Recipes: Pear and Bramble Fool

Pear and Bramble Fool (serves 4)

Provided by the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School for the Scottish Government’s Eat in Season campaign

Ingredients

250g ripe pears

225g brambles, washed

1 tbsp water

1 – 2 tsp runny honey

300ml low fat Greek yoghurt (approx 3 per cent fat)

Method

1. Peel, quarter and core the pears and cut into slices. Put into a saucepan with the brambles and 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of honey. Cover with a lid and gently bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes until the pears are soft. Lift off the lid and if there is a lot of juice raise the heat to boil most of it away as otherwise the fool will be too runny.

2. Push the fruit through a sieve into a bowl and throw away the pips. Allow it to cool down completely.

3. Add the yoghurt to the fruit puree, taste and add another teaspoon of honey if necessary. Pour into serving glasses and chill for an hour before serving.

Smoked Mackerel Paté Crostini (serves 4)

Provided by Philip Lewis, head chef at Cook School Scotland for the Scottish Government’s Eat in Season campaign

Ingredients

225g smoked mackerel

100g low fat crème fraiche

1 juiced lemon

1 tsp horseradish

1 tsp Dijon mustard

a pinch of cayenne pepper

1 shallot, finely diced

small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

For the crostini

quarter of a French bread stick (one day old)

1 tbsp of olive oil

a pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.05g)

Method

1. Check the smoked mackerel for bones, removing any as necessary. Crumble the smoked mackerel into a food processor along with the crème fraiche and blend well, using the pulse function.

2. Transfer the mackerel mixture into a mixing bowl, and mix in the lemon juice, horseradish, Dijon mustard, cayenne, shallot, black pepper and the flat leaf parsley.

3. To make the crostini, thinly slice the French bread stick, drizzle with the olive oil and toast on both sides.

4. Allow the bread to cool, then top with the mackerel paté and serve with salad.