A simple spring supper for 4

This is the kind of easy meal I like to make for friends. The soup can be made in advance (or buy one of the excellent ready made chilled soups there are nowadays and dress it up with some fresh herbs), the steak is finished in the oven and the dessert literally takes minutes.

Pea, broccoli and mint soup with goats’ cheese crostini

The first of the pea crop is coming through now but frankly, frozen peas will do just as well. The slight bitterness of the greens offsets their sweetness perfectly.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 small to medium onion peeled and roughly chopped or 5/6 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1 small head of broccoli (about 225-250g)
225g fresh peas (podded weight) or frozen peas
500ml light chicken or vegetable stock (or stock made with organic vegetable bouillon powder)
10-12 mint leaves
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley and chives
For the goats cheese crostini
8 crostini bases*
100g very fresh young goats cheese

Warm the oil in a large saucepan then add the butter and the onion, stir and cook over a gentle heat for about 4 minutes until soft. Cut the broccoli florets off the stalk then cut them in small, even-sized pieces. Add the broccoli and peas to the onion, pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the vegetables are soft (about 4-5 minutes). Strain off and reserve the liquid. Tip the vegetables into a blender or food processor, add a little of the liquid back and whiz until smooth, gradually adding the remaining liquid (you may have to do this in two batches), Pour the soup back into the saucepan. Finely chop the mint, add to the soup and warm through but don’t leave on the heat or the colour will go. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the crostini bases with fresh goats cheese. Serve the soup in small bowls with a scattering of fresh herbs and a couple of crostini on the side.

To drink: You could either go for a minerally Loire Sauvignon like a Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé, a young Chablis or a top quality pinot grigio from the Alto Adige

Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms

One of my favourite recipes from my latest book Meat and Two Veg. If you’re making steak for more than two it’s easier to flash it in the oven than cook them individually.

Serves 4

1 tsp mixed peppercorns
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 dsp plain flour
600g piece of fillet steak
1 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
For the asparagus and mushrooms
1 bunch of fresh asparagus
350g chestnut mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas 8/450°F. Put the peppercorns, sea salt, rosemary in a mortar and crush to a fine consistency. Mix in the flour and tip into a shallow dish. Pat the steak dry and roll in the spice mixture. Heat a large frying pan for about 2 minutes, add the oil, heat for a minute then add the butter. As the foaming dies down place the steak in the pan and sear briefly on each side. Put the steak in a shallow dish or roasting tin and transfer to the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending how well done you like it. Remove and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile trim the woody ends off the asparagus, cut them in two then cut the larger spears in half lengthways. Steam or microwave for 3 minutes until just tender. Wipe or rinse the mushrooms clean and slice roughly. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan and toss the asparagus spears in it for a couple of minutes until they begin to brown and char. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil and butter and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Return the asparagus to the pan and warm through. Season with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour any juices from the beef into the roasting pan then slice the beef thinly. Serve with a spoonful of juices poured over with the asparagus and mushrooms alongside. We quite often eat this without potatoes but if you want to serve some you could serve some boiled or roast new potatoes (put them in before the steak if you’re roasting them)

To drink: The steak and mushrooms are a more important factor than the asparagus in this match though you might want to pick up on its flavour by choosing a red that has some herbaceous notes of its own like a cabernet franc or a cool climate cabernet sauvignon or cabernet/merlot blend.

Smashed strawberry meringue

A very easy English pudding, commonly known as Eton Mess

Serves 4-6

450g ripe strawberries
1 tbsp caster sugar + 2 tsp for the cream
1 pack of meringue nests (Marks and Spencer do really good ones that taste just like homemade meringues)
284 ml carton double cream
150 ml carton whipping cream

Pull the stalks off the strawberries and slice them thickly. Save a few slices then sprinkle 1 tbsp of the sugar over the rest and set aside. Break up the meringues into chunky pieces. Mix the two creams together with the remaining sugar and beat with an electric or handheld whisk until the mixture just holds its shape and forms a floppy peak. Layer up the strawberries, meringue and cream in individual glass dishes or a larger bowl, finishing with a layer of cream. Chill in the fridge till you’re ready to eat it then decorate with the remaining strawberries

To drink: Meringues and cream always suggest bubbles to me so pick a semi-sweet sparkling wine like a Clairette de Die or demi-sec Champagne.

A steak and Malbec supper

This menu was created as part of a series of pieces I wrote for Sainsbury's magazine. The idea was to invite your friends round for a wine tasting then all have a slap-up meal afterwards. This meal was based on a tasting of South American reds from Argentina and Chile but it would be just as fun to base it round Malbec (Malbec being the perfect wine for a steak).

