Lemon meringue cake

I always think that friends who come to dinner at mine must think that I'm really rather odd. Actually, I am pretty sure that they think I'm rather odd anyway - coming to dinner just confirms this. When it comes to planning a menu, I am always rather fixated on the pudding. Always. I start with the pudding, then I choose a starter and then I might spend a minute or two thinking about a main course. What should be the 'main event' gets rather short shrift in my house. Ask people the next day what I dished up and I'd put money that they'd remember the pudding in detail but that recalling the main course would be more of a struggle.

Last night I invited a merry group of eight and, as per usual, it was the pudding course that was the main attraction. At least I hope it was. I spent far more time on it than I did the starter or main course. Essentially, I like to end on a high note and there is something enormously satisfying about bringing in a glorious homemade pud, especially when so many people don't bother these days.

I've never understood people who 'don't like' pudding and have come to the conclusion that they are lying. Clearly they have been repeating the phrase like a mantra all their life in the hope that they may come to believe it and in doing so will resist the temptation that causes self-confessed pudding-a-holics such as myself to pile on the pounds. Phew - that was a long sentence. Anyway, my point is that they are denying themselves one of life truly great pleasures and once in a while 'a little of what you fancy does you good'. (Note to self: must remember the 'once in a while' and 'little' part of previous statement - feel this is where I am going wrong).

Anyway, talking of things that I fancy, let me introduce you to the show-stopper that is this lemon meringue cake...


This, let me tell you, is a beauty. Guaranteed to seal the meal with serious style yet remarkably easy to make. When I say easy, it is easy but not so easy that you feel that you've cheated and nor so easy that you can whip it up after work. There is a degree of work involved but it is easy, enjoyable work.

What we are discussing here is a multi-faceted, multi-layered beauty of pud. Working from the bottom up we have: a layer of cake, a layer of cream and fromage frais swirled with homemade lemon curd (though good shop-bought will do), a sprinkling of Scottish raspberries (for only the best will do) all topped with a fabulously marshmallow-ey layer of meringue. What's not to like?

It would be dishonest of me to say that my pudding-making went without a hitch yesterday. I did have some trouble with the layer of sponge and in fact had to make three versions before I was satisfied. It is a whisked sponge. The clue here is in the title. It is all about the whisking. My first two attempts came out flat as a pancake and dense. I think they would have bounced if thrown at the floor. I'd not made a whisked sponge before and didn't fully understand the science behind the method. Now I do and I can tell you that it is all about the whisking. Obviously. Whisk and whisk and whisk some more and then fold the flour in so so very carefully that you knock hardly a bit of air out and you should have a good result.

As for the lemon curd, I do suggest you make your own following this incredibly simple recipe. But if you don't fancy it, I'll let you off as long as you promise to use really good bought stuff!

Without further ado, here is the recipe, the original of which came from Stella magazine. Not sure which issue - I found it amongst my mother's recipe clippings.

Lemon meringue cake with raspberries
Serves 8-10



Ingredients

For the sponge - 4 large eggs
4oz caster sugar
4oz plain flour
1 1/2 tablespoons lukewarm water

For the meringue -
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
6oz caster sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice

For the filling -
250ml/9 fl oz double cream
100g/3 1/2 oz fromage frais
250g/ 9oz lemon curd
1 punnet raspberries

Pistachio nuts

1. First make the cake part. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Butter a 9 inch cake tin and line the base only with greaseproof paper.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric beater (if no electric beater, you really need to do this over a pan of simmering water). Whisk and whisk until very light and fluffy and the mixture has increased a fair bit in volume.

3. Stir in the warm water to the eggy mixture. Sift the flour with a pinch of salt and fold into the egg mixture VERY CAREFULLY. Use a metal spoon and take care not to knock all the air out. Pour into cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. Avoid temptation to open oven door until the 30 minutes are up. When ready the cake will be shrinking from the sides and feel springy to the touch. It will also 'creak' slightly when pushed gently. Sounds odd, but it will! When done, turn out onto a rack a leave to cool.

