Apricot meringue tart

Makes 1 gorgeous tart

I've often been in the mood for sun warmed stone fruit like the apricot but rarely in the right place nor season to enjoy at it's absolute best. In the spring, when the landscape promises so much but offers no berries or buds, preserves are the traditional way to brighten what we eat. Here, crisp pastry holds a layer of conserve under a puddle of semolina covered with meringue. Clearly making jams and chutneys at the time of year when the key ingredient is at it's best isn't a new concept, but with apricots there are few better examples of capturing the spirit of how the fruit should taste at the peak of their season.

100g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
175g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
225ml milk
50g semolina or ground rice
125ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond essence, if you like it
About 150g good apricot conserve

Sift the flour, baking powder and a scant tablespoon of sugar into a bowl, and then rub the butter through evenly. Beat one egg yolk (save the white) with a couple of teaspoons of water, add to the bowl and work to a dough with a dash more water if needed.

Wrap and chill for 30 minutes, roll out thinly, and then line an 18cm deep tart case. Press baking parchment against the sides and bottom, weigh down with baking beans, and bake for 30 minutes at 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Remove the paper and bake until golden.

Tip the milk, 50g sugar, the semolina and cream into a pan, and whisk over heat until boiling. Separate two eggs; beat in the yolks, vanilla and almond essence, and cook, stirring, until thick.

Spoon the semolina over the pastry base and spread with conserve. Beat the egg whites and 100g sugar to a stiff meringue, pile it high and bake at 200c/gas mark 6 for around seven to ten minutes until coloured.

Egyptian tomato salad

Serves 8

My Cairo trip last week is still lingering and there are just a couple more food ideas to share from those few precious days there. Although it sounds a lot of bother blanching and peeling the tomatoes, all in fact it involves is leaving the tomatoes for a few seconds in a bowlful of just-boiled water, after which their skins will come off without any trouble. It is worth doing this: the tomatoes will be more seductively tender and the nubbly dressing then permeates them better. If a shallot is beyond you, use the white parts of two or three spring onions.

1 shallot, peeled

5 medium-sized vine tomatoes (approx 750g)

1 clove of garlic, peeled

3-4 tblsp olive oil

good squeeze of lemon juice
Malden salt salt and pepper

handful freshly chopped chervil

Chop the shallot and garlic as finely as is humanly possible – or just blitz to a pulp in a processor – and put in a small bowl with the oil, a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper, and leave to steep while you blanch the tomatoes: that’s to say, put them in a large bowl then pour boiling water over them so that they are hotly submerged. Leave for 5 minutes then tip into a colander and run under cold water.

Using a sharp knife, peel off the skins (which is now easy), then cut these fuzzy spheres into slices, as thick or as thin as you like.

Arrange the tomatoes in a dish and pour over the dressing, using your fingers to mix well. I find it easier to use one bowl for steeping purposes and another one, later for serving. You can let the tomatoes sit like this for a good couple of hours. Yes some liquid will collect, but the flavours will deepen wonderfully.

When you’re ready to eat, either leave the dressed tomatoes in the bowl or decant to a new one, but either way, using your hands, turn them to coat, squeeze over some lemon juice, and sprinkle with Malden salt and a tablespoon or so of freshly chopped chervil. Use another herb if you like, but there is one inflexible rule governing this salad: it must be served at room temperature. Leave it in the fridge until the last minute and all will be lost.

Quick roast pigeon

Serves 2

I had some of the best pigeon ever just before leaving Hong Kong - a discovery too little, too late - and just to emphasise how good it was, I went twice in two weeks, now with the strength and variety of the local food scene there, that is a rarity, and believe me I'd make it a weekly pilgrimage if I could. I also had some roast pigeon in Cairo last week which sadly failed to hit the mark, but was worth trying all the same... Here's a quick pigeon dish so easy to cook at home, and with most major food stores selling pigeon now, try getting birds that are young - then they can be very good - piquant and succulent, particularly if you pick the legs up to eat them. Disaster stories with pigeons can be off-putting, most of these involve slow cooking. I now prefer to flash-roast the birds, cut into portions, in a very hot oven.

2 wood pigeon, oven prepared

1 wineglass of red wine

2 tblsp olive or nut oil

thyme, a couple of sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 small clove of garlic, crushed

1 tsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Cut each of the pigeons into 4 pieces, 2 breasts and 2 small legs. Put the pieces into a flameproof glass, stainless steel or china dish with the wine, oil, herbs, garlic and peppercorns.

Set aside for as long as you can - an hour will just suffice, though overnight would be better. If the worst comes to the worst, 15 minutes will do.

Heat the oven to 240C/475F (gas mark 9). Place the breasts on the top shelf of the hot oven and cook for five minutes, six if the breasts are large. Add the legs and the marinade and cook all for a further 6 minutes or until the birds are cooked to your liking.

Remove the birds to a warm plate to rest, - the switched-off oven will do - put the roasting pan over the heat and get the cooking juices really hot; stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if you wish.

Serve the roast meat, generously sprinkled with coarse salt, the pan juices and lots of bread. Cabbage, stir-fried with a little soy, would be a wholesome addition, or pan-fried mushrooms.

Spicy Chinese noodles

Serves 2

The yearning for noodles has now officially reached breaking point... This recipe can honestly be adapted to whatever you can find in the fridge or freezer. You could add bacon, prawns and peas, or peppers and bean sprouts, but for a pure and authentic experience - buy your ingredients specifically for this, it will be worth those few extra minutes of effort.

