Recipes for April

Krissy: Quails A La Polonaise

4 Free-range oven-ready quails or 2 poussins
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 hardboiled egg
1 oz breadcrumbs
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Sprigs of watercress

Preheat the broiler. Spatchock the quails and place them side by side in a shallow heatproof pan or tray that will fit under the broiler. Season them all over and brush them with a little of the melted butter. Chop the hardboiled egg as finely as possible, and mix in a bowl with the breadcrumbs and parsley.

When the broiler is very hot, pt in the quails. Grill one side until golden, turn and broil the other side, the remove and brush again with a little melted butter, saving enough for a final coating. Spread the egg and breadcrumb mixture liberally over the quails. Sprinkle with the remaining melted butter on top and return to the broiler, the breasts facing up. Remove when the coating is crisp and brown but not burned. Garnish with lemon quarters and springs of watercress, and serve right away.


Andrea: Springtime Soup

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 small turnips, peeled and finely diced
2 celery sticks, peeled and finely diced
2 small leeks, cleaned, halved vertically and sliced
2 tbsp butter
3 ¾ pints chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 lettuce heart, coarsely shredded
Large handful of baby spinach leaves, coarsely shredded
3 oz cooked green beans, coarsely chopped
2 oz cooked asparagus tips
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Saute the carrots, turnips, celery and leeks in the butter for 3-4 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and season. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes (skimming off some of the fat). Add the lettuce and spinach. Return to a simmer and cok for 5 minutes longer. When ready, check the seasoning and add the cooked beans and asparagus. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with parsley and eat right away.

Jeanette: New Potatoes A La Crème

Potatoes, salt and water; to every six potatoes allow 1 tbsp of minced parsley, 2 oz of butter, pepper and salt to taste, 4 tbsp of gravy, 2 tbsp of lemon-juice.

Wash the potatoes clean and boil them in salt and water… when they are done, drain them, let them cool; then peel and cut the potatoes into thick slices: if these are too thin, they would break in the sauce. Put the butter into a stew pan with the pepper, salt, gravy, and parsley; mix these ingredients well together, put in the potatoes, shake them two or three times, that they may be well covered with the sauce, and, when quite hot through, squeeze in the lemon juice and serve.

Laura: Spinach And Nettle Soufflé

Bunch of tender nettle shoots, sorrel or spinach to fill a 2 pint measuring jug
4 tbsp butter, plus a little for wiping
4 tbsp flour
½ cup milk
½ cup table cream
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 oz mature Cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 350. Wash the vegetables very thoroughly, remove the thick stalks. Throw the leaves into a pan with only a little additional water. Cook until thoroughly wilted, then drain, squeezing out as much moisture as possible. Chop finely. Butter generously a steep-sided casserole dish or cake pan approximately 9 inches in diameter.

Mix together the flour, butter, milk, cream and seasoning, and stir over a medium-low heat until thoroughly blended and bubbling. Off the heat, mix in the Parmesan cheese, egg yolks and chopped greens. Whip the egg whites until they form peaks, then fold into the mixture, a tablespoon at a time. Pour into the container, sprinkle the Cheddar on top, and bake for 25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.

Tracy: Lemon Sponge Cake

4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
8 tbsp melted butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 ½ cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the eggs thoroughly, then slowly add the sugar, butter and lemon rind, beating thoroughly after each addition. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Grease an 8-inch cake pan, pour in the mixture and bake for 1 hour or until the cake is golden brown and well risen; a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.