Ramsons Pesto with Wholewheat Spaghetti

Ramsons is also known as "wild garlic" due to its pungent garlic odour, or "bear's garlic" as the brown bears after hibernation, seek it out to cleanse their system. Ramsons has similar medicinal properties to those of the garlic. It is therefore especially valuable for a spring cleaning and waste removal course of treatment. They can be used as salad, as a vegetable, in soup, or as an ingredient for pesto in lieu of basil.

	Ramsons Pesto
250 g Wholewheat spaghetti 10 Cherry tomatoes, halved 10 Bocconcini, optional A handful of baby greens Freshly ground black pepper	80 g Ramsons leaves, chopped 60 g Almond, chopped 80 g Parmesan-Reggiano, grated 130 ml Olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Add only enough chopped almonds to the skillet so they lie in a single layer. Turn heat on to medium and toast, stirring occasionally until the nuts are fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.
   
2. Rinse, dry and chop the ramsons. In a food processor, pulse toasted almonds and ramsons a few times. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on, stopping to scrape down sides of container. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If you have a mortar and pestle, do use them to pound the ingredients.
   
3. To store the pesto, simply place them in a jar and allow the oil to rise to the top. If it doesn't add a little oil to seal the top. It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about a week.
   
4. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain in colander and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add in pesto (about 1/2 cup) and gently toss to coat thoroughly. If pesto is too thick, you can add a tablespoon of the pasta water to thin it a little.
   
5. When pesto is mixed in, add cherry tomatoes, bocconcini if used, baby greens and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Rhubarb Streusel Cake

A delicious tea time cake/tart with a tangy rhubarb filling topped with nutty and buttery streusel. Serve it warm, if desired, with ice cream or vanilla sauce.

Cake	Streusel Topping
150 g Flour 50 g Sugar 1 pinch Salt 1 Egg yolk 75 g Butter, diced 1 tbsp Cold water 500 g Rhubarb 70 g Ladyfingers, crumbled 50 g Brown sugar	100 g Flour 100 g Almond, ground 100 g Sugar 1/3 tsp Nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 150 g Butter, diced

1. To prepare the base. Place flour, sugar, salt, egg yolk, butter and cold water in a mixing bowl. Stir with a hand mixer attached with dough hooks until the mixture comes together. Form it into a ball and chill, wrapped with a cling film, for 30 minutes.
   
2. Clean and trim rhubarb, removing any leaves. Cut the rhubarb stalks into 1cm pieces. Crush the ladyfingers until fine crumbs form. In a mixing bowl, mix together 100 grams sugar, flour, ground almond, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut in butter to form crumbs. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Butter a 26cm tart dish or line with parchment paper. Roll the dough into a 32cm round between two sheets of parchment paper and place it into the tart dish. Sprinkle the crumbled ladyfingers at the bottom of the tart, scatter over the rhubarb pieces, and then sprinkle on brown sugar evenly. Now cover it with streusel topping. Bake in the middle of hot oven for 45 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Chocolate Glazed Tart with Pistachios

A crisp yet crumbly chocolate shortbread crust filled with a layer of rich chocolate glaze and finished off with some chopped lightly salted roasted pistachios---an unbeatable combination for an unforgettable sweet treat!

Shortbread	Topping
120 g Butter, at room temperature 60 g Golden caster sugar Pinch of salt 130 g Plain flour 20 g Cocoa powder	120 g Bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 tbsp Maple syrup 20 g Butter 100 ml Heavy cream Some lightly salted roasted pistachios, roughly chopped Caramelized walnuts, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Put the butter into a large mixing bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon until soft. Beat in the sugar and salt. Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and mix just until a dough forms.
   
2. Divide the shortbread dough into four portions and press each in an even layer onto the bottom of four 12cm/4inch tart pans or one 26cm/10inch. Bake for about 20 minutes, or just until the they are firm to the touch.
   
3. Meanwhile, melt the chopped chocolate, maple syrup, butter and heavy cream in a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Mix until smooth.
   
