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| Summer baking recipes by Paul Hollywood |
People think of baking as a winter activity. I think it's even more suited to the summer months. In the winter, you might make comfort food, bread or a steamed pudding, but nothing beats a light, airy sponge with a cup of tea in the garden. My favourite summer bake is a simple génoise sponge, which I fill with cream and a different fruit in each layer: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries.
I always try to use seasonal fruit, both to decorate a cake and to infuse the cream. My top tip is to freeze some of the fruit first, then fold it through the cream so it doesn't ripple it and turn it pink. Then you can leave it to defrost before you cut the cake. When you eat it, you get whole pieces of fruit in your cream.
And you might think of pies as a winter food, but a cold pork pie with a quail's egg inside, or a pie with layers of chicken and apricot, make a perfect picnic lunch, as does a Cornish pasty, made in advance and eaten cold. And all followed by a whisked sponge with cream and strawberries, of course. That's my summer comfort food.
One of the most memorable bakes on The Great British Bake Off for me was a key lime pie made last year by contestant Ryan Chong: a good key lime pie is fresh, light, full of flavour, very summery and it doesn't seem to fill you up. Job done.
You don't need a lot of ingredients to bake, or to go out and buy a lot of kit. Most people have the stuff already in their kitchen, even if it hasn't been used for years. Everyone has a recipe they're nostalgic about, whether it's their mother's, grandmother's or grandfather's. When you eat that cake or bread or pie, you think back to when you were a child and it comforts you.
My top tip this summer: when you go on holiday, whether in the UK or abroad, talk to the local bakers. Try their food and ask how it's made. When you get home, you'll be able to reproduce it and it will for ever remind you of your holiday.
Clafoutis Monique
Serve this brimming with whichever fruit is in season. It also works well with blueberries, raspberries, plums and pears. Serves six.
1 large knob unsalted butter, for greasing
75g plain flour
75g caster sugar
300ml full-fat milk
2 medium eggs, separated
2 tbsp kirsch
400g ripe black cherries, pitted
Icing sugar, for dusting
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Generously butter a 25cm round baking dish.
Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Combine the milk and egg yolks in another bowl, then gradually whisk into the flour mix to make a smooth batter. Add the kirsch.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then lightly fold them into the batter.
Warm the dish briefly in the oven, then remove and pour in a little batter. Add the cherries, arranging them evenly around the dish, then pour on the rest of the batter and immediately put the dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until puffed up and set. Leave to cool a little, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. A generous dollop of crème fraîche mixed with a little sugar and kirsch is the perfect complement. This is also very good cold the next day.
Summer fruit génoise
summer fruit genoise
Paul Hollywood's summer fruit génoise recipe. Photograph: Deirdre Rooney for the Guardian
A génoise is a particularly light and delicate kind of sponge, traditionally served with fresh fruit and cream: ideal for tea on a summer's day. This is my favourite way to prepare and serve it. Serves eight to 10.
30g unsalted butter, melted
4 medium eggs
125g caster sugar
125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
To finish
300g strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
250ml whipping cream
250g blueberries
250g raspberries
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Use a little melted butter to grease two 20cm sandwich tins, then dust them lightly with flour.
Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Whisk, using an electric hand-held whisk, for at least seven minutes, until the mixture is trebled in bulk, very pale and thick enough to hold a trail when you lift the beaters. Sift the flour and salt over the mixture and fold in gently, keeping in as much air as you can. Now, very carefully fold in the remaining melted butter.
Divide the mixture between the prepared sandwich tins and bake for 25 minutes, until golden and slightly shrunk from the sides of the tin. Leave the sponges to cool in the tins for about five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, put 200g of the strawberries in a blender with two tablespoons of icing sugar, and blitz to a smooth purée. The mix should be intense and sweet, so add a little more icing sugar if necessary.
Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Roughly fold in the strawberry puree, keeping the mixture rippled rather than a uniform pink (or just drizzle the puree on to the cream when you assemble the cake).
Slice each sponge in half horizontally. Lay one of the sponges, cut side up, on a serving plate. Spread a third of the strawberry cream on top, and arrange a quarter of the blueberries and raspberries around the edge. Add a second layer of sponge and filling, then repeat to create the third layer. Place the final layer of sponge on the top and dust generously with icing sugar.
