Kitchen Projects for Late Summer
Bank holiday baking awaits!
I’m not here to be a summer-is-over-fear-mongering canary, but friends, if you’ve not checked your calendar lately, the end of August is upon us. The last bank holiday of the sumer always feels like the opportune moment to really make the most of the abundant (if not a little squishy, here and there) fruit. Before we welcome in apples - oh, and boy, do we welcome them! - and possibly the best season for baking, let us take a moment to celebrate the summer fruit, and give them a proper send off!
Peaches, apricots, nectarines and figs will soon be in short supply, at least the best ones anyway, and berries will soon be coming from polytunnels and cold storage, with flattened flavour. While we’ve got plenty of goodies to look forward to - uva fragola! quinces! pears! and plums, ever reliable through September, here’s some of the best things you should be reading and making this weekend (especially since there’s an extra day off here in the UK) to make the most of it.
Peach and Ricotta Sbriciolata aka crumb pie
New on KP+ today, this is easiest fancy looking (and tasting) bake ever; A recipe for people that love crumble, but don’t have the heart to make it in the summer, or love pie, but hate making it. I got you! Click here to make it.
Anything flaky fruit tart
This newsletter has a secret power: It’s french grandma approved. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Monique’s home in the Loire Valley. Join me in her kitchen as she shows us how to make perfectly crisp and flaky fruit tarts no matter what the season. Click here to make it
Tomato & Fennel Tart Tatin
One of my favourites in SIFT - check it out on page 167. Serve with a sharp green salad and you are in for a total treat. Such a great way to see out a glut of summer tomatoes! Click here to get a copy of the book.
Sour cherry and Plum pies
The morning before leaving for my trip to the US, I walked past the greengrocers and spotted SOUR CHERRIES. FRESH sour cherries. Of course, I had to get them and turn them into emergency mini pies before I headed to the US. They freeze really well & I was able to take a bunch to the airport with me for snacks. Click here to read it!
What about a jam?
Panic buying fruits? I get it. Same. Want to make a preserve and not exactly sure where to begin? You should really let kitchen projects columnist Camilla Wynne take you through her Preserving 101. She’s got your back! Click here to read it.
Stone fruit frangipane tart
Everyone needs a great frangipane tart in their life and i’m pretty confident that this one will be your go to. Thinly sliced plums make a stunning, simple finish that can be glazed or left plain. Serve with a big dollop of cream or enjoy on its own, either way you’ll be putting plums where they deserve to be: In the spotlight. Click here to make it
Summer Pudding Cake
The clue is in the name! A cake bursting with all of summer’s best berries, ft my all new purpose sponge which I am obsessed with - super soft and fluffy, but strong enough to stack, it’s my go-to sponge recipe no matter what the season is. Click here to make it.
Peanut Butter Cake with Cherries
I developed this recipe to celebrate the fact that SIFT is coming to the US - 12th November feels scarily soon right now… Anyway, this is a wonderful recipe to showcase cherries - these gorgeous, juicy roasted numbers will go with ANY number of creamy things too; cold creme faiche, a set custard, you name it! Click here to make it.
Perfect peach tart
This is an outrageously simple tart with an extravagant finish. Inspired by a very unfancy breakfast I had in Mallorca on a quiet morning, this KP will also take you through the different varieties of peaches available over the summer. There’s also a little dive into the role of gelatin in desserts, which I highly recommend reading if you are considering including it in your recipes to stabilise it during the hot weather. Click here to make it
Apricot no-churn ice cream
In this newsletter I get to the bottom of why condensed milk seems to be in every single no-churn ice cream recipe, and learn about how to make smooth fruit ice creams. These apricot ice cream sandwiches served with brown butter oat cookies are a lot of fun to eat. Click here to make it.
Custard panna cotta
Truly the best of both worlds - setting custard with a little gelatin to take it to wobble perfection. All the joy of a custard tart with about 5% of the effort. Seen here with roasted strawbs but a worthy accompaniment to any number of fruits. Click here to read it.
Blueberry corn cake
Ever wondered what the difference between polenta, cornmeal, corn semolina and every other god forsaken ground corn bagged produc out there, this is the newsletter for you. Blueberries and corn are total besties, and this low profiled swirl cake is perfect for tea time. Click here to read it
Easy Thin n Crispy “strecci” bread
This super simple ultra thin and crispy bread dough is a perfect park /friends over for drinks snack. I LOVE this version with peaches and basil but you can customise it til your heart is content. I particularly love the version with tapenade, recipe provided by my brilliant friend Janine, head baker at Toklas Bakery. Click here to make it.
Airy Glass Bread
There’s few things I love more than super holey airy bread, and this recipe leaves focaccia in the dust. Airy Glass Bread aka Pan De Cristal aka 100% hydrated bread is a bit of a challenge, but i’ll guide you every step of the way. Just look at that crumb! It makes the best bread ever for summery meals - from pan con tomate, to ricotta & fried courgettes, to mortadella fennel slaw sandwiches, you really can’t go wrong. Click here to make it.
Apricot Olive Oil Cake
I love this tender crumbed, semolina enriched olive oil cake. It’s not claggy like other olive oil cakes and the apricots are just so happy nestled in the crumb. Click here to make it.
Alright! That’s it for now. Have a wonderful weekend and see you next week!
What a shame that one cake in the selection (summer pudding cake) is not free to access as I’d have liked to make this. Is it to encourage people to subscribe? Just seems a little disappointing to tease…
Lovely selection! I’m sad, though. As an American, I won’t get my preordered copy of Sift for a while now. And that Tomato & Fennel Tart Tatin looks AMAZING. Tomatoes and fennel are perfect where I live and won’t be by the time I receive your cookbook. Any chance of sharing that recipe? Thank you!