster sugar

125g unsalted butter, melted

240ml buttermilk

100g honey

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6 and line a 12-cup muffin tray with 12 tulip muffin cases. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the chopped rosemary, pecan nuts and apricots.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and creamy, then whisk in the melted butter, buttermilk and honey until well combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and fold everything together using a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to work the mixture too much or the muffins will be tough — it doesn’t matter if it is still slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter evenly into the cake cases. Top each one with a sprig of rosemary to decorate. Bake the muffins for 25–30 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

SMOKEY BACON PASTRIES

Crispy dry-cured smoked bacon, rich yolky eggs and Cornish Brie make for a great breakfast pastry filling. I like to enjoy these with a bit of cranberry relish on the side.

Makes 12

butter, for greasing

500g puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

plain flour, for dusting

8 rashers of streaky smoked bacon

6 spring onions, thinly sliced

50ml double cream

3 large eggs

50g Parmesan cheese, grated

180g Cornish Brie, diced

freshly ground black pepper

cranberry relish, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7 and grease a 12-cup muffin tray with butter. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface. To make it extra flaky, fold it in half and roll it out again. Do this twice more, then roll it out thinly one final time.

Take a 12cm round pastry cutter and check that you can get 12 circles out of the pastry before you start to cut them, as you don’t want to have to re-roll the pastry. Roll it out a bit more if needed. Cut out the pastry discs and use them to line the 12 holes of the muffin tray, then put it to one side.

Grill the bacon until crispy and golden, then shred into small pieces. Divide the bacon bits evenly between the pastry cases, followed by the spring onions.

In a large bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, then fold them into the cream. Season with black pepper and fold in the Parmesan.

Pour the filling into the pastry cases and top with the diced Brie, dividing it evenly between the tartlets. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the oven temperature down to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6 after 10 minutes, until golden on top and the pastry is cooked through. Make sure the pastries are cooked and move freely in the muffin tray before taking them out of the oven. Serve warm or cold with cranberry relish on the side.

BUTTERMILK DROP CAKES WITH LEMON CURD

Topped with warm lemon curd and served straight from the stove, these drop cakes are a sure-fire way to draw everyone to the breakfast table. Serve with berries and crème fraîche.

Serves 4

320g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

a good pinch of sea salt

50g caster sugar

2 large eggs

290ml buttermilk

60g butter, plus extra for frying

crème fraîche and berries, to serve

FOR THE LEMON CURD

90g butter, cubed

140g caster sugar

a pinch of sea salt

120ml lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

3 large egg yolks

1 large egg

FOR THE MINT SUGAR

4 tbsp caster sugar

a good handful of mint leaves

First, make the lemon curd. Put the butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add the sugar, salt and lemon juice. Stir until well combined and the butter has melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and set to one side.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Add this to the lemon and butter mixture and whisk to combine. Return the bowl to the simmering saucepan and heat for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

To make the mint sugar, simply either blitz the sugar and mint leaves in a food processor or bash them together using a mortar and pestle. Put to one side.

Preheat the oven to 110°C (90°C fan oven) gas mark ¼. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and buttermilk, and whisk everything together to make a smooth batter.

Put half the butter in a non-stick frying pan and melt it over a medium-low heat. Mix the melted butter into the batter.

Put the frying pan back over the heat and add tablespoonfuls of the mixture in small pools around the pan — you should be able to do 4–5 at a time. Cook for 1 minute on the first side, or until bubbles form on the surface. Flip them over and cook for 1 minute.

Remove from the pan and keep warm on a plate wrapped up in a tea towel in the oven while you cook the remaining batter in the same way, adding a little more of the remaining butter to the pan each time.

Serve the drop cakes warm, drizzled with lemon curd, some crème fraîche and fresh berries and a sprinkle of mint sugar.

ROASTED FIGS WITH HONEY AND RICOTTA ON WALNUT TOAST

Hot walnut toast with whipped cinnamon butter served with roasted figs, ricotta, flaked almonds (crushed pistachios also work really well) and honey. You can make the loaf and cinnamon butter the day before, if you wish. Your kitchen will smell like a Danish bakery!

FEAST

Serves 8–10

750g spelt flour

2 tsp sea salt

1½ tsp active dried yeast

3 rounded tsp honey

2 tbsp walnut oil

40g walnuts, chopped

oil, for greasing

FOR THE WHIPPED CINNAMON BUTTER

170g butter, softened

45g soft dark brown sugar

2½ tsp ground cinnamon

FOR THE ROASTED FIGS

50g butter

5 star anise

10 large, ripe figs, halved

TO SERVE

50g flaked almonds

honey, for drizzling

ricotta cheese

lemon zest

First, make the walnut loaf. You’ll need to start at least 3 hours before serving, or make it the night before. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the honey and 450ml warm water, and give it a good stir until it begins to come together. Add the oil and knead for 10 minutes or until soft and supple. Cover the dough in the bowl with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Once doubled in size, it’s time to do a bit more kneading. This time you want to incorporate the walnuts. Keep going until the walnuts have become part of the dough. Grease a baking tray and form the dough into a loaf shape, then leave it to rest on the tray for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) gas mark 7.

Bake the loaf on the top shelf of the oven for 35 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped underneath. If it makes a dent when tapped, it’s not quite done. Leave it to cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing.