Recipe - A Real Chiltern Mess

2 Rashers streaky bacon
125 g Medjool dates; stoned
1 bn Mixed fresh parsley;
coriander and
; chives
2 teaspoon Olive oil
One half Lemon; juice of
1 dr Tabasco
175 g Plain flour
125 g Butter
1 Egg; separated
1 Mango
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
Baby pineapple
4 tablespoon Honey
100 g Kumquats
280 g Sieved icing sugar; (280 to
350)
300 ml Double cream
1 Chocolate ball
200 g Greek yoghurt
1 Grenadillo
Black pepper

1 Use the back of a knife to stretch out the bacon, and then cut each
rasher in half. Wrap each bacon piece around a date and secure with a
cocktail stick. Place in a small roasting pan and cook in the oven for
about 10 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through.

2 Remove the leaves from the parsley and coriander and mix with the
chives. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and Tabasco and toss together.
Arrange the herb salad on a plate and sit the bacon and prune rolls
on top.

3 For the Tart Tatin: Place the flour in a food processor with 85g/3oz
butter and blitz to make crumbs, add the egg yolk and 1 tbsp water and
'pulse' until the pastry comes together. Add a little more water if
necessary.

4 Cut 'cheeks' of flesh off either side of the mango stone and peel.
Cut the flesh into chunks. Heat 25g/1oz butter in an ovenproof frying
pan. Add the demerara sugar and cook for a minute, add a few dates
and chopped mango and cook for a further minute.

5 Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out a circle just
bigger than the frying pan. Place the pastry circle on top of the
fruit and carefully tuck the edges down the side of the pan.

6 Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 1012 minutes, or until
the pastry is crisp and cooked through. Turn the tart out onto a
plate and serve. Halve the pineapple lengthways and cut one half into
wedges.

7 Drizzle 1 tbsp honey over the wedges and season with black pepper.
Heat a griddle pan and cook the pineapple for a few minutes, turning
regularly, until caramelised. Serve on a plate.

8 For the Eton Mess: Cut the kumquats in half and place in a pan with
3 tbsp honey. Heat gently until tender. Place the egg white in a
large bowl and lightly beat with a fork. Slowly beat in enough icing
sugar for a fairly stiff dough this should be pliable but not
sticky.

9 Form small balls about the size of a walnut from the mixture. Place
a piece of baking parchment paper onto a microwavesafe plate and sit
two balls of the mixture on top, leaving plenty of space between each.

10 Cook in the microwave on High power (800W) for about 11 1/2
minutes, or until the meringues are well risen and firm. Repeat with
the remaining mixture. Allow to cool and then roughly crush.

11 Heat 100ml/3 1/2fl ounce cream in a pan, grate in some of the
chocolate ball and add 15g/ 1/2oz butter. Stir to make a sauce. Peel
the remaining pineapple and cut into chunks.

12 Whip the remaining cream until stiff, add the yoghurt and fold in.
Add the crushed meringues, pineapple chunks and half the poached
kumquats, then scoop out the seeds from the grenadillo and add to the
mixture. Pile onto a plate, top with the remaining kumquats and
drizzle over the chocolate sauce.

Converted by MC_Buster.

NOTES : Chef Lesley Waters

Recipe by: Ready Steady Cook

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.