Blood Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie

This spring is seeing a bumper crop of new cookery books of which Catherine Phipps' Citrus is one of the most enticing ...

If you want to take advantage of the rhubarb and blood oranges that are in the shops at the moment you couldn't find a better way to use them.

Cat writes: "Most meringue pies use a sweet pastry, but as I find the meringue so sweet, I think it is better served with a very buttery shortcrust (pie dough), so I take out the sugar.

The butter in the filling is optional – it’s not always used and I think it adds a richness, making the filling more like curd and less like custard."

Blood Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie

Serves 6

For the pastry

225g/1 ¾ cups plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting

150g/2/3 cup butter, chilled and diced

1 egg yolk

A pinch of salt

For the filling

400g/14oz rhubarb, preferably the pink forced kind, cut into short (2cm/ ¾ -in) lengths

60g/1⁄₃ cup caster (superfine) sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 blood oranges and juice of up to 4 blood oranges

1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

3 egg yolks

30g/1 tbsp butter (optional)

For the meringue topping

4 egg whites (left from pastry and filling)

225g/1 ¼ cups caster (superfine) sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

First make the pastry. Either whiz the flour and butter in a food processor or rub in by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and salt. Mix briefly, adding a little chilled water if necessary, until you can bring the pastry together into a ball – it should need no more than a tablespoon. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and use to line a pie dish (between 21 and 23cm/8 and 9in in diameter). Prick all over with a fork, then line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or so until the pastry is a light golden brown. Remove from the oven.

To make the filling, put the rhubarb into a baking dish, sprinkle with the sugar and orange zest and roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes, stirring every so often – if youare organized you can cook this at the same time as you are blind baking the pastry. Strain the rhubarb juice into a measuring jug and set aside the solids. Add enough blood orange juice to make up the rhubarb juice to 250ml/1 cup plus 1 tbsp.

Use a small amount of the liquid to whisk the cornflour (cornstarch) into a thin paste in a bowl, and heat the rest in a medium saucepan. When the liquid is hot, pour some of it over the cornflour mixture, whisking constantly, then pour this back into the saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens – this is likely to happen very suddenly. Add the egg yolks and butter, if using, and continue to whisk. Remove from the heat and stir through the reserved rhubarb. Pour into the cooked pastry case. If you have time, leave it to cool and chill down completely as it will help the texture enormously and prevent possible separation.

To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until well aerated and just starting to form stiff peaks. Continuing to whisk, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until the meringue is beautifully stiff and glossy, then add the remaining sugar all at once, and sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Pipe or pile the meringue over the filling.

Bake in the oven for around 15–20 minutes until the meringue is a dappled golden brown. I love this both hot and cold and I don’t think it needs any embellishment.

What to drink: You want a really sweet wine with good acidity with this delicious pie. I suggest a young late harvest riesling or a Canadian ice wine. FB

From CITRUS: Recipes that celebrate the sour and the sweet by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille, £20.00) Photography: Mowie Kay

Apricot brandy pancakes

A simple and impressive recipe to serve for pancake day. Although apricots are obviously at their best in the summer you should be able to find imported ones from countries such as South Africa and Chile.

They tend to be a touch unripe which is where the apricot brandy comes in handy!

Serves 3-4

For the pancakes
110g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 large fresh free-range eggs
275ml semi-skimmed milk
25g cooled melted butter + another 25g butter for greasing the pan and brushing the pancakes
Icing sugar

For the apricot filling
500g fresh apricots
3 heaped tbsp soft set apricot jam, preferably unsweetened
4 tbsp apricot brandy + extra to serve
Lemon juice to taste (optional)

You will also need a medium sized pancake pan

First make the batter. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a hollow in the centre. Beat the eggs lightly with the milk then add 25g cool melted butter. Gradually pour into the flour stirring all the time and beat well with a wooden spoon. (Or make the batter in a food processor or blender) Set the batter aside for half an hour while you make the filling.

Halve and stone the apricots and cut into small chunks. Put in a saucepan with the apricot jam and apricot brandy, cover with a lid and cook until the apricots are soft but still holding their shape. Check for sweetness adding a little lemon juice if you want them sharper or a splash more apricot brandy if they need sweetening and set aside.

