Poppy Cracker Sandwich with Pickled figs and Reblochon

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This is a great, little fancy snack to serve for afternoon tea: home-made poppy crackers sandwiched together with soft musky french cheese, cranberry sauce and pickled figs. This also makes ideal picnic food with a big glass of sauvignon blanc, however the weather conditions may not be ideal for this time of year, unless you're reading this from the southern hemisphere.

Crackers:
350g plain flour
200g salted butter
50g grated mature cheddar
2 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
50ml cold water

Pickled figs:
12 dried figs
50ml red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
100g sugar
1 tablespoon sea salt
500ml water

Cranberry Sauce:
200g fresh or frozen cranberries
100g sugar
50ml water

200g reblochon de savoie, at room temperature
30g wild rocket leaves

Method:
First make the cracker dough. Place a small pan over medium heat and add mustard and coriander seeds, move around the pan until lightly toasted and fragrant. Put seeds in a mortar and pestle, roughly ground into a powder. In a large bowl add the flour, cheddar, baking powder, salt, pepper and ground spices, and stir together. Cube butter, add to dry mixture and rub together until butter is incorporated into flour, add egg and water, knead into a rough dough. Wrap the cracker dough with a cling film and place in the fridge to rest for an hour.

Next pickle the figs by placing all ingredients into a pot and placing over high heat, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until figs are tender. Remove from heat and transfer into container to cool.

For the cranberry sauce, place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and place over medium heat. Once simmering stir for 2-3 minutes to help break down the cranberries, then transfer into a food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a small container and leave to cool.

Once the cracker dough has rested roll out on a lightly floured surface until 5mm thick, using 10cm in diameter round cutter, cut out the crackers. Lay crackers on several baking trays lined with parchment paper, prick each one with a fork several times. You can press and roll the off cuts of dough to create more crackers if you wish. Place crackers in oven set at 180ºC for 12-14 minutes until golden and crisp. Leave the cracks to cool completely before using.

To make the cracker sandwiches, lay a few rocket leaves over the desired amount of crackers followed by a fig torn in half. Tear a knob of reblochon and place on top of the fig then garnish with a small teaspoon of cranberry sauce. Lastly sandwich together with another cracker, you should get about 12 cracker sandwiches from this recipe, with a few extra crackers to spare

Watermelon and Smoked Mozarella Salad

I have to admit I was never a fan of watermelon growing up, however I've recently reacquainted myself and realised how very very wrong I was. Especially on a hot day there isn't anything as refreshing and sweet like a beautiful watermelon, simple and satisfying.
This salad incorporates melon with smoked stringy textured cheese and slender crunchy flaked almonds. All rounded off with peppery rocket and slightly bitter red onion, all flavours balanced to make a wonderful summer salad. 

1/2 watermelon
300g smoked mozzarella
1 red onion
50g flaked almonds
70g washed rocket

Dressing:
2  juiced lemons
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 apple
1 shallot
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons water
50ml extra virgin olive oil

 Method:
To make the dressing peel apple and slice into wedges then cut out the core.  Place apple, lemon juice, mustard, diced shallot, salt and water over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Once apple turns mushy remove dressing from heat and pour in food processor. Blend dressing with olive oil for 2 minutes till smooth.
Place a small fry pan over medium heat and add the almonds, toss in the pan till they just start to turn golden brown then remove from heat. Peel red onion, slice in half and top'n'tail then slice very finely lengthways. Remove the rind off melon and cube into 2cm piece's. To make the salad you can either make 4-6 individual servings or 1 large platter. First lay down rocket followed by a scattering of red onion and melon. Then tear mozzarella into small piece and evenly distribute over salad, lastly sprinkle almonds on salad and drizzle over desired amount of dressing.

Lemon, Mint and Poppy Tofu Salad

Here's a easy and almost fat free vegan salad. Generally I use a firm chalky tofu for salads as it gives bite and texture, silken tofu is nice but better for dessert making.
This is also the time of the year for excellent cucumbers and peas. Cucumbers are more fragrant than earlier crops and pea's are sweeter and juicer fresh from the pod. I highly recommend you shell your own pea's, this may be more laborious but definitely worth the reward.

500g firm smoked tofu
300g fresh peas
1 cucumber
70g washed rocket
4 lemons
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
6 springs of mint
1 green chilli
1 clove garlic
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt

Method:
Slice tofu into 2cm cubes and lay over baking tray. Juice the lemons and strain out the seeds, sprinkle tofu generously with salt then drizzle over the lemon juice and half the olive oil. Lastly sprinkle over poppy seeds and bake tofu in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Finely dice chilli and garlic together, place a small pot over medium heat and add the remainder olive oil. Once oil is hot add, garlic, chilli, peas and a teaspoon salt, saute the peas till just tender then remove from heat. Using a potato masher very roughly mash the peas for a few seconds just to break the skin's a little.
Slice cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then cut into 2mm slice's. Once the tofu is cooked roughly chop the mint and sprinkle over tofu, when tofu has cooled down enough mix the mint and tofu together. To make the salad you can either make 4 individual portions or a large platter. First lay down rocket, sprinkle over cucumber and peas and lastly top with tofu and serve.

Eat Your Greens Muffin

If I could wish for a last meal it would be oven bag roasted chicken served with sweet sticky roasted vegetables and drowning in Salsa Verde. I could seriously sit down to a jug of salsa verde and stale bread and be completely satisfied with its salty, sour, herby goodness. Which is why I've put all the essential ingredients for a green sauce into a very yummy savoury muffin. A popular item on last weeks menu with regulars and staff so why not bake a batch?

450g plain flour
100g butter
100ml butter milk
150ml milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
75g grated cheddar
60g fine capers
Small handful of rocket
Small handful of flat leave parsley
10 mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1 green chilli
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
Put butter in small sauce pan and place over medium heat to melt, once melted put butter to one side to cool slightly. In large mixing bowl place flour, baking powder,  soda, cheese and roughly mix together. Crush garlic, chilli and place on chopping board then add capers, rocket, parsley, mint and salt, roughly chop together into green salsa and add to dry mixture. Beat eggs in butter and pour into mixing bowl with buttermilk and milk, using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry combining together till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with oil spray or butter and evenly distribute muffin mix in pan. Bake muffins at 180oC 25 minutes, once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.