Summer Pudding Lyn Hall Recipes

SUMMER PUDDING LYN HALL

Steps:

• Line bottom and sides of a 4-cup mold with bread slices, or prepare 4 individual molds.
• Dissolve gelatin in water over low heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Strain gelatin liquid.
• Reserve a few well-formed fruits for garnish. Add strawberries, raspberries and blackberries to a saucepan with the gelatin, and stew gently until tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Spoon half the fruit over the bread in the mold. Place another layer of bread slices on top of the fruit, add remaining fruit, and finish with a final layer of bread. Make a hole in the center and pour in any remaining fruit juice.
• Cover with a plate and weight down. Refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours or longer.
• To make the raspberry sauce, sieve the raspberries, mashing them with wooden spoon to extract juice. Mix with sugar and the remaining tablespoon lemon juice. Spoon over pudding just before serving. Garnish with berries.

CHEF HUY'S CHICKEN WITH LEMON GRASS

Steps:

• Skin and bone chicken legs and cut meat into bite-size pieces.
• Remove rough outer husk from lemon grass and chop until very fine.
• Heat oil in wok and add chicken. Saute quickly over high heat just to brown. Add broth, sugar, nuoc mam, pepper and soy sauce and continue cooking over high heat until broth has almost evaporated.
• Add honey and mix well. Turn chicken pieces in honey, then add lemon grass and mix very well. Continue to cook, stirring continuously for 30 seconds longer.
• Just before serving, remove pan from heat and add sesame oil. Mix well and turn onto serving platter.

CHILLED PINEAPPLE CHAMPAGNE SOUP

Steps:

• Peel and core pineapples. Set fruit aside and place peel and cores in a large heavy saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over moderate heat for 15 minutes. Strain liquid through cheesecloth, discard solids and return pineapple liquid to saucepan.
• Combine granulated sugar with remaining 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook briefly, approximately 5 minutes, just long enough to make a thin syrup.
• Cut pineapple in chunks, reserving a few slivers for garnish. Sprinkle confectioners' sugar over reserved pieces and set aside in refrigerator.
• Place remaining pineapple in saucepan together with liquid from the cooked peel and the sugar syrup. Add cinnamon if desired, especially if the pineapples are not very flavorful. Place over moderate heat, cover and cook for approximately 30 minutes, or until fruit is soft.
• In a food processor, puree the pineapple and liquid in batches. Coarsely chop the mint leaves and puree with pineapple. Taste and add brandy and salt if desired. Cool slightly, cover and place in refrigerator to chill overnight.
• The next day, stir in white wine and let sit for several hours. About 30 minutes before serving, delicately stir in the chilled Champagne. Serve in bowls set over iced liners. Float pineapple garnish decorated with mint leaves.

SAFFRON SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy-bottom soup kettle. Add onions, garlic and saffron and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Do not let onions brown.
• Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add bread crumbs to onions and stir to mix thoroughly. Add chicken stock and stir again. Bring soup to a boil and immediately lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Puree soup in a blender, food processor or fine-mesh food mill. Strain soup, discarding solids. Return to rinsed-out soup kettle. Add cream and lemon juice. Mix well and taste, adding salt and pepper if desired. May be served immediately, or chilled and served as a summer soup.

MAINE CRAZY PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cream the sugar with 1 stick butter. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, mace and ginger. Combine milk and cream; add, one-third at a time, to creamed butter-sugar alternately with the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.
• Add raisins and mix well. Grease a large rectangular pan (10 by 14 inches) and pour the batter into the pan, tilting to distribute it evenly.
• Bring 8 cups water to a boil. Mix boiling water with brown sugar, molasses, 6 tablespoons butter, lemon juice and rum. Pour liquid ingredients over batter, place in oven and bake one hour.
• When ready to serve, combine garnish ingredients and beat to lighten. Serve the warm pudding with the cream on top.

PEASE PORRIDGE

Steps:

• Place peas in a bowl and cover with water to a depth of 2 inches above the peas. Set aside to steep six hours or overnight. Drain peas and place in a soup kettle.
• Add bacon, carrots, onions and turnips and stir to mix well. Cover with water to a depth of 1 inch above the mixture. Add sage.
• Place over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat until soup is barely simmering, cover and simmer 2 to 3 hours or until peas lose their shape and start to become creamy. Add a little boiling water from time to time if necessary. You should have a thick soup, but not what we think of today as porridge.
• When soup is done, remove bacon chunks. Saute bacon in butter until brown on all sides.
• Add salt and pepper. Soup may be put through a sieve and cream may be added if desired to make it a bit richer.
• Serve garnished with the fried bacon chunks, sippets (triangles of thin crustless bread lightly fried in butter or bacon fat) and a little minced mint.

PISTOU (SUMMER VEGETABLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Over medium-low heat, gently saute the leek and onion until they are translucent and just beginning to brown. Add the diced carrots, diced potatoes, chopped tomato and cranberry beans. Add the sage and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes or longer, until the vegetables are soft.
• Twenty minutes before serving, add the string beans, zucchini and linguine. Add more water if necessary, stir to mix the ingredients, and continue cooking.
• While the soup finishes, make the pistou sauce. Place the garlic, basil and Parmesan in the container of a food processor or blender. Process or blend until the mixture is grainy. Continue processing, and add the oil, slowly but steadily, until the mixture is smooth. Mince the tomato pulp very finely, and drain in a fine- mesh sieve. Mix together with the rest of the sauce.
• When ready to serve, add a ladleful of hot soup to the sauce, mix well and combine the sauce and the rest of the soup. Serve immediately.