LUXURY selection

Spoil Mum with these tantalising dishes made with some of the world’s most expensive spices such as fennel pollen, vanilla pods and mahleb

Fennel pollen, otherwise known as ‘the spice of angels’, has an anise-like licorice flavour with notes of citrus and honey that enhance both sweet and savoury dishes.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 8

For the fennel pollen Pavlova

6 large egg whites

280g SpinneysFOOD Extra Fine Caster Sugar

20g corn flour

2 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp fennel pollen

For the filling

750ml single cream

375g crème fraîche

120g SpinneysFOOD Super Fine Icing Sugar

½ tsp fennel pollen

To serve

1 tsp fennel pollen

Handful of fennel flowers

1 Preheat the oven to 120°C, lowest gas mark. Grease and line 2 large baking trays. 2 Place the eggs whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating well after each addition, until the meringue mixture is thick and glossy and the sugar has dissolved. Add the corn flour, vinegar and fennel pollen and whisk well. Divide the mixture to form 2 large pavlovas. 3 Place in the oven for 1-1½ hours or until crisp but still chewy in the middle. Turn off the oven and allow the pavlovas to cool completely in the oven – this will prevent them from cracking. 4 To make the filling, place the cream, crème fraîche, sugar and fennel pollen in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. 5 Spoon half the filling over one Pavlova then top with the second Pavlova. Spoon the remaining filling over the top.

6 Serve with an extra sprinkle of fennel pollen and a few fennel flowers.

Make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate. When ready to serve, gently melt over a very low heat, stirring constantly. If the sauce splits, add a tablespoon or two of boiling water while whisking until the sauce comes together.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

160ml hot SpinneysFOOD Bottled Drinking Water

Large pinch of saffron threads

160ml non-alcoholic white wine or chicken stock

100g cold SpinneysFOOD Unsalted Butter, cubed

160ml crème fraîche

SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt, to taste

500g tagliatelle

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2 In a small bowl, gently crush the saffron threads between your fingers to break them up and release their flavour. Pour the hot (not boiling) water over the crushed threads and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes. The longer the better.

3 Add the non-alcoholic wine or chicken stock to a saucepan. Place the pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the liquid reduces by half, approx. 3-5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium-low. Swirl in 2 cubes of the butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly to emulsify. Follow with the crème fraîche, as well as the saffron and its liquid and a good pinch of salt. Stir to combine and simmer briefly until slightly thickened, approx. 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 4 Cook the pasta according to the package directions or until al dente. Transfer the pasta directly to the sauce with tongs, along with the final cube of butter. Toss to coat until the butter has melted. Loosen the sauce with a small amount of pasta cooking water, if needed. Season with salt to taste. 5 Divide the pasta among bowls and top with a sprinkling of saffron threads. Serve immediately.

Khachapuri is the signature bread of Georgia, typically stuffed with cheese and topped with eggs. This version is made by combining ground mahleb with the dough to give it an almond-rose flavour.

Prep time: 30 minutes (plus proofing time)

Cook time: 40 minutes

Makes: 6

For the dough

185ml SpinneysFOOD Full Fat Milk

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp bread flour

1 tbsp instant yeast

320g SpinneysFOOD All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt

35g SpinneysFOOD Fine Grain White Sugar

13g mahleb powder

1 large SpinneysFOOD Organic Free-Range Egg

1 large egg yolk

50g SpinneysFOOD Unsalted Butter, softened

For the filling

200g SpinneysFOOD Mozzarella

230g SpinneysFOOD Ricotta

Handful of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Parsley

Handful of SpinneysFOOD Fresh Chives

3 SpinneysFOOD Spring Onions

1 SpinneysFOOD Organic Free-Range Egg

100g goat’s cheese

½ tsp SpinneysFOOD Fine Sea Salt

½ tsp SpinneysFOOD Black Pepper, freshly ground

1 SpinneysFOOD Free-Range Egg, for brushing

1 Combine 4 tablespoons of the milk, water and flour in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk over a medium heat until you achieve a mashed potato texture. Set aside. 2 Heat the remaining milk until lukewarm. Add the yeast and stir. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes or until frothy. 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar and mahleb. Whisk together then fit the mixer with a dough hook. On a low speed, slowly add the milk mixture and the flour paste. Follow with the egg and egg yolk. Mix on medium-low until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually add the softened butter. Continue to mix the dough for 5-8 minutes until smooth. 4 Place the ball of dough, seam-side down, in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm area for 1½ hours. 5 Meanwhile, coarsely chop the mozzarella and crumble the ricotta. Finely chop the herbs and spring onions. Lightly beat the egg. Combine the cheeses, herbs, spring onion, egg and seasoning. 6 Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. 7 Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Working with a piece at a time, roll out to a rough oval and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Divide the filling between each oval, leaving a 2cm border. Fold in the border to form a raised edge, then pinch and twist the ends to form a boat shape. Transfer to an oven tray. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash and place in oven. 8 Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 9 Serve immediately.

Prep time: 15 minutes (plus infusion time)

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 6

3 vanilla pods

375ml single cream

4 large egg yolks

80g SpinneysFOOD Extra Fine Caster Sugar

50g SpinneysFOOD Fine Grain White Sugar, for sprinkling

1 Split the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Reserve the pods. Place the cream, vanilla pods and seeds in a small saucepan and heat gently over a low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for at least 1 hour or even better, refrigerate overnight. 2 Return the pan to the heat and heat until barely simmering. 3 Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Pour the hot cream mixture carefully into the egg yolk mixture, while whisking. Strain into 6 ramekins.

4 Preheat the oven to 140°C, gas mark 1. Place a roasting tray half filled with water in the oven.

5 When the water starts steaming, carefully place the ramekins in the tray (make sure the water level reaches the same level as the custard layer in the ramekin) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the custard jiggles like jelly. 6 Remove the ramekins from the hot water and allow to cool at room temperature before setting in the fridge.

7 When ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the surface of each custard then tip off the excess. Wipe the edge clean with a damp cloth. Caramelise with a blow torch until golden.

8 Serve immediately.