Arrange the remaining strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on top of the cake. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.
Passion fruit soufflés
passion fruit souffle
Paul Hollywood's passion fruit soufflé recipe. Photograph: Deirdre Rooney for the Guardian
These light, delicate soufflés have a superb flavour and make a very elegant dessert. They're surprisingly easy, too. Serve as soon as they come out of the oven, because they'll quickly start to subside. Makes six.
Melted unsalted butter, for greasing
140g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
6 medium egg whites plus 2 egg yolks
300ml passion fruit juice, sieved, from 20-25 fruits (or use passion fruit juice or smoothie)
Icing sugar, for dusting
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Brush six deep ramekins with melted butter and dust with a little caster sugar. In a large bowl, use an electric hand-held whisk to whisk the egg yolks with 70g of the sugar for at least five minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick, and holds a trail when the beaters are lifted.
In another clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining 70g sugar.
Add 60ml of the passion fruit juice to the egg yolk mixture and stir it in well. Stir one-third of the whisked egg whites into the yolk mixture, then carefully fold in the rest.
Fill the ramekins almost to the top with the soufflé mixture and run your finger around the edge to lift the mixture away from the sides slightly (this will help the soufflés to rise evenly). Bake for 10-12 minutes, until well risen and golden on top.
Immediately dust the soufflés with icing sugar and serve. Use the remaining passion fruit juice as a sauce. I like to break into a soufflé with a spoon and pour passion fruit juice inside.
Olive breadsticks
olive breadsticks
Paul Hollywood's olive breadsticks recipe. Photograph: Deirdre Rooney for the Guardian
These are packed with green olives and are perfect with an aperitif on a summer evening. Serve warm. Each bite should have an olive in it. Makes 36 breadsticks.
1kg strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
20g salt
20g fast-action dried yeast
800ml tepid water
4 tbsp olive oil
1kg good-quality pitted green olives, drained
Fine semolina, for dusting (optional)
Put the flour in the bowl of a large, free-standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Pour in three-quarters of the water and begin mixing on slow speed. As soon as the dough starts to come together, slowly add the rest of the water, still mixing. Turn up to medium speed and mix for another five to eight minutes. The dough should now be wet and easy to stretch when pulled. Add the olive oil and mix for two minutes more, then add the olives and mix with your hand or a spoon just until evenly distributed.
Grease two square, two- or three-litre plastic tubs or containers with oil. Divide the dough equally between the tubs and cover with clingfilm. Leave on the worktop until the dough has at least tripled in size (about an hour). Towards the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7.
Heavily dust a worktop with flour (add a scattering of semolina, too, if you have it), then carefully tip the dough from one of the tubs on to the floury surface. The dough will be very loose and flowing, but don't worry. Rather than knock it back to deflate, handle it gently to keep in as much air as possible. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then with your fingertips gently stretch it out to a rough rectangle about 25cm x 36cm and 1cm thick.
Using a large knife or pizza wheel‑cutter, and starting at one long side, cut the dough rectangle into about 18 strips. Lay the strips, spaced well apart, on three lined baking sheets, six strips to each sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, shape and bake the remaining batch(es) of breadsticks. Once baked, the breadsticks will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
Spanakopita
spanakopita
Paul Hollywood's spanakopita recipe. Photograph: Deirdre Rooney for the Guardian
I lived in Cyprus for six years, and this dish screams of being in the sun. It's aromatic, perfect for an alfresco lunch and is one of those dishes that just tastes different when you eat it outside. If you want to make the filo pastry yourself, you'll need a pasta machine; failing that, use ready-made filo. Serves six.
For the pastry
200g strong white bread flour
A pinch of salt
100-120ml warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
For the filling
900g fresh spinach, thoroughly washed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 large egg, at room temperature, beaten
200g feta
To finish
Corn flour, for dusting
100g melted butter, for brushing
1 egg yolk, for glazing
1 tbsp sesame seeds
First make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix 100ml of the warm water with the oil and slowly pour into the well, mixing in the flour as you go. You're aiming for a soft but not sticky dough, so if the mixture is too wet, add a sprinkling of flour; if it's too dry, add a touch more warm water.
