Ice lollies, sausage rolls, piccalilli yoghurt and peaches and cream: these are all my contributions to plates, plates and food trays that are carried out, laid out on the table and shared with friends and neighbors this weekend – and, hopefully, throughout the summer. There’s a lot of good English and weird talk about hanging out bunts and stopping traffic. And, of course, something incredible about doing the same thing for 70 years. Seventy Year!
Jubilee sausage pie with pickled yogurt
These are great to eat by hand – and perfect for a street party – but can be turned into food if served with a good green salad. The pie can be made a day in advance, if you want, ready to bake in a day.
Preparation 25 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Serves 10-12
3 tsp olive oil
3 onionsBaked and finely chopped (540 g)
Salt and black pepper
6 garlic clovesPeeled and crushed
4 tsp Hawaiian spice (Or medium curry powder)
300 gms piccalilli (Domestic or Purchased)
800 grams of pork sausageCover removed and discarded (750 gm)
50 grams of parsleyFinely chopped
25 g ChivesFinely chopped
230 grams stale white breadCrusts cut, roughly tossed into pieces (130 g)
2 sheets Ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry (39 cm x 23 cm)
1 eggBeating
120 grams Greek Yogurt
Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil, onion and half a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic and herbs, cook, stirring, for another three to five minutes, until fragrant, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Once it has cooled, transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and add 100 grams of pickles, sausage meat, parsley, chives and bread. Mix to mix, then separate.
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and place a sheet of puff pastry on top. Brush half the egg in the pastry, then spread the sausage mixture evenly on the top, leaving 2½ cm around the edges.
Place the second sheet of puff pastry on a piece of greaseproof paper that is slightly larger than the pastry and lightly press all around with a rolling pin to spread it up to 1 cm. Slowly lift the pastry and place it on top of the sausage mix, press down lightly to seal – press right on the edge, or the pastry will not puff and flake when baking.
Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining eggs, then, using a sharp knife, make a score of approximately 30 x 2½ cm along the entire length of the pastry, revealing the filling. To set the pastry, chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan) / 425 F / Gas 7. Cool and cook for 30-35 minutes, until deep golden, then remove, carefully transfer to rack (this will prevent it from freezing to the bottom), and simmer for at least an hour, or longer if possible. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, make pickled yogurt. Place the remaining 200 grams of pickles in a small food processor bowl and smooth out the blitz. Scrape in a small bowl and add one-eighth of yogurt and a teaspoon of salt.
Cut the pie into squares and serve with pickled yogurt on the side while warm or at room temperature.
Sour cherries and coconut lollipops
The British cherry season is short but very sweet, so make the most of it as much as you can. If you are making these for adults, consider adding a teaspoon of kirsch to the mixture before freezing it.
Preparation 35 minutes
Freeze Overnight
Makes 6
4 tablespoons dried hibiscus
600 g ripe cherriesBeaten
4 tablespoons golden syrup
100 grams of castor sugar
2 lemons – Grind the zest well to get 1 tsp, the remaining juice, to get 2 tsp
30 grams of dried coconut
Place the hibiscus leaves in a small saucepan with 300ml of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from the heat and leave to stand for five minutes.
In the meantime, place the cherries, golden syrup and sugar in a medium saucepan, then use a potato masher or fork to grate the cherries. Drain the hibiscus liquid into the cherry mixture (discard the leaves), then bring to a boil. Cook for three to five minutes, until mixture thickens, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Drizzle the cherry mixture in a blender with the lemon zest and juice, blitz until smooth for a minute, then strain well into a jug, pressing into the solids as you go; Avoid solids. Divide the mixture between six ice lolly molds (or more if your molds are on a smaller side), and freeze overnight.
The next day, soak each mold in hot water for 15 seconds, then lightly squeeze to remove the lollipops. Place the lollipops in a small tray covered with greaseproof paper, keep them well away, and return to the freezer until you are ready to eat them.
To serve, sprinkle each lolly with a generous amount of soaked coconut and place the rest in a bowl to soak.
Peach and tahini cream shortcake
For this you need really ripe peaches: if they are not, use another fruit instead – both strawberries and apricots work well. You can poach the peaches the day before, but they should be eaten on the day they are cooked.
Preparation 15 minutes
Chill 30 minutes +
Cook 45 minutes
Makes 10
For shortcake
375 grams of plain flourPlus extra for dusting
2 tbsp baking powder
Spoon bicarbonate
Spoon salt
60 grams golden castor sugar
175 g fridge-chilled unsalted butterCut into 1 cm cubes
140ml fridge-chilled buttermilk
140ml fridge-cold double creamPlus extra for brushing
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1½ teaspoon demera sugar
For peaches
200 grams of golden castor sugar
4 lemons – 3 teaspoons to obtain 75 ml, and grind well to extract the juice
20 grams gingerPeeled and finely ground
A pinch of salt
1 kg ripe peaches (Or apricots or strawberries), cut into 1 cm thick slices
For tahini cream
360ml double cream
75ml tahini
2 tbsp Golden Castor Sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Make a shortcake first. Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, salt and castor sugar in a large bowl of food processor and mix once or twice. Add the butter, pulse five or six times, until it breaks into pea-sized pieces, then drop into a large bowl and set aside. (If your kitchen is warm, keep the bowl in the fridge to keep the dough as cool as possible.
In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, double cream and vanilla bean paste. Make a dough in the middle of the dough mixture, pour in the cream mixture and mix gently with your hands until it comes together in a large mass. Tip out a large sheet of greaseproof paper and use the paper to help compress it into a rectangle.
Wash the rolling pin with flour and sprinkle lightly on top of the flour and paper. Starting from the center, roll the dough into a lightly large, about 1 cm-thick rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the width of the dough into three equal rectangles, then wash with extra flour and use your hands to press them together to make them even. Cut the width of the dough stack in half, then stack the two parts on top of each other, so now you have a pile of six dough rectangles.
This time lightly roll the dough into a 2½ cm thick 20 cm x 10 cm rectangle – be gentle, because it is a soft dough – then cut it into 10 equal squares. Line the large tray (which will fit in your fridge) with greaseproof paper, place the shortcakes on top and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and an hour (you may want to bake it out of the cold).
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) / 390 F / Gas 6. In the meantime, ask others. Place the sugar, 200 ml of water, lime side, ginger and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until very thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to medium, stir in chopped peaches and cook for another minute, until fruit is soft, but not separated. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
Take the shortcake tray out of the fridge, lightly brush the top with some cream and generously sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, then transfer to a rack to cool.
In the meantime, place all the tahini cream ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk in soft crumbs and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Once they are cooked, carefully cut each shortcake in half width. In the lower half of each shortcake, pour a few teaspoons of Aru’s mixture, a generous teaspoon of Tahini cream, top with the other half of the shortcake and serve.