4. Now make the meringue. This bit is easy. Turn oven down to 140C. Just whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gradually incorporate the sugar and whisk until firm, smooth and glossy. Add cornflour, vanilla and lemon juice.

5. Make a circle 9 inches wide on baking paper and spoon meringue mixture into the circle. Bake at 140C for 1 hour. The outside will be the colour of pale sand and firm to the touch. Leave to cool and then remove the greaseproof paper (try and remember this - I forgot and we all got a slice of it in our pudding - a bit chewy to say the least!).

6. When ready to serve, beat cream until thick and stir in the fromage frais and most of the lemon curd. Taste. Add more if you like a stronger flavour. Dollop all over the sponge base and swirl a little more lemon curd around the sides so you can see it peeping through. Scatter raspberries over the creamy mixture and top with the meringue. Top with chopped pistachios and carry to table triumphant!

Pink healthy-ish coleslaw

It has been over a week without a single post. For this apologise. A combination of technical malfunction on the computer front and a few days away are to blame. I'm enjoying a week's 'holiday'. Or at least I should be. I had scheduled in a week off but seem to be spending more time than I would choose catching up on work... Hmmm. Doesn't seem quite right, somehow.

But all is not bad. Far from it. I've had the most lovely few days catching up with my parents on the Isle of Wight (where they live). The break had involved a lot of this...



...and I have returned to London with more plants than I have space for in my garden. On Friday, I was lucky enough to visit the Chelsea Flower Show. I've never been before but always gaze at the gorgeous gardens from the comfort of my sofa via the joys of television. This year, the 'in' colours seemed to be white and green with the odd hint of purple. Just thought you'd like to know. My favourite garden by far was the Daylesford Organic garden. This featured the kitchen garden of my dreams - bed after bed of fruits and vegetables surrounded by wicker. There was even a fireplace with a seating area overlooking the pristine produce - heaven!

After Chelsea, we went to eat at a great restaurant that happens to be just along the road from me. For some reason I've not been before, even though the restaurant is run by 'celebrity' chef Nancy Lam. The Indonesian-inspired dishes we tasted were extremely flavoursome and it was great to meet Nancy herself after she had finished in the kitchen. I shall most certainly be back. Sadly I took no photos of the food but I do have a few more of the fabulous flowers at Chelsea...

Lily-of-the-Valley are favourites of mine - I tried to grow some recently but it ended in disaster. 'Disaster' is perhaps a little strong. Let's just say they didn't grow. These were snapped in the Molten Brown garden which was (unsurprisingly) heaven-scented with fragrant blooms, all in white.

In case you are worried (or, worse, hungry), I am planning to share a recipe here too. I love coleslaw. But until last week I had never made my own version. I think that perhaps I thought that if I made my own, I would actually realise just how unhealthy it was and it might ruin the pleasure I get from a big dollop of the stuff. But then I spied a recipe for a slightly more healthy (or should that be 'less fattening') version and thought I really should give it a go, especially as my weekly veg box had been good enough to send me not one, but two different cabbages. This version used yoghurt mixed with just a little mayo to creat a tangy and delicious dressing.

I really didn't miss the copious mayonnaise. I found the yoghurt actually gave a more interesting flavour and red cabbage was a pretty and flavourful substitute for the usual white variety. I'm not sure I'll ever go back. Though there is something quite moreish about the overly vinegary shop-bought variety too. I've changed and tweaked the recipe somewhat to my liking - a little less dressing, a few more carrots and a final sprinkling of chives which is entirely optional but seemed a good idea seeing as they were growing in the garden.


I always think that coleslaw should be served with ever-so-slightly trashy food: a fish finger or sausage sandwich, barbecued ribs, burger and chips. I'll leave that to you though. I'll keep quiet about how I ate mine. It is just a touch too embarrassing to admit publicly.

Pink healthy-ish coleslaw
Serves four(ish)


Ingredients

Half a white onion
Half a red cabbage
4 medium carrots
6 tablespoons low fat plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon low fat mayo
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Handful of chives (optional)

1. Shred all the vegetables either using the shredder on a food processor or a grater. If the onion is very strong, you may want to use a little less.

