Mary Berry – Love to Cook episode 4: For Mary, cooking is so much more than assembling ingredients; it’s a way of showing her family and friends that she cares. Mary teams up with her daughter Annabel as they head to Carmarthen Bay to meet forager Craig Evans. Armed with his vast knowledge of edible plants, they indulge in their two loves – the great outdoors and cooking.
Mary then travels to Cumbria to meet Carlisle-born Harrison, whose friends helped him to turn his life around and discover solace through the great outdoors. Known as the Fell Foodie, Harrison takes Mary for a walk, equipped with his trusty backpack to find an idyllic streamside spot. Here he roasts Mary a sea bass followed by a lemon and blueberry cake – all made from scratch on a tiny camp stove on the picturesque hillside.
Mary presents us with four recipes, all favourites of her family and friends. These include a roast fillet of beef with fresh horseradish, served with a magical platter of vegetables that can be cooked ahead, a colourful roasted pepper, beetroot and feta tart, and a scrumptious crusted salmon with samphire, served with a velvety lemon sauce.
Mary also shares some tips on how to spend less time in the kitchen and more time entertaining, with some of her favourite ideas on how to prep ahead. Mary’s final recipe is a paradise chocolate cake, an indulgent dark chocolate sponge that’s dripping with chocolate icing and decorated with beautiful shards of white and dark chocolate.
Mary Berry – Love to Cook episode 4 recieps:
Crusted salmon with samphire and preserved lemon sauce
The semolina on top of the salmon gives a lovely crust and the paprika adds to the flavour and colour. The sauce is bursting with sharpness and samphire is a lovely, salty, green plant that grows naturally by the marshes and on the coast.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and grease a baking tray.
- To make the salmon, sprinkle the semolina and paprika over a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Spread the butter on top of each salmon fillet and press the fillets, buttered-side down, on to the semolina mixture to give an even crust.
- Lay the parsley stalks on the baking tray and sit the salmon fillets on top of the stalks. Bake in the oven for 15–18 minutes, until the salmon is just opaque and the top is crisp and golden. If liquid is beginning to seep out of the salmon, it is overcooked – it should be holding the juices.
- To make the sauce, place the parsley leaves in a food processor. Add the lemon and blitz until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise and crème frâiche and season with salt and pepper – go easy on the salt as the lemons are preserved in brine. Process until combined.
- When ready to serve, boil the samphire in a saucepan of salted water for 2 minutes, then drain. Place the lemon sauce in a saucepan and heat gently until just melted.
- Serve the salmon fillets with the samphire, sauce and lemon wedges alongside.
Roasted pepper, beetroot and feta tart
Often called a galette, this puff pastry tart is vibrant to look at and layering the flavours makes it easy to prepare.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Put the pepper halves, cut-side down, on one baking tray. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the skins are brown. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool. Peel off the skins and discard. Thinly slice the peppers into long strips.
- Dust a work surface with flour, unroll the pastry sheet and roll it out until it is slightly thinner. Cut out an oval shape from the sheet measuring about 36x24cm/14×9½in. Place on the other lined baking tray and twist the edges of the pastry to make an informal border and crimp, if you like. Prick the base with a fork.
- Mix the sun-dried tomato paste with the garlic in a small bowl. Spread over the base of the pastry. Scatter the feta on top. Arrange the beetroot in a neat overlapping spiral so it covers the base. Season well with salt and pepper, brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp underneath and around the edges.
- Meanwhile, mix the vinegar, the remaining olive oil and a little salt in a bowl. Add the rocket and toss to coat. Place the rocket in a pile in the middle of the tart, then scatter the peppers over the top. Serve hot.
Paradise chocolate cake – Mary Berry – Love to Cook episode 4
This is one of those wicked, indulgent cakes that is perfect for chocoholics! As it is a deep cake, it is advisable to serve this in small slices, but feel free to have a second slice on a special occasion!
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm/8in deep cake tin with baking paper. Place a piece of non-stick baking paper on a baking tray.
- To make the cake, place the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir gently until the chocolate has just melted. Set aside to cool.
- Place the cocoa powder in a large bowl, add the boiling water and mix until you have a smooth paste. Add the baking spread, eggs, sugars, flour, milk and melted chocolate to the bowl. Whisk using an electric whisk for about 2 minutes, until light, fluffy and smooth. Scrape down the bowl halfway through. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level the surface. Bake for 1–1¼ hours, until well risen and coming away from the sides of the tin. Expect a crack on the top like a brownie. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully remove to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the ganache icing, place the cream in a saucepan and heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted, then set aside in a cool place to thicken to a spreadable consistency.
- When the cake is cool, brush the top and sides with the warmed apricot jam, then spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Use a palette knife to smooth the edges. Leave to set for about 2 minutes.
- To make the decoration, place the dark chocolate in one bowl and the white chocolate in another. Set each bowl over saucepans of gently simmering water, making sure the bases of the bowls do not touch the water. Stir gently until just melted. Spread the white chocolate on to the prepared baking tray using the back of a spoon to create a thin rectangle about 25x18cm/10x7in. Using another spoon, drizzle the dark chocolate over the white chocolate to make a zigzag pattern. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
- Once the chocolate is set, slice into eight long wedges and finely chop any broken pieces. Stand the wedges vertically in the centre of the cake and sprinkle any broken shards around the edge. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