If you want to serve some nibbles while you get the steaks ready I suggest making or buying some guacamole and some fresh tomato salsa and serving them with lightly salted plain tortilla chips (which you could accompany with a Margarita or a Sauvignon Blanc)

Menu:
Chargrilled steaks with chimichurri salsa
Stove-top potatoes
Warm cinnamon pancakes with cajeta and raspberries

Chargrilled steaks with chimichurri salsa

The Argentinians are not only great steak eaters but tremendous barbecuers - a dish like this would always be cooked on the ‘asado’ (open grill) Do the same if you’re one of those people who barbecues year-round. Otherwise cook them on a ridged grill or in a large heavy frying pan
Serves 6

6 evenly cut rib-eye or sirloin steaks
A little olive oil

Trim any excess fat off the steaks and smear them lightly with oil. Heat one or two ridged grill pans or heavy frying pans until smoking hot and cook the steaks rare or medium rare to taste. Put them on a warm serving dish to rest for 5 minutes as you finish them. Put a steak on each plate with some salad and stove-top potatoes (below). Shake the chimichurri salsa vigorously and splash it over the steaks and salad
(You may want to have a simple vinaigrette dressing to hand for those who find the chimichurri salsa too fiery!)

For the chimichurri salsa
This very odd-sounding salsa tastes wonderful on steak but you must leave it overnight for the flavours to infuse.

110ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
55 ml (2 fl oz) red wine vinegar
1 level tsp dried oregano
A small handful (about 20g) fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks removed and leaves roughly chopped
1/2 level tsp crushed chillies
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
110 ml (4 fl oz) salmuera (salt water solution made from 1 level tbsp sea salt dissolved in 4 fl oz warm water and cooled)

Mix the ingredients for the sauce together in a large screw-top jar, shake
well and refrigerate overnight. Shake well before using

Wine suggestion:
The slightly salty, garlicky salsa will have the effect of softening the tannins of any red you put with it so this is an opportunity to drink a big tannic young red without worrying if it's going to overwhelm the dish. As well as Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat would also work well.

Stove-top potatoes

Baked potatoes are a staple of South American cuisine but develop a wonderful earthy flavour from being cooked in an earthenware pot. If you don’t have one use a cast-iron dish

1 kg even sized small waxy salad potatoes

Scrub or wash the potatoes if necessary and place in a shallow earthenware pot or very lightly greased cast iron dish. Cover with a lid or a piece of foil and cook over a very low heat for about an hour and a quarter, turning them occasionally, Pierce with a sharp knife to check they’re cooked through.

Simple mixed salad

2 romaine hearts or a bag of iceberg lettuce leaves
2 large or 3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
A packet of chives

Wash the romaine hearts and tear each leaf into two or three pieces. Slice the tomatoes and cucumber. Cut the chives in three. Arrange a salad on each plate starting with the lettuce, then a few slices of cucumber and tomato and sprinkle with the chopped chives

Warm cinnamon crepes with cajeta and raspberries

I was introduced to cajeta - a divinely caramelly sauce from Mexico - by American food writer Rick Bayless. This is an adaptation of a recipe in his first book Authentic Mexican and is one of the most irresistible desserts I’ve ever eaten. You can make both the cajeta and pancakes in advance - or buy both ready-made to save time (see below)
Serves 6

6 cinnamon pancakes (see below) or bought pancakes
250g curd cheese
100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) whole milk
1 rounded tsp caster sugar
375g fresh raspberries or a 300g carton frozen raspberries, just thawed
100g toasted almonds
About 175ml of cajeta (see below)

Mix the curd cheese with the milk until smooth and stir in the sugar. Reheat the pancakes if you haven’t just made them by heating them briefly on each side in a lightly greased pan (or, with some ready made pancakes, in the microwave) Spread a generous dollop of the curd cheese over the pancake, scatter with raspberries and drizzle over a dessertspoon of cajeta. Roll up each pancake and lay in a shallow dish. Repeat with the remaining pancakes. Spoon over some more cajeta and sprinkle with toasted almonds
* You can fill the pancakes with vanilla ice cream if you prefer

For the cinnamon pancakes
Makes 6-8 24cm (9 1/4 inch) pancakes

110g (4 oz) organic plain unbleached flour or ordinary plain flour
1/2 level tsp ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves or mixed spice
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large free-range eggs
275ml (9 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
25g cooled melted butter + another 25g melted butter for greasing the pan

You will need a 24 cm (9 1/2 inch) pancake pan or large frying pan
Mix the flour, spices, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a hollow in the centre. Beat the eggs lightly with the milk, vanilla extract and brandy then add the butter. Gradually pour into the flour stirring all the time. Or place the flour, seasonings, eggs and half the milk in a food processor, whiz, then slowly add the remaining milk to make a thin batter. Leave it to rest for half an hour then beat again.
Heat the pan for about 3-4 minutes over a moderate heat. Dip a crumpled piece of kitchen towel in the remaining melted butter and wipe it round the pan. It should sizzle. Pour in a ladle or coffee cup of batter and swirl it round quickly so that it covers the whole pan.
Cook for about 30 seconds till the edges begin to brown then flip over and
cook the other side. Stack the pancakes on a plate with a piece of greaseproof paper between them to prevent them sticking.