2. Stir in yoghurt, mayo and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover with cling film and place in fridge for at least an hour if possible to allow flavours to mingle. Garnish with chopped chives if wished.

Parmesan chicken with swiss chard (...and an award)

I'm always on the search for speedy things to do with chicken. I know that legs and thighs and every other bit of the chicken has more flavour, but sometimes, I do just fancy a simple bit of of chicken breast. In the same way that whilst I adore the melting richness of foie gras (no apologies made), sometimes, I prefer the idea of a simple rustic paté. Sometimes a lean and healthy chicken breast is exactly what I hanker after.

Of course, this particular chicken breast started out as a lean and healthy bit of chicken, but then I coated the thing in lovely, less healthy Parmesan. But I served it with salad leaves fresh from the garden, so I can pretend that that makes up for it. Let's not mention the dressing.


Before I tell you more about this rather tasty supper, I'd like to share my great delight in being given an award by the lovely Rosie from Rosie bakes a 'peace' of cake. For those who haven't yet discovered, Rosie produces a constant stream of gorgeously tempting cakes and bakes; her passion for baking is a great source of inspiration. I really am thrilled that she chose me for the 'Arte e Pico' award which is awarded for creativity, design, interesting material and contribution to the food blogging community. Thank you Rosie, I really am touched.

Of course, I must pass the award on. The rules are as follows...

1. You pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

The five blogs I have chosen are as follows:

Indigo from Happy Love Strawberry
Jules from Domestic Goddess in Training
Joy from Almanzo's Belly
Peter from Kalfogas
Amanda and Tyler from What we're Eating









Back onto the chicken. I've been growing lovely Swiss chard in my garden. I love the way the red stalk contrasts with the deep glossy green of the leaves themselves. Oh - and they taste pretty good too. You can treat them like spinach; either eat them raw or wilt down and enjoy cooked. I ruthlessly stole the idea for this dish from my much loved BBC Good Food website. The original recipe is here. The succulent chicken had a lovely crispy cheesy coating and sat on a salad of baby Jersey Royals, peas, spring onions and avocado. I think that dressing the salad whilst the peas and potatoes are still warm really makes a difference.

Parmesan chicken with Swiss chard and Jersey Royals
Serves 2



Ingredients

2 skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1 egg white
2 small handfuls of baby potatoes, Jersey Royals if you can find them
1 tumblerful of frozen peas
1 ripe avocado, cubed
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 handfuls of Swiss chard or other fresh, peppery leaves
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat the grill to medium and get the grill pan ready. Chop the potatoes into cubes.

2. Whisk the egg white with a little salt and pepper. Coat each chicken breast in egg white and then in the grated Parmesan so that each breast is covered all over. Grill for 15 minutes, turning once, by which point the Parmesan should be nicely crisp and brown and the chicken piping hot in the middle.

3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the peas for the final 3 minutes and then drain. Place in salad bowl with leaves, onions and avocado.

4. Whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour over the salad. Toss together lightly so everything is coated and nicely mixed together. Place on plates and top with chicken.

In the Bag: Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?

I hope everyone enjoyed the Summer. You were away last week? Oh. What a shame! You missed it.

I knew I shouldn't have dusted off the barbecue. No sooner had I donned my summer dress and unearthed the flip-flops than the sun disappears behind a dull and damp-looking cloud. Today, I even considered popping the heating back on for a moment but I thought better of it and just donned another layer.

I'm cheering myself up with the very best of British Spring produce: asparagus, Jersey Royals, watercress, peas and salad leaves fresh from the garden. Deliciously fresh flavours to brighten up the dullest of days.

Asparagus is perhaps the vegetable I look forward to most. It has such a short season and tastes so disappointingly bland when imported from warmer climes at other times of the year. It really is a treat worth waiting for and savouring. I find that many people are quite precious and particular about the way they like to prepare these flavoursome green spears. Perhaps because the season is so short, they want every asparagus moment to be a perfect one.

