The Broad Palate – Feb ’24

Quick Fish Chowder – serves 4

A distant cousin of Scotland’s Cullen Skink, this has more of a broth consistency (rather than some thicker versions) but if preferred you can mash half the potatoes into the broth once cooked, to give a thicker result. Mop up the broth with some crusty bread. Weights don’t have to be exact.

50g knob of butter
4-5 spring onions, chopped
1 large mugful sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
800g fish or chicken stock
400g skinned, boned smoked haddock, cut into large chunks
400g any skinless, boneless white fish, salmon or combination, cut as above
200g cooked king prawns (optional)
150g carton double cream
1 half pack of fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 half pack parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

Melt butter in a large pan and add spring onions, sweetcorn and potatoes. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes.
Add stock (and dried dill, if using) and simmer for about 7-8 minutes or until the potatoes and corn are cooked.
Add the fish and cook gently for a couple of minutes until done. Add fresh dill and most of the parsley.
Take off the heat. Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper (and a small teaspoonful of sugar if needed).
Top with remaining parsley and enjoy immediately.

Raspberry cheesecake hearts (makes 6 generous squares or hearts or 8 smaller)

1 sheet puff pastry
1 beaten egg
3-4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 punnet raspberries (or strawberries, sliced)
150g cream cheese, at room temperature (pour off any whey)
100g double cream
2 tbsp sifted icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven to 220F/200C/Gas 7.
Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place your pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and fold in half. Gently roll together (but not too thinly).
Using a heart-shaped cutter, cut out six (or more, depending on the size of the cutter) heart shapes or squares. Place on baking sheet, prick the tops gently, brush with the beaten egg and give each one a generous sprinkling of sugar.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until puffed up and golden. Cool completely, then split in half horizontally.
Beat the cream cheese until soft, and add in the icing sugar and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly.
Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the cream cheese mixture.
Pile onto the unsugared sides of the pastries, top with the fruit and top with the sugared pastry pieces. Dust with sifted icing sugar if desired.

Many thanks to Ann 🙂