Softly tender and beautifully verdant, baby spinach adds a gentle freshness to dishes.
Seafood, spinach and asparagus puff-pastry cloud
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the pastry:
4 sheets of all-butter, pre-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
For the filling:
200g scallops
300g skinless salmon, diced
200g raw prawns
150g asparagus, woody ends removed and halved
2 tbspn olive oil
2 tbspn unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, grated
100ml dry white wine
200ml double cream
1 lemon, zest and juice of
1 tspn Dijon mustard
200g baby spinach leaves
A small chopped handful each of parsley and dill
Lightly dressed micro-greens to serve
Method
Cut one sheet of pastry into a 25cm–30cm (10in–12in) circle. Place it on a parchment-lined baking tray and prick all over with a fork. Cut the remaining sheets of pastry to the same size, then cut inner circles so you are left with rings of about 5cm (2½in) width and three circles. Brush the rings with beaten egg and add them to the circular base to form the pastry cloud. Next, brush the circles with beaten egg, place them on top of one another (this will be the lid), then put them next to the cloud on the baking tray. Brush the top of the circle pile and the top of the rings with beaten egg and chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180˚C fan/200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Bake the puff pastry for 25 minutes or until golden and browned, so no raw areas remain between the layers. Set aside.
Add the asparagus to boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes, then remove to iced water to stop them cooking further. Set aside.
Add olive oil and butter to a large flying pan and fry the scallops until gently golden on both sides. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the salmon and then the prawns. To the same pan, add the diced shallot and garlic, cooking until softened, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce before stirring in the cream, lemon zest and juice, plus Dijon mustard. Stir in the baby spinach to wilt. Return the seafood and asparagus to the pan, stir in and cook briefly to heat through.
Spoon the creamy seafood filling into the centre of the puff-pastry cloud and then scatter over the fresh herbs. Place the circle of puff pastry on top and add a handful of the greens on top of that. Serve immediately, bringing the whole cloud to the table, and slice.
-
The fate of the last wolf in Britain? Country Life Quiz of the DayOur daily quiz tests your gut instinct, powers of deduction and downright luck. Unless you happen to know all the answers for sure.
-
Queensland: The destination where you'll get several holidays in oneFrom golden beaches to ancient rainforest, Queensland is full of wonder — and Turquoise Holidays are the perfect agents to help you book a dream trip.
-
How to make a bay and vanilla crème brûlée custard tartElevate your everyday vanilla crème brûlée by infusing it with delicate bay.
-
'Mary Berry has an aversion to a soggy cake bottom and I have one to a flaccid croissant': London's best baked goods by the people in the knowFrom high-end to humble, Swedish cinnamon bun to Greggs steak bake, London is an undisputed pantheon to the pastry. Illustrations by Bryony Fripp.
-
How to make the 'best pancakes in the universe'When we sent writer Jo Rodgers to Oxfordshire to write up a Country Life guide, we were expecting her to wax lyrical about dreaming spires and Cotswolds villages. Instead, Jo came back raving about pumpkin pancakes — so we decided to track down the recipe.
-
The greatest cottage pie recipePotatoes are at the heart of so many favourite dishes, including this delicious cottage pie recipe that you will want to make again and again.
-
The need for mead: 'We can re-wild the countryside and get drunk while we’re doing it'The oldest alcoholic beverage in the world is in the midst of a renaissance.
-
Tom Parker Bowles's favourite recipe: French onion soupThis dish is no mere Gallic broth, rather pure bonhomie in a bowl — a boozy, beefy, allium-scented masterpiece that cries out for the chill depths of winter
-
Dawn Chorus: The Dorchester’s plans for British Pie Week, Anya Hindmarch takes flight and how to rent the Earl of Suffolk’s childhood homeEverything you need to know about Pie Week, Anya Hindmarch's new 1970s-inspired travel collection, the Earl of Suffolk's home and foraging in Somerset.
-
Celeriac-crusted cod with chorizo butter and romanesco sauceMake the most of seasonal celeriac whilst it's still around with this easy mid-week or weekend recipe.