Beat the pancake batter again. Heat a pancake pan until hot, add a small chunk of butter and rub it round the pan with some scrunched up kitchen towel. Scoop out a small cup or ladleful of batter and tip it into the pan swirling it round quickly so the whole base of the pan is covered with batter.Cook for about 30 seconds till the edges begin to brown then flip over with a palette knife or spatula and cook the other side. Stack the pancakes on a plate as you make them interleaved with sheets of greaseproof paper so they don’t stick.

Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Butter a shallow ovenproof dish. Fill each pancake with a tablespoon of the apricot filling and roll up or fold into four. Arrange the filled pancakes in the dish and brush with the remaining melted butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the pancakes are hot through and the tops crispy. Sift over a little icing sugar. You could serve the pancakes with an extra splash of apricot brandy and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Suggested match: I created these to go with an apricot or peach-flavoured beer but you could also serve a dessert wine such as a southern French muscat or a Jurançon with them.

For other wine matching suggestions read What's the best pairing for pancakes?

Image © Natasha Breen - Fotolia.com though is not of the actual recipe - just like it!

Roast supreme of guinea fowl with sherry and grapes

A perfect autumnal dinner party recipe from James Ramsden's lovely book Do Ahead Dinners.

James says: "Guinea fowl remains an inexplicably underused bird – it’s got something of the pheasant about it (but without the propensity to dry out), it’s no more expensive than a decent chicken, and it’s lovely to cook with. So I say we should be cooking with it more.

Supremes are the breasts with the wing still attached. If you can’t find any, then buy two whole guinea fowl and cleave in half down the middle, cooking for 15 minutes longer."

Serves 6

2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves

1 tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed to a paste

100g/3½oz/7 tbsp butter, softened

salt and pepper

6 supremes of guinea fowl

olive oil

200ml/7fl oz/generous ¾ cup medium-dry sherry

100ml/3½fl oz/7 tbsp chicken stock

200g/7oz grapes, halved

Up to a day ahead:

Beat the thyme, rosemary and garlic into the butter and season with salt and pepper. Ease the skin of the birds away from the flesh and carefully spread the herb butter underneath the skin. Put in a roasting pan, cover and chill.

2 hours ahead:

Take the guinea fowl out of the fridge.

1 hour ahead:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Drizzle the guinea fowl with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced with a thin sharp knife. Remove to a warm place to rest. Put the roasting pan over a high heat and add the sherry, scraping up all the sticky bits in the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the stock and the grapes. Simmer for another 5 minutes and taste for seasoning.

Dinnertime:

Serve the guinea fowl with the grapes and a good spoonful of gravy.

And James's tips for varying the recipe and using up leftovers:

Tart: Bit tarty already, this, though if you feel the urge to wrap the guinea fowl in Parma ham then follow that urge.

Tweak: Roast whole grouse for 12 minutes at 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7 and then follow the same recipe for making the grape gravy.

Tomorrow: Thinly slice leftover guinea fowl and toss through a green salad with a handful of croutons.

What to drink: Although sherry is included in the dish - and would match with it - I don't think most people would expect sherry with their main course. Instead look for a heavyweight white like a grenache gris from the Roussillon or a pinot gris from Alsace. If you want to drink red I'd go for a dark, plummy pinot noir or a medium-bodied modern Spanish red like a young rioja or other tempranillo.

This recipe is from Do-Ahead Dinners by James Ramsden, published by Pavilion. Recipe photography by Yuki Sugiura

Margot Henderson’s Turkish Coffee Cake

This is one of the recipes I go back to most often. Yes, it’s a cake but you can also serve it as a pudding. It comes from Margot Henderson’s* wonderful You’re All Invited which I strongly recommend you to buy.

Serves 12

100g wholemeal flour

100g plain white flour

250g soft brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground coriander

175g butter cut into cubes

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

250ml soured cream or yoghurt

4 tbsp freshly brewed espresso coffee

2 eggs, beaten

60g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4

Put the flours, sugar and spices into a large bowl and mix together then rub in the cubed butter until you have an even crumble. Press half the mixture into a deep-sided cake tin measuring about 30 x 18cm.

Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the remaining mixture in the bowl then add the soured cream, espresso coffee, eggs and chopped nuts. Mix well then pour into the cake tin and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until firm and springy to touch.

Leave to cool completely then cut into squares or fingers. These will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days (but I find they are particularly delicious on the day they’re made FB).

What to drink:

There are many possibilities as you’ll see from these matches of the week (probably the only recipe that has inspired two!) with a Vi Dolc Natural and espresso coffee. But the best pairing of all, I’ve discovered is a medium oloroso or cream sherry.