Essentially, I like mine pretty plain. Steamed (or occasionally roasted) and served with melted butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. Please note that when I say melted butter, I do not mean a slice of butter popped atop the warm asparagus. Oh no. I mean a blob of butter that has been purposefully melted in a pan and is then served from a warmed jug. The plate must then be propped up with a fork, or knife so that it is on a tilt and all the butter runs to one end. The asparagus can then (and only then) be savoured, dipped in that lovely butter... Did I mention that I am particular about how I like my asparagus?

Occasionally I divert from this course of action, substituting butter for really good extra virgin olive oil and some shavings of Parmesan. If I'm offered it, I won't say no to a splodge of hollandaise sauce either. It would be churlish to refuse, after all.

How do you like to eat yours?



When Scott from Real Epicurean announced the ingredients for this month's 'In the Bag...' event, I was ahead of the game! Just that day, I had enjoyed a divine lunch of asparagus with quail's eggs and Parmesan (see above photo). As the ingredients were asparagus, Parmesan and eggs, I thought I had the event 'in the bag' so to speak (-sorry, couldn't help myself).

After a bit more thought though, I decided that I should be a little more imaginative. I decided to incorporate asparagus into one of my favourite speedy lunchtime dishes: frittata. With Jersey Royals, spring onions, asparagus and peas, this certainly put a 'spring' in my step. (Don't know what's with the puns today. I can only apologise).

Springtime Frittata
Serves 2 hungry people



Ingredients

4 large free-range eggs (preferably organic)
bunch of asparagus (around 10 stems)
5 spring onions
5 baby Jersey Royal potatoes (or other potatoes)
ramekin full of peas (fresh or frozen)
Small handful of fresh herbs (I used parsley and chives)
Parmesan

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Drizzle olive oil into a roasting tin and pop in oven to heat up. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until just soft (you need to slice them up so don't let them get too soft).

2. Bend asparagus stems until they snap so that you are left with the tender part and not the woody stem. Pop them into the oven to roast. This could take from 5-15 minutes, depending on whether you have the fat stuff or the thin stuff. I had the medium stuff and it took about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, chop the spring onions and herbs. Heat some olive oil in a small non-stick pan and add the onions. Soften on a gentle heat.

4. Once the potatoes are ready, drain them and then slice roughly. Add to pan with onions and throw over the peas. Up the heat a touch.

5. Remove asparagus from oven. Take three stems and chop them into small disks - add them to the pan. Sit the other spears on top in a pretty pattern, with the tips meeting in the middle.


6. Pre-heat the grill to high. Crack the eggs and beat slightly with a fork. Add the chopped herbs and salt and pepper. Pour eggs over the ingredients in the pan and cook gently until most of the egg is set. At this point, remove from heat and grate Parmesan all over the top.

7. Pop the pan under the grill to cook the top and brown the cheese. Keep an eye on it - I left mine a touch too long.



8. Cut into slices and enjoy with some salad on the side, perhaps.



Notes: Other things that might be fun to add are courgettes, broad beans and (unless, like me you think it is the devils' work) mint.

Do take a look at Scott's blog for the details of the 'In the Bay' food blogging event and have a think about entering your own favourite asparagus dish!

Lamb with oven-roasted ratatouille

It has been a fairly blissful weekend, all in all. This was a surprise as I wasn't expecting it to be a particularly good weekend. After all, part of it involved work. I was over in northern France for work on Friday night. Usually we head back first thing on Saturday so as to salvage as much of the weekend as possible but this time, as the weather was so lovely and neither my colleague or I had plans for the weekend, we decided to take an early evening train back and enjoy a day exploring the area. Our initial plans to visit Le Touquet were thwarted when we realised that the entire population of France seemed to have the same idea (me? prone to exaggeration?? never...!). Rather than spend the day sitting in traffic, we headed further along the coast and found a small seaside town (the name of which I forget) with access to the most stunning sweep of beach. It seemed to go on for miles - the tide was right out and it was just perfect for a lovely pre-lunch stroll in the sunshine.


