SPRING into the KITCHEN

Somerset Life Chef of the Year STEVE JAMES shares some fresh recipe ideas to celebrate the change in seasons

- STEVE JAMES

Chilled grapefruit souffle with black pepper meringues and camomile cream

Everything for this recipe needs to be made a day ahead but this is a great, light, spring dessert to impress at your next dinner party

Serves 4

Ingredients

CAMOMILE CREAM

200ml double cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 camomile tea bags

BLACK PEPPER MERINGUES

2 egg whites
90g caster sugar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

GRAPEFRUIT SOUFFLE

4 gelatine leaves (soaked in cold water for 5 minutes) Finely grated zest and the juice from
2 red grapefruits
6 medium eggs separated
250g caster sugar
450ml whipping cream
100g crushed pistachios, a handful of raspberries and some mint leaves to serve

Method

1. To make the camomile cream add all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to just before boiling, but don’t let it boil. Set aside to infuse for 30 minutes then put in the fridge to chill overnight.

2. For the black pepper meringues, preheat the oven to 100C, put the egg white in a clean bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until peaks start to form. Gradually add the sugar until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

3. Fold through the crushed black pepper and then put into a piping bag with a star nozzle and onto a lined baking sheet, pipe little meringue stars about 1cm wide. Place into the oven for 45minutesone hour until the meringues are crisp and can be lifted easily off the paper. Turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven.