With the help of agar flakes, a plant-based gelatin derived from seaweed, you can turn pretty much any liquid into semi-solid pearls. This works especially well with balsamic vinegar, giving each bite a pop of bright tanginess. It’s fine to use agar powder instead of flakes. Where I am, flakes are more accessible, but the powder will most likely dissolve better and you won’t need to soak or strain the liquid.
Did you know that you can make tofu out of black beans? By extracting and heating the protein in legumes, you can change the protein bonds, causing them to firm up. Most of us have already experienced this process before when boiling an egg, turning the white from translucent to firm.
With shallots being available all year round, it’s easy to forget that they too are seasonal. And September is the month when British new season shallots kick into gear. So here we go! Shallots are also brilliant at adding complexity to a dish.
A quick word of caution. Homemade hemp seed tofu is not quite like soybean tofu. It makes a much denser and pastier tofu with a bitter flavour. Using the right amount of vinegar and seasoning it well before serving helps with the bitterness, but the texture is still very much a work in progress. Nonetheless, this tofu is an expression of what is possible with locally grown foods and takes some pressure of the much overused soybean.
I first came across fruit cheeses in Kylee Newton’s brilliant The Modern Preserver and this recipe is very much inspired by the methods described in her book. If you want to learn more about preserving food in its many flavoursome and creative ways, from jams to pickles and from vinegars to fruit cheeses, then let this book be a guiding hand in your kitchen.
One of summer’s delights is the availability of locally grown aubergines, in all their abnormal shapes and sizes, not adhering to commercial standard, but to nature’s guidance alone. The sight of these aubergines on a local farmer’s market beckons me to light up the barbecue and roast them whole, serving them with the simplest yet most powerful of all condiments, tahini and a homemade pesto.
There is a good reason why Dijon mustard first originated in the region of its namesake city. Here, Ancient Roman methods ensured that grapevines where grown alongside mustard, which would enrich the soil and provide essential nutrients such as phosphorus. The surplus of mustard seeds and the access to grapes and wine quickly led to the production of Dijon-style mustard.
Growing up in Germany, a great many weekends would start with a slice of bread, covered generously with quark followed by a spoonful of homemade strawberry jam. Quark is a type of dairy product that is almost like a very mild fresh cheese, if you imagined it strained, smoothened and instantly refrigerated. Its cold, soft texture makes it a refreshing base that perfectly carries a layer of jam. Rarely a weekend went by with my dad skipping this tradition and so it has forever burnt itself into my nostalgia of childhood.
There are few things as rewarding as making a homemade tomato sauce from scratch. The fragrance of the garlic gently frying in the oil, the scents of oregano and basil, the slow and satisfying blipping of the San Marzano tomatoes as they reduce. It is a process that encapsulates the joys of summer.
Fruit leather is an easy way to turn any leftover fruit into homemade (healthy) candy. By slowly evaporating all of the moisture, you are dehydrating and preserving the fruit.