We then went on to Wimereux - a quintessentially French station balnéaire if ever there was one! We found a lovely bistro and had a delicious lunch (perfect goat cheese salad followed by grilled salmon with a buttery citrussy sauce, topped off with tarte tatin) all washed down with a little fresh and zesty Muscadet. Lovely way to spend Saturday.

On Sunday, I pottered in the garden and then joined a friend in Battersea Park where we lazed under the shade of a tree and ate a punnet of strawberries. Then it was on to another friend for supper in the garden. What a treat it was! We started with Pimms - Summer has truly arrived. See Julia's post for tips on making the perfect jug of Pimms.


As we enjoyed this first taste of Summer, we nibbled on pitta bread and dips whilst we caught up on all the latest news. It was so great to be outside in summery dresses late into the evening. The table looked tempting with fresh salads: mixed leaves with sunblush tomatoes and courgettes with feta and mint.


We had a fantastic starter of salmon carpaccio which had been cured in lime juice in the style of ceviche. A Nigella recipe apparently. We had hunks of sourdough bread to soak up the citrussy juices. It was presented beautifully:


Next we had some fabulous lamb. I'd had a few glasses of wine by this point so there are no photos and I forgot to ask how it was prepared. I think it was lamb fillet perhaps - it was meltingly tender. We finished with mixed berries. Perfection!

To make up for the lack of lamb information, I'm sharing a great dish that I enjoyed last week (...slightly tenuous link, I know...). I had some lovely little lamb steaks in the freezer which I griddled and served quite pink along with a really good oven-roasted ratatouille. It is actually not really a ratatouille at all. In fact I should probably just call it roasted vegetables. But it had all the flavours of ratatouille, so I'm going with that as a title! In any case it was really rather good.

Griddled lamb with oven-roasted ratatouille
Serves 2 (easily multiplied or halved)




Ingredients

2 lamb steaks

1 small courgette
half an aubergine
1 large red onion
1 red pepper
handful of cherry tomatoes
1 fat clove of garlic
a sprig or two of thyme
olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Chop onion, pepper, courgettes and aubergine into 2 cm dice (or thereabouts). Chop garlic finely.

2. Place aubergine in a colander, sprinkle salt over it and weigh down with a plate and a tin of tomatoes (or similar weight). Leave for up to half an hour (this draws out bitterness, so I am told). On this occasion I didn't bother with this as I was hungry, but I'm telling you about it just in case you feel like doing things properly!

3. Drizzle oil into a small roasting tin and heat up in the oven. Meanwhile rub a little olive oil onto the lamb steaks, chop up some thyme and massage into the meat. Leave in a bowl covered with cling film until ready to cook.

4. Put onion, peppers and garlic into the oven to roast. After ten minutes add the courgette and aubergine and season well with salt, pepper and a little thyme. Roast for half an hour. Add the tomatoes and roast for a further 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are squishy.

5. Heat the griddle pan to high and cook the lamb to your taste. Serve with the ratatouille which should have a wonderfully rich and smoky flavour.


Notes: As you can see, I used a biscuit cutter to 'shape' the ratatouille into a circle. I think it looked more appealing than a great big dollop of the stuff. But that may just be me!

Plum and frangipane tart

A few weeks ago, I was surprised to find some plums nestling in my weekly veg box. I associate plums with late summer and early autumn so I am not entirely sure of their origin. They were not particularly good on their own, so I decided to incorporate them into some sort of pudding. As luck would have it, I had a block of puff pastry sitting in the freezer and a pack of ground almonds in the cupboard. I was moments away from the gloriousness that is frangipane heaven.

I do know of people who don't enjoy almondy frangipane, saying that it reminds them of marzipan. This is impossible for me to understand as I adore marzipan so its likeness can only be a good thing in my book.


I was pretty pleased with how this turned out - it tasted wonderful. The gooey almond sponge was the perfect foil for my less than perfect plums. In fact, the plums were pretty good once they'd spent time in the oven. My only problem was that I got a little heavy-handed with the frangipane mixture and used far too much in relation to the number of plums I had. As you will see from the photos, the plums got rather lost within the filling. Next time, I'll hold back my urge to add more frangipane and try adding a little more fruit...

