FOOD&DRINK Chantelle Nicholson is one of 31 female chefs celebrated in Clare Finney and Liz Seabrook’s award-winning book, The Female Chef
RECIPE
Chantelle Nicholson’s Tarte Tatin
SERVES 2
Think of them as the Oscars of the foodie world, now in their 10th year, the annual Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards celebrate the best new and established writers, publishers, broadcasters, photographers and personalities working in the food and drink industry. At the award ceremony last month, The Female Chef by Clare Finney and Liz Seabrook (£28, Hoxton Mini Press) was announced the winner of the Debut Food Book award. Redressing the gender imbalance in the industry, the wonderful book presents 30 female pioneers in the British food scene who are rewriting the rules
WEDDING CAKES
Cutter & Squidge
Simple and stylish, Cutter & Squidge’s Three Tier Floral Wedding Cake is the perfect complement to your big day
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and redefining what it means to be a successful chef, amongst them, the wonderful Chantelle Nicholson, who recently opened her new restaurant, Apricity, in Mayfair. Here, she shares a delicious seasonal recipe from the book. She says: “Making tarte tatin was one of the first jobs I had to do when I started at The Savoy Grill. I had never made, nor eaten, one before, so it was a wonderful discovery. And apricots have a special place in my heart – I am lucky enough to have eaten the best, grown by my family in Central Otago; gently plucked from the tree, sun-ripened and super sweet.”
INGREDIENTS 8 apricots | 50g/13⁄4oz caster sugar | 160g/53⁄4oz all-butter puff pastry | 1⁄2 a piece of star anise | 50g/13⁄4oz butter (kept in the fridge) | créme fraîche, to serve METHOD 1. Roll out the puff pastry to
3mm/1⁄4in thick, then pop it onto a piece of baking parchment and put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes so the pastry can rest. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 195°C/ 380°F (175°C/350°F fan), remove the butter
from the fridge and halve and destone the apricots. 2. Remove the pastry from the fridge and cut a circle to fit a small, ovenproof saucepan (approximately 12–14cm/5–51⁄2in in diameter). Place the pastry circle back on the baking parchment and return to the fridge. 3. Cut the butter into 4 pieces then press it firmly into the saucepan, using the top part of a clenched hand, into an even layer. Sprinkle over the sugar and shake the pan to distribute it evenly. 4. Grate 2 petals of the star anise onto the sugar. Push the side of one apricot half, skin down, into the sugared butter then lay the rest around the outer part of the pan, covering each other like fallen dominoes and finish with two in the centre. 5. Remove the pastry from the fridge and place on top of the apricots in the very centre of the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat until the butter and sugar begin to bubble and a golden caramel begins to form around the edges of the pastry. Put in the oven for 40–50 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and golden. Allow to rest for 5–7 minutes before placing a plate on top of the pan, then flip the entire pan over so the tarte tatin slips gracefully onto the plate to be sliced. 6. Serve with créme fraîche and anything else you fancy – ice cream, custard or cream.
With wedding season in full flow, our attention turns to celebration cakes. London bakery Cutter & Squidge offers a tasteful yet seriously tasty number that has all the grandeur of a traditional three-tier affair, but this one is simple, elegant, and thoroughly modern in design. The Three Tier Floral Wedding Cake is 100 per cent vegetarian, halal friendly, and boasts all-natural ingredients. Brides- and grooms-to-be can mix tiers from six delicious flavours including lemon, raspberry, carrot, and even double choc salted caramel, gratifying guests with a particularly sweet tooth. Its chic ivory ruffle frosting acts as the perfect canvas for a floral embellishment of seasonal blooms to complement the wedding flowers and botanical tablescaping theme of the big day – simply speak to a member of the team to discuss your ideas. And if you’re torn on which flavours to choose, there’s a nifty signature sample wedding cake tin on offer, in which six generous slices of the different cakes are showcased – and beautifully presented – all in the name of research. Of course, even the most impressive wedding cakes are nothing without a reliable service. With a million things to think about in the run up to the nuptials, the last thing you want to be worried about is how and when the cake is going to arrive. With Cutter & Squidge’s incredible next-day delivery service, and a fuss-free delivery straight to the venue, it’s all reassuringly seamless – a piece of cake, in fact. From £380 (cutterandsquidge.com)
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12/05/2022 14:45