125g fine Chinese egg noodles

2 knobs fresh ginger

1 clove garlic

6 spring onions

10 shiitake (or button) mushrooms, trimmed

½ cucumber1 lettuce, such as romaine, trimmed

1 tsp cornflour

2 tblsp good soy sauce

1 tblsp dry sherry or sake

2 tblsp sunflower oil

50g salted peanuts or cashews

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions — they normally take about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking: finely slice the ginger into strips; finely chop the garlic; slice the spring onions; rip (or slice) the mushrooms; and peel, halve and slice the cucumber.

Trim and wash the lettuce and cut into 1cm-thick strips. Keep each ingredient separate.

To make the sauce, mix the cornflour with the soy sauce, honey, sake (or sherry) and 5 tblsp water.

Heat a wok or frying pan over a high heat. Add the sunflower oil and ginger. As soon as it begins to sizzle, add the peanuts and garlic. Briskly stir-fry while you slowly count to five, and then add the chilli flakes. Stir-fry for another count of five, then add the vinegar and stand back as the kitchen fills with chilli fumes. Next, add the spring onions and mushrooms.

Keep stirring: as soon as the mushrooms begin to look cooked, mix in the cucumber and lettuce. Stir-fry for a few more seconds until the lettuce begins to wilt, then mix in the noodles and the sauce. Allow the liquid to bubble up and thicken, then serve.

Double chocolate chip cookies

Makes 12

50g unsalted butter

450g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

2 eggs

170g soft light brown sugar or light muscovado sugar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

85g plain flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

2 baking trays, lined with greaseproof paper

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. Put the butter and half the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave until melted and smooth.

Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until well mixed. Pour in the chocolate mixture, beating on slow speed until well combined.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a separate bowl, then stir into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions, mixing well after each addition (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Finally, stir in the remaining chocolate until evenly dispersed.

Arrange 6 equal amounts of cookie dough on each prepared baking tray. Make sure that the cookies are spaced apart to allow for spreading while baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, checking regularly after 10 minutes. They are ready when the tops start to crack and look glossy. Leave the cookies to cool slightly on the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Red mullet with grilled peppers

Serves 4 as an appetiser, 2 as a main course

The shellfish, almost gamey like quality of red mullet is perfect with robust flavours like charred peppers and just cooked garlic. You could add prawns or even lobster if you feel like a special treat to really bring this dish up a notch, but the core flavours here are full on and intense already.

2 large red peppers
2 large yellow peppers
4 small red mullet, filleted
2 tblsp olive oil for cooking
2 cloves garlic
Half a glass of rosé wine
2 ripe tomatoes
Small handful fresh oregano or marjoram
Salt and extra virgin olive oil to taste

Char the peppers over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, until the skin is darkened on all sides. Allow them to cool, covered, so that they steam themselves a little. Then push the skins off with your thumb and forefinger. (Don’t be tempted to do this under running water, as you will lose those vital juices and flavours. A hint of charred flavour is ideal for this dish anyway)

Cut the peppers into fairly fine strips. Set them aside. Place the mullet fillets on a chopping board, skin side down. Run your finger gently along the flesh and pull out any small bones you find with tweezers or nail scissors.

Heat the oil in a wide-bottomed frying pan and, when it is almost smoking add the fillets, skin side down. Let them cook briskly for at least two minutes. As soon as you turn them, add the garlic and, a minute later, the pepper strips.

Now add the wine and turn the heat up until the juices go bubbly and glossy. Remove from the heat immediately and season to your liking. Scatter the herbs on top of everything and swirl a reasonably generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over the whole dish.

Serve with little slices of toast for mopping up the oily juices. Don’t give people lemon on the side or the harsh acidity will take over.

Falafel

Makes 20-25

These fluffy chickpea fritters are variations of a theme from all over the Middle East, but this version in particular was one of the highlights of a trip I've just had to Cairo, and to my mind, one of the finest street food of all. They are easy enough to make at home, either in the traditional manner, as deep-fried, slightly flattened balls, or as little flat patties cooked in shallow fat. Home-made falafel tends to be less fluffy than shop-bought versions. Adding one egg to the ground-up mixture gives a lighter texture, but it's not authentic and it makes the dough softer and a bit trickier to handle.

100g dried chickpeas (soaked in cold water with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)
200g split dried broad beans soaked overnight in cold water with 1tsp bicarbonate of soda (or use more chickpeas instead)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
50g bunch of coriander, with most of the stalk discarded
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Lebanese 7 spice mixture or ground allspice
A pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

150ml extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil for frying

Rinse the chick peas and beans and drain them well. Put them in a food processor with all the other ingredients (except the vegetable oil) and start the motor. You may need to stop the machine and scrape down the bowl a few times, but keep going until the mixture is a fine, sandy paste

Shape the mixture into walnut sized balls, rolling them in the palms of your hands. If they come out in a slightly pointed, spinning top shape, so much the better, since this is very authentic. (At this point the balls can be frozen for up to a month. Defrost them before frying.)

Heat the oil about 5cm deep in a saucepan. Drop a piece of bread in the oil to check if it is hot enough. The oil should bubble around it. Fry the falafel in batches, for 3-4 minutes, turning them occasionally, until deep golden brown all over. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Although tahini is one of the traditional lubricants for these crisp fritters, I much prefer yoghurt. Particularly when it has had a little cayenne pepper and some chopped mint stirred into it and is spooned over the falafel.

Serve them hot, stuffed into warm pitta bread. Traditionally, a cucumber and tomato salad would be in there too.