By the way, this basic recipe would work a treat with lots of different fruits. Preferably ones that are in season! I love frangipane with pears and apples in particular. Apricots would also work well if you like them (I don't).

Plum and frangipane tart
Serves 3-4 (easily doubled for 6-8!)


Ingredients

Half a block of puff pastry (yes, I used the chilled ready-made stuff. If you wish to make your own then please be my guest...!)

100g butter
75g caster sugar
75g ground almonds
50g plain flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
4 plums
A little demarara sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Make the frangipane by creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and ground almonds and beat together briefly before mixing in the beaten egg.

2. Roll out the pastry into whatever shape takes your fancy. I was feeling in the mood for a rectangle, as you can see. Call me unimaginative, why not... Anyway, you want the pastry about the thickness of a one pound coin.

3. Score a line with a knife around half and inch in from the side. Prick pastry base lightly with a fork.


4. Spread the frangipane lightly over the base, keeping it within the scored lines (you want the outside to rise up, encasing the filling). Don't spread it as thickly as I did!

5. Next, get your plums ready. Get rid of the stones and then slice them. Or quarter them, if you prefer. I think mine were a little thin. Arrange them on top of the frangipane so they look pretty and then sprinkle with a little demarara sugar.


6. Pop the tart in the oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes until the frangipane has risen around the fruit and all is looking pleasingly golden. Eat warm (or cold). Probably with some cream.

Enjoying the garden

What you see above may well not look especially exciting. It is, after all, just a plate of salad leaves drizled with some (particularly good) extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little sea salt. But it was one of the most delicious things I've eaten in the past week. The key reason for this, is that it was just four minutes that elapsed between picking the leaves from my garden and eating them. Fresh as a daisy just tastes so much better.

I have to be totally honest here and confess that I have not grown these lovely leaves from seed. I've been wanting to grow a little more in the way of fruit and veg in my garden for a while, but the small city shoebox that I inhabit does not offer a huge amount in terms of garden. I am restricted to pots and (as the garden is so small) it all has to look nice. I can't hide the veg in a quiet corner. All is very much on display.


It was the lovely Wendy from A Wee Bit of Cooking who inspired me to finally get going on planting some edible plants. She has a envy-inducing vegetable patch and was kind enough to send me some tips and information regarding what grows well in pots. I read it all carefully. As I have little space inside for nurturing seedlings, I decided it would be best to plant established plants and go from there. I'm starting with tomatoes, strawberries, various salad leaves and lots of herbs.

Sage and Thyme

I wouldn't give up my London garden for anything in the world. Having outdoor space when living in such a gritty capital a luxury that keeps me sane. Whilst I love the hustle and bustle that metropolis has to offer, there is nothing better than arriving home on a warm evening and taking a glass of wine into the garden. I love breathing in the fragrant, floral air, watching the plants grow a little each day and even the daily battle with slugs and snails. It is a true retreat.

Agapanthus

I thought I'd share a few photos from my garden. If I can fight off the aforementioned slugs and snails, I hope to be enjoying tomatoes and strawberries later in the season...

Rocket, mizuna, chard, lollo rosso, lamb's lettuce, lamb's cress, coriander, chives and parsley

Tomatoes (totem)

I couldn't resist this pretty lavender tree - the smell is just gorgeous. I've seen quite a few recipes using lavender and have tried lavender ice-cream. I'm not yet convinced, I have to say!

Camelia

These sweet peas are a total mystery to me. They usually flower in the height of summer. Mine have never stopped flowering! They had flowers all through the winter months and are still going.

Strawberry plant

Geranium and trailing lobelia


Viola pansy

And finally (for it would be remiss of me to leave you with no food), here is my favourite seasonal delight: asparagus. I spent the weekend with my parents at home on the Isle of Wight and today we picked up a huge bunch of asparagus from a farm shop. This particular asparagus is grown on the shoreline, amongst the seaweed apparently. It was superb. Served simply with melted butter, some Parmesan shavings and plenty of black pepper; it was a real treat. Even more so because we served it along with some hard-boiled quail's eggs. Delicious. Summer is truly on the way...