Once the dough has come together, tip it out on to a worktop (if the dough is the right consistency, you shouldn't need any extra flour on the worktop). Knead for 10-15 minutes, until very smooth and elastic, then wrap it up in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour (or even overnight).
While the dough is relaxing, make the filling. Heat a large, wide pan for which you have a lid over medium heat, then add the drained spinach, squashing it down. Season and cover with the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until the spinach has collapsed right down and is completely cooked.
Tip the spinach into a colander in the sink to drain, and press down on it with the back of a large spoon to squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Finally, press with a wad of kitchen paper so it's as dry as possible. Return the spinach to the pan and dry out some more over a low heat, stirring in the nutmeg and lemon zest. Remove from the heat and set aside. Once cold, stir in the beaten egg. Crumble the feta into the mixture and stir thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Before you start to work on the pastry, it's important to have everything ready: lay a large sheet of baking paper on one side of a worktop and dust it generously with corn flour; melt the butter for brushing; have a buttered baking sheet to hand; and heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Divide the dough into five equal portions and shape each into a ball. Take one ball and cover the rest with a damp tea towel to prevent them drying out. Sprinkle your hands and the dough ball with corn flour, and flatten it into a rough rectangle. Set the pasta machine roller to the widest setting and pass the dough through the rollers. Turn the machine to the next setting, pass the pastry through, and repeat until it has gone through to setting number 7 (of 9): you don't want to take it through the thinnest settings because you will do the final stretching by hand. The strip of pastry should be about 1m long.
Slip your hands, palms facing down, under the strip of pastry and gently stretch it widthways until it's 20-25cm wide and as thin all over as you can manage. Don't worry about the odd tear or hole, because the filo layers will cover it all up later. Lay the rectangle of pastry on the corn flour-dusted baking paper. Lightly brush with melted butter, then cover with a damp tea towel.
Repeat this rolling and stretching with each of the remaining four dough balls, laying each finished sheet on top of the previous sheet, brushing with butter and covering with a damp tea towel again.
When all five sheets of pastry are in the stack, spoon the spinach filling evenly along one long edge. Using the baking paper underneath to help you, roll up the spinach inside the pastry, folding in the sides before each roll to stop the filling escaping. You'll now have a long, even sausage shape. Starting at one end, curl the sausage around itself into a spiral. Gently slide it off the paper and on to the prepared baking sheet.
Mix the egg yolk with the remaining melted butter and brush evenly over the whole spiral. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Fiona Beckett's drinks recommendations
Clafoutis Monique Given that the recipe and the accompanying cream both have the cherry brandy kirsch in them, it's hard to match a wine with this, and frankly, you don't really need to. But if you want to offer something, hand round shot glasses of frozen kirsch or cherry brandy such as Heering (widely available; 24% abv). Liqueurs shouldn't freeze solid if they're 40% or sufficiently sweet – just keep an eye on them.
Summer fruit génoise With such a light, airy cake, there's nothing better than a sparkling, sweet Moscato d'Asti. Araldica's fragrant, pretty 2011 Moscato d'Asti at just 5% abv would hit the spot nicely (£9.99, Virgin Wines). An off-dry prosecco would also work.
Passion fruit soufflés Soufflés are feather-light, so you want a sparkling wine rather than a still one. Again, a Moscato d'Asti would do the trick, or, if you really want to be flash, Moet Imperial Ice Champagne (12% abv), which comes in a white bottle and is designed to be served over ice (£64.99, drinksupermarket.com; see wine-searcher.com for other UK stockists).
Spanakopita Any crisp, citrussy white would do, but for something a bit out of the ordinary, I'd go for a Greek assyrtiko such as Gaia's gorgeous Thalassitis Assyrtiko 2012 (£14.99 Corking Wines, strictlywine.co.uk, £14.95 winedirect.co.uk; 13% abv).
• The Great British Bake Off returns next month on BBC2. These recipes are taken from How To Bake, by Paul Hollywood (Bloomsbury, £20), and The Great British Bake Off: Everyday, published next week by BBC Books at £20. To order a copy of either at a discounted price, including free UK mainland p&p, go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop
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