For the cajeta
This makes more than you’ll need for the recipe but you’ll also find it a fabulous topping for ice cream (or quite wicked spooned straight from the jar)

1 litre of goats milk + 200ml full fat (i.e. not semi-skimmed or skimmed) cows milk
225g (8 oz) golden caster sugar
1 tbsp glucose syrup
1/2 a stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pour the two milks into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the caster sugar, glucose syrup and cinnamon and heat over a moderate heat stirring occasionally until almost at boiling point. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda mixed with 1 tbsp of cold water. (The mixture will fizz up but shouldn’t come over the sides if your pan is big enough) Return the pan to the heat and keep the mixture at a brisk simmer, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes to an hour. It will gradually turn pale golden then towards the end of the cooking time a richer brown caramelly colour. At this point the bubbles will become larger and the mixture begin to rise in the pan again like milk boiling. Keep stirring to make sure it doesn’t catch. Once the mixture has become quite syrupy take it off the heat and strain into a measuring jug. You should have about 400-450ml of cajeta. Cool, stirring occasionally to stop a skin forming then pour into a clean jam jar or jars and refrigerate for up to a month.

Cheat’s cajeta
You can also make a good cajeta sauce by mixing equal quantities of Dulce de Leche with natural goats milk yoghurt. Make the recipe as above using ready made pancakes.

Wine suggestion:
A late harvest Muscat or southern French Muscat should go pretty well with this dish, if you fancy a pudding wine (though bear in mind the dessert is already quite sweet).

The image which is © nickola-che @fotolia.com is not a photograph of the recipe above but a similar one.

How about having a New Year's Eve beer dinner for a change?

If you haven’t already made your plans for New Year’s Eve why not invite over a few friends and treat them to a beer dinner instead of one based on wine? It’s a great way to open their eyes to the great range of artisanal beers that are now available.

This suggested menu comes An Appetite for Ale, the award-winning book that my son Will and I wrote a few years ago.. Do dip into it for other beer-friendly recipes and pairings.

French-style chicken liver paté with cognac

Well, not a lot of cognac, if truth be told but it just gives the recipe that extra pzazz. I like the French way of making chicken liver paté better than the Italian way - it’s more mellow with beer

Serves 4-6 (you could also add some other charcuterie if you like)

225g fresh, free range chicken livers
100g butter at room temperature + an extra 25g for the topping
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 fresh bayleaves
A couple of sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp cognac or other brandy
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of allspice
A few coloured or black peppercorns for decoration (optional)

Pick through the chicken livers cutting away any bits of sinew or greenish patches and cut them into cubes. Heat 25g of the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Add one of the bayleaves, the thyme and the chicken livers, turn up the heat and fry, stirring for about 3 minutes until the chicken livers are browned on all sides.

Take the pan off the heat and cool. Remove the bayleaf and thyme and tip the livers, onion and garlic into a food processor. Whizz until smooth then add another 75g of butter, cut into cubes and whizz again. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of allspice, add the brandy and whizz a final time.

Spoon the mixture into a small pot and smooth over the surface. Heat the remaining butter gently and spoon off the milky layer that rises to the surface. Pour the clear butter over the surface of the paté and decorate with the remaining bay leaves and peppercorns, if using.

Transfer the paté to the fridge for at least a couple of hours then return to room temperature before serving with plain or melba toast (thick slices of bread, toasted then cut in half horizontally and the exposed sides grilled to create deliciously thin, crispy toast)

Suggested beer match: This is a very beer-friendly recipe but goes particularly well with strong pale ales like Anchor Liberty and American IPAs. Try it with a Belgian tripel too

Carbonnade of beef with Orval

One of the striking things about cooking with beer is that you can afford to use your best bottles to cook with. This is based on a recipe in the splendid Everyone Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth Van Waerebeek. Like most stews it tastes even better if made a day ahead and reheated

Serves 6

1.25kg leg of beef
3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3-4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
25g butter
450g onions, peeled and sliced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme
1 bayleaf
250ml beef stock
330ml Orval or other dark Trappist beer
1 tbsp demerara or brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove any excess (but not all) fat and connective tissue from the meat, pat dry and cut into generous cubes. Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Toss the meat in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the meat in batches until well browned, transferring it to a casserole as you finish each batch. Add extra oil if needed. Once the meat is browned melt the butter in the pan, add the onions, stir well and cook over a moderate heat until beginning to brown (about 10 minutes). Stir in the thyme and bayleaf, tip the onions onto the meat and stir well. Add the beef stock and Orval to the casserole, stir, bring to the boil then half cover the pan and simmer very slowly for about 2 1/2 hours until the meat is completely tender. Stir in the sugar and vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve with baked or boiled potatoes.

