serve, place 2 pastry pieces on each plate then add the baked pear quarters. Dollop with the mascarpone and drizzle over the remaining baked honey.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Filo pastry is a great ingredient to have on hand in the freezer. You can use it for a speedy pie in winter, or for a summer quiche.
When you have an abundance of fruit or vegetables from the garden it is sometimes hard to know what to do with it all if it is too much to get through in your daily meals. Preserving is something we chefs do quite a lot. It’s wonderful coming across a little jar of wonder a month or two down the line when the fresh ingredient is no longer available. And preserved foods tend to just get better and better the longer you keep them. They look great on the kitchen shelves, too – just like a good cookbook. The methods of preservation below detail ways to ensure you can maximise the use, and enjoyment, of seasonal produce. It also means a lot less waste, and plenty to look forward to throughout the year.
For any form of preservation, you will need clean, sterilised glass jars, with clean lids. I find the best way to do this is place the clean jars in an oven, at 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1 for 10 minutes. Clean any non-ovenproof lids and rubber seals separately in hot soapy water, then rinse and dry. Remove the jars from the oven and allow to cool slightly before filling and sealing.
The recipes that follow are meant as guidelines so you can adapt them according to what you have a lot of, or flavours you enjoy. Garden herbs, spices and citrus peel are all great things to add to any of the recipes below.
Fermentation is an age-old preservation method that has had somewhat of a resurgence of late. It’s a little more adventurous, and is something everyone should try. It’s good for your gut, too. A lot of items we consume daily are actually a product of fermentation, such as cheese and wine. Kimchi is Korean in origin and is a spicy, fermented cabbage. It is great to shred up and use in salads, on burgers, in frittatas and in toasted sandwiches.
Best for fermenting
Cabbage, Cauliflower leaves, Fennel, Lettuce, Kale
MAKES: AROUND 1KG | PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS 2 WEEKS’ FERMENTATION
2 garlic cloves, grated
15cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp demerara sugar
2 tbsp gochujang paste
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp table salt
3 fennel bulbs (about 900g), cut into 5mm-thick slices
1 Put all of the ingredients, apart from the fennel, in a blender or food processor. Blitz until well combined and a paste has formed.
2 Using gloves, massage the paste into the fennel for at least 4 minutes.
3 Pack the fennel kimchi into sterilised jars and seal with a lid. Leave to ferment at room temperature for at least 2 weeks before eating. The longer you leave it the more developed the flavour will become. To stop the fermentation, place in the fridge.
Jars of pickled produce not only look beautiful, they are also a very tasty thing to have on hand all year round. Always ensure what you are pickling has been thoroughly washed and that all the pieces are of an equal size. I recommend a minimum pickling time of 14 days, but up to 1 year will yield flavoursome results. Make sure you evenly distribute the bay leaves and peppercorns, and any other flavourings you use, between the jars. And always ensure the lids are properly sealed, to prevent any spoilage, along with storing the jars in a cool, dark place.
Best for pickling
Cucumber, Beetroot, Cauliflower, Beans, Cabbage, Rhubarb, Carrots
MAKES: AROUND 700G | PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES, PLUS CURING AND PICKLING | COOKING TIME: UNDER 5 MINUTES
2 small cucumbers (about 200g each), washed
4 tbsp rock salt
FOR THE PICKLING LIQUOR
250ml white wine vinegar
55g demerara sugar
½ tsp caraway seeds
6 black peppercorns
6 dill sprigs
1 Cut the cucumbers in half widthways, then each half lengthways into four. Put them in a dish, sprinkle them with the rock salt and leave for 2 hours. Wash off the salt and pack into a sterilised jar.
2 Put all ingredients for pickling liquor, apart from the dill, in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat and add the dill.
3 Pour the hot pickling liquor over the cucumbers and seal with a lid. Leave for at least 2 weeks before eating. They will keep for a good few weeks in the fridge once opened.
I have sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, friends and uncles who all make jam, and everyone makes it completely differently. I wanted to put jams in this book as there is a right way and a wrong way to go about jam-making, and it’s all about balance. A big pot of steaming fruit sends delicious aromas throughout the house and is the perfect way to use up overripe fruit. One of the issues we find we have to tackle as parents is the amount of added sugar in shop-bought products. Making your own preserves allows you to control the levels of sugar you add, and thus the end result on your larder shelf. Obviously, fruit that is sourer will need more sugar, but if you combine a few different ones you can get the best of both worlds.
Best for jam
Stone fruit, Berries, Rhubarb, Figs, Quince
MAKES: 1.3KG | PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES
1kg figs, tops of stalks removed, roughly chopped
2 fig leaves, cleaned
500g jam sugar (containing pectin)
1 Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well to combine. Place over low heat and allow the sugar to dissolve, then increase the heat slightly and bring to a gentle simmer.
2 Once the liquid begins to come out of the figs, turn the heat up a little and stir regularly to prevent the jam catching on the bottom of the pan. Simmer rapidly until the jam reaches 105º. If you don’t have a thermometer, use the saucer test: put a saucer in the freezer, then once it’s cold put half a teaspoon of the jam on the saucer. If it does not run, it’s ready.
3 Remove the fig leaves, scraping the jam off them and back into the pan, and pour the jam into sterilised jars. Cover with the lids immediately. The unopened jars will keep for up to 12 months, and up to 1 month in the fridge once opened.