4. Remove the shortbread from the oven and pour the warm chocolate glaze over the shortbread crusts and evenly spread the surface. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios or caramelized walnuts. They can be stored in container at room temperature for a few days.

Fresh Fruit Tartlets

Those mini fresh fruit tartlets have a sweet pastry crust that is filled with a rich hazelnut cream and topped with fresh fruit. Dust the fruit with powdered sugar before serving or glaze with apricot glaze to give the fruit a bright shiny finish.

Sweet Pastry Crust	Topping
250 g Pastry flour 60 g Caster sugar 1/4 tsp Salt 125 g Butter, cut into small pieces 1 Egg yolk 2-3 tbsp Cold water	85 g Butter, softened 85 g Powdered sugar 1 Egg 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract 85 g Ground hazelnut 8 tbsp Chantilly cream Seedless grapes Strawberries Powdered sugar

1. Heap the flour on a work surface and make a well. Put in butter, salt, sugar, and egg yolk. Using your fingertips, mix all the ingredients together. Add in cold water and work until the dough begins to hold together. Shape each into a ball and wrap with a plastic film and chill for half an hour.
   
2. Cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer in the bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the ground hazelnut and beat until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease four 12cm tartlet tins with butter and sprinkle them lightly with flour. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and divide into four equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of pastry into a 16cm circle. Line the tins with pastry and prick several times with a fork.
   
4. Divide the hazelnut mixture into 4 pastry cases and smooth the top. Put the tart tins on the hot baking tray and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Lift the tart and base from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
   
5. Spread two tablespoons of chantilly cream on top of each tartlet. Arrange the fruit on top. If desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Almond Galette

This is the dessert traditionally served in France for Epiphany, on the 6th day of January, but is welcome at any time of year. It's also known as the "Galette des rois", or "King Cake". One "feve", "bean" in French, or a tiny ceramic figurine is hidden somewhere in the galette as a "prize" and the finder is crowned the king or queen.

	Frangipane Almond Cream
350 g Puff pastry (homemade or frozen) 1 Egg, lightly beaten	85 g Butter, at room temperature 85 g Caster sugar 1 Egg 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract Pinch of salt 100 g Almonds, finely ground

1. Cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer in the bowl. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Add the almond meal and beat until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside.
   
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the pastry out until it’s about 3mm thick. Cut out two 4-inch rounds and two 6-inch rounds or two 11-inch rounds.
   
3. Place one sheet of pastry on the baking sheet. Spread a circle of filling on the pastry, leaving 1-inch border around the frangipane. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg. Top with the second sheet of pastry over the filling and press the borders firmly to seal it.
   
4. With the back edge of a paring knife, make 6 or 8 of tucks along the border. Make a small hole with a skewer in the center, so the steam can escape during cooking. Glaze the top with beaten egg. Cut a decorative pattern on the top with the tip of a knife.
   
5. Refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Put in the center of the hot oven for 25-30 minutes until they are nicely brown and crisp. Remove and cool the galette on the wire rack. Slice and serve!

Roasted Chicken Salad with Pear and Walnuts

A really easy salad recipe with leftover roasted chicken, pears, toasted walnut halves and rocket leaves gently tossed with a simple white balsamic vinaigrette. Serve it with bread or roasted potatoes.

• 200 g Leftover roasted chicken thighs
  
• 40 g Rocket leaves
  
• 1 Pear, washed, cored, cut into thin wedges
  
• 1 handful Walnut halves, toasted
  
• 30 ml Walnut oil
  
• 15 ml Balsamic bianco
  
• 1 tsp Wholegrain mustard

1. Place walnut halves in a single layer in a skillet. With the skillet over medium-high heat, stir the nuts continually for 5 minutes or until they start to turn golden.
   
2. Place rocket leaves, pear wedges, toasted walnuts, and chicken in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine. Whisk walnut oil, balsamic bianco and mustard together. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve salad with bread.