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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 MAY 2016 14 Food Strawberry season on Gourmet Today TV We're at the height of strawberry season and no matter whether your local strawberries are at their very best. Although they are perfectly delicious with a dollop of whipped cream this versatile ingredient can be incorporated in many dishes, whether sweet or savoury. Last week, on Gourmet Today TV, Sean Gravina made a duck breast with a burnt honey, strawberry and lavender glaze, and almond shortcakes with strawberry rippled whipped cream. Don't miss Gourmet Today TV, every Friday on TVM at 18:15. Duck breast with burnt honey and strawberry and lavender glaze Almond shortcakes with strawberry rippled cream COMING UP THIS WEEK This week Sean Gravina is back in the Gourmet Today TV kitchens making some delicious recipes with yellow plums. He makes a French clafoutis, traditionally associated with cherries, though just as delicious with any stone fruit. For mains he makes a Chinese style pork fillet with Chinese cabbage and beautiful yellow plums. Don't miss this week's episode of Gourmet Today TV, this Friday at 18:15. Ingedients • 4 duck breasts (about 300g each), skin scored • Sprig thyme, marjoram or fresh oregano • 1 radicchio, coarsely torn • 1 witlof, leaves separated, coarsely chopped • Micro herbs • Strawberry, burnt honey and lavender sauce • 200g fresh strawberries • 90g (¼ cup) honey • 1 tbsp balsamic • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tsp dried lavender or black peppercorns Method 1. To make the burnt honey sauce, bring honey to the boil in a small saucepan over high heat and cook until caramelised (7-8 mins). 2. Remove from heat. Stir through the balsamic vinegar and oil (mix the two before adding to sauce that way the oil won't split). 3. Add the lavender and the chopped strawberries. 4. Season to taste and leave to stand to infuse. 5. Pre heat oven to 180C. 6. Place the duck breast in an oven-proof frying pan, skin side down, and slowly bring up to a medium heat, draining the fat into a container as it cooks. 7. After 7 mins, transfer the pan to the oven and cook for a further 8-10 mins. 8. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the duck breasts over and lift out of the pan, then leave the rest in a warm place. 9. Thinly slice duck and arrange on plates with radicchio and witlof. 10. Drizzle with burnt honey sauce and serve immediately. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 20 May, 2016. Ingedients • 400ml thickened cream • 150g strawberries • 60g pure icing sugar, sieved • 500g strawberries (about 2 punnets), trimmed and cut into wedges • Baby basil, for garnish Almond shortcakes • 70g almonds • 300g plain flour • 50g rice flour • 120g raw caster sugar • 1 orange, zest only • 220g cold butter, coarsely grated • 1 egg, beaten for eggwash Method 1. To make the almond shortcakes, preheat oven to 160C. 2. Spread almonds on an oven tray and roast, stirring occasionally, until browned (3-4 mins), then coarsely chop and set aside. 3. Combine flours, sugar, orange zest and a pinch of salt in a bowl, add butter and rub in with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. 4. Turn onto a work surface, bring together with the heel of your hand, then press into a 1cm- thick rectangle and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Refrigerate to rest (30 mins), then cut into rounds with a 7cm-diameter cutter. Brush with eggwash, scatter with almonds and place on oventrays lined with baking paper. 5. Bake until just golden (12-15 mins), cool completely on trays, then store in an airtight container until required. Almond shortcakes will keep for 1 week. 6. Macerate some strawberries in sugar and set aside for 10 mins. 7. Whip the cream and once the juices of the macerated strawberries start to run, ripple through the whipped cream. 8. Combine strawberries with remaining cream and icing sugar in a bowl and toss to combine, refrigerate until required. 9. To serve, spoon a little cream mixture onto shortcakes, pile strawberries on top, scatter with baby basil and serve. This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 20 May, 2016.