SPEEDY LEMON PASTA
Bursting with fresh, summer flavours, this is an ideal recipe for alfresco dining and it also provides two of your five-a-day!
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 250g spaghetti or pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- Parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp butter
- Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
- Handful of fresh basil
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining. Put the pasta back into the pot and pour the lemon sauce over it. Add the butter and toss until well combined. Add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and toss again. If you think the pasta needs a little more liquid, you can add a little more of the water.
Season with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, to taste, then serve immediately with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese.
[Recipe credit: Two Peas and their Pod]
Elevate this simple supper by serving it in our brand-new English Fine Bone China Pasta Bowls...
WATERMELON & FETA SALAD
Light, refreshing, and so delicious, this is the perfect pasta dish for Summer and it takes less than 20 minutes to make!
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 180g watermelon
- ½ cucumber
- ½ bunch fresh min
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 100g feta
- 1 tbsp balsamic glaze
Method
Chop 180g watermelon and ½ cucumber into chunks and tip into a bowl with the leaves from ½ bunch mint (reserving a few for garnish) and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season and pile on to a serving plate. Crumble over 100g feta, the remaining mint leaves, then drizzle with 1 tbsp balsamic glaze just before serving.
[Recipe credit: Good Food Magazine, July 2017]
We like to serve this watermelon, feta and mint salad as a side dish in our exquisitely decorated English Fine Bone China Serving Bowl...
MERINGUE NESTS WITH BERRIES & VANILLA CREAM
The perfect melt-in-the-mouth dessert to enjoy on a warm Summers day, plus it's gluten-free and packed with fresh fruit!
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 4 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
For serving:
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons icing sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries (washed and dried)
Method
Preheat your oven to 140 C (275 F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over and trace 6-8 small circles with a marker, spaced evenly and apart from one another. Turn the parchment paper back over again so you can see the circles through the paper, but the ink won't transfer to the meringues. Set aside.
Whisk the egg whites until foamy (about 2-3 minutes with a mixer) then add the cream of tartar and continue whipping. Add the sugar slowly in a steady stream while the egg whites continue whipping and begin to turn white and glossy. Adding the sugar slowly ensures that the egg white mixture stays fluffy and light (dumping the sugar in all at once would crush the air out of the egg white mixture). Whip until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.
Add the meringue mixture to a piping bag with a large round opening. Pipe the meringues onto the prepared baking sheet starting in the middle of the circle and piping around until you reach the outside of the circle. Then pipe one more layer just around the outside of the circle, to create the "nest" effect.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the meringues appear dry on the outside and inside of the nests, but haven't browned at all on the bottom or sides. Let the meringues cool completely to room temperature on the baking sheets.
In the meantime, whip the whipping cream and add the icing sugar as it whips to slightly stiff peaks. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add them into the cream as it whips. Dollop a portion of the cream into each of the meringue nests, top with the fresh berries and serve immediately.
[Recipe credit: The Busy Baker]
Turn your meringue nests into a work of art by presenting them on our brand-new English Bone China Platter, and serving them into the matching Dessert Bowls...
I hope you enjoy trying these simple yet scrumptious recipes! You'll find lots more Summer dining inspiration on our Instagram @jo.deakin so if you haven't already, jump over and take a look!