Suggested beer match: Orval is the obvious choice but any dark trappist ale would do.

Bakewell tart

It stands to reason that raspberry flavoured beer should go with a dessert made with almonds and raspberries. But just how well you wouldn’t believe.

Serves 6

110g unsalted butter
3 large free-range eggs
110g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
2 level tbsp plain flour, sifted
1 level tsp almond essence
6-7 tbsp soft set raspberry jam
225g fresh or frozen raspberries
25g flaked almonds
For the pastry
250g plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
125g chilled butter
1 large egg yolk (+ the white, lightly beaten)
Pinch of salt

You will need a deep flan tin 23-25cm wide

First make the pastry. Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes, cut the butter into the flour then rub lightly with your fingertips until the mixture is the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tbsp ice cold water, add to the pastry mix, mix lightly and pull together into a ball, adding extra water if needed. Shape into a flat disc and refrigerate for at least half an hour. (You can also, of course make this in a food processor).

Roll out the pastry into a circle large enough to fit the tin with a bit of overlap. Carefully lower the pastry into the tin, pressing it lightly into the sides and cut off the excess pastry round the edges. Prick the base lightly and chill the pastry case for 10-15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Line the pastry case with foil and bake for 10-12 minutes then remove the foil and brush the base of the pastry case with the reserved egg white. Return to the oven for another 3-4 minutes then set aside for a couple of minutes while you make the filling.

Slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk or beat the eggs with the sugar until light and frothy then add the ground almonds, sifted flour, almond essence and melted butter. Spoon the jam onto the base of the tart and spread evenly. Scatter over the raspberries in an even layer then pour over the topping. Bake at 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 for about 40 minutes until risen and nicely browned, scattering the almonds over the surface 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Serve warm with double cream.

Suggested beer match: My dream beer with this would be New Glarus Raspberry Tart from Wisconsin but any raspberry beer would do nicely

If you're more into wine try this New Year's Eve dinner for wine lovers or, if you looking for inspiration Five Easy Ways to Impress your Friends and Family this New Year's Eve.

How to feed your friends like Fergus Henderson of St John

One of the most intriguing things to find out about chefs is not what they cook in their restaurants but what they feed their family and friends. True, at St John one morphs into the other, but the lunch they held in London this week to celebrate the publication of Fergus Henderson’s new book The Complete Nose to Tail was one I’d have been more than proud to put on for my mates.

The first course admittedly would have been beyond most of us - puffed up crisp-fried pigs like giant porky Quavers served with what anyone else would have called taramasalata but Fergus just calls cods roe.

Then there were two generous platters to share - fine slivers of cooked pigs head with a punchy celeriac mayonnaise and a really gorgeous green bean salad with shallots, crisp crumbs and the softest of goats curd.

The main course was a minced meat pie which doesn’t sound that exciting but it was the Best Meat Pie Ever. Mince from a well hung animal I’d have said with maybe a sneaky bit of kidney or other offal worked in and a gorgeous shiny crust with a soft gooey underbelly where the pastry met the meat. Served with French-style mash with (I suspect) outrageous amounts of butter. No veg - we’d already had our greens in the form of beans - but you could (and I would) serve some spring greens or cabbage at home.

Then finally a sublime custard tart, baked in a deep, crisp shell, warm, sweet, creamy and wobbly. I’ve never tasted a better one.

All the food was served for sharing rather than individually plated.

It shows that you don’t have to make fancy food to impress your friends just make the food you love.

And to drink: Bloody Marys to kick off with then bottles of light, graceful Savigny Aux Clous Savigny-les-Beaune 1er cru 2009 from Domaine Louis Chenu were put on the table for us to help ourselves. A simple rustic red like a Côtes du Rhône Villages or Languedoc red would have worked too and you could of course have kicked off with a crisp dry white. (Invariably French, in Fergus's case.)

You should be able to find the recipes in Fergus’s book which I’ll review shortly. It's basically a compilation of all his published recipes but with a beautiful new design and extra photography by Jason Lowe. Even if you have his other books you'll want to own it.