A certain calm has enveloped the kitchen. A stillness that often happens at this point in the summer, when there is no longer any hurry to get lunch or dinner on the table, and each meal feels more like unpacking a picnic than cooking.
I relish these dog days of summer, when the garden is heady with the scent of thyme and ripening tomatoes, and life moves at a slower pace. To celebrate the peace that has descended, I made a tart of cream cheese and vanilla, bringing it to the table with a bowl of dark red cherries, its buttermilk-coloured surface decorated with rose petals. We ate it for dessert, but also for breakfast the following morning, with apricots torn from their stones, the juice trickling over our fingers.
Almost every meal is a brilliant summer green right now. Even light lunches are made up of gem lettuces, sliced in half and grilled, or salads of beans and green tomatoes; burrata with peas and pea shoots or vast salads of herbs and soft, young spinach leaves. This week I made a summer version of beans on toast, mashing broad beans to a soft cream with mint and lemon and piling it all on to dark rye toast.
The creamed beans, like a verdant hummus, made a surprisingly substantial light lunch, but could also be the answer for a summer accompaniment to grilled hake or salmon. You can make the cream even softer by adding oil, to the point where it almost becomes a dressing. Something for a pot of new potatoes.
Broad bean toasts
Once the broad beans are cooked, pop them from their papery skins by squeezing them between thumb and index finger. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it results in a smoother cream and a fresher green colour. It doesn’t take long once you get into the rhythm. Serves 2. Ready in 45 minutes
For the broad bean cream:
broad beans 450 (podded weight)
olive oil 100ml
mint leaves 6
lemon juice a squeeze
To finish:
French beans 100g
hot toast 2-4 slices
olive oil
Put a deep pan of lightly salted water on to boil. When the water is going at a spirited bubble, tip in the beans and let them cook for 4-6 minutes, depending on their size and age.
Drain the beans, then pop them from their skins, keeping a few aside for later. Put them into the bowl of a food processor or a blender jug with the olive oil and process to a smooth cream. Season with the mint leaves, a little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
Put a pot of water on to boil. Trim the French beans, removing the stems and, if you wish, the pointed ends. When the water is boiling, lightly salt it and drop in the beans. Let them cook for 4 or 5 minutes until they are tender and have darkened slightly in colour, then drain them.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the toast. Trickle a little olive oil over the surface of the toast, spoon on the broad bean cream, then place the reserved broad beans and green beans at the side.
Cheesecake tart
It may sound like too much of a good thing, but a jug of double cream is a perfect accompaniment to this, offering a delightful contrast of textures. Serves 8. Ready in 2 hours
For the pastry:
plain flour 180g
butter 90g
egg yolk 1
icing sugar 1 heaped tbsp
iced water a little
For the filling:
ricotta 125g
full-fat cream cheese 350g
caster sugar 60g
vanilla extract or paste 1 tsp
egg 1, large
cornflour 1 tbsp
You will also need 2 baking sheets and a 20-22cm tart tin, with a removable base.
Make the pastry: put the flour and butter into the bowl of a food processor and work to fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk, icing sugar and water – a tablespoon or two should be enough. You want a firm dough that will roll without crumbling.
Tip the dough on to a lightly floured board, bring it together into a ball, wrap in baking parchment and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 4-5. Place an empty baking sheet in the oven. You will bake the tart on this.
Unwrap the pastry on to the floured board and roll it out to a disc a little larger in circumference than the tart tin. Lift it, with the help of the rolling pin, into the tart case and gently push it into place, pressing it into the corners and up the sides. Trim any overhanging pastry then chill once again for 20 minutes.
Fill the pastry case with foil or parchment, then with baking beans and cook on top of the hot baking sheet for about 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the foil or paper and beans, then return the tart case to the oven for 5 minutes until it is dry to the touch, then remove. Lower the temperature to 160C/gas mark 3.
Make the filling: put the ricotta and cream cheese into the bowl of a food mixer with the sugar and vanilla and beat, using the flat paddle attachment, until smooth and creamy. Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then add to the cream cheese, followed by the cornflour. Transfer to the baked pastry case and lightly smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
Return to the oven for 35 minutes, until the outer rim of the tart is firm and the centre still very slightly wobbly. It should quiver when you lightly shake the tin. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Decorate as you wish. Cherries, a few halved and stoned on the surface of the tart, the rest in a bowl. A layer of icing sugar, lightly sifted. Raspberries laid closely packed on the top of the tart; or a single, unsprayed rose. Any of these would be a fine choice.
Follow Nigel on Instagram @NigelSlater