Tomato tart and a strawberry and elderflower trifle: Sally Abé’s summer recipes

Summer has to be the favourite season of any chef. I am so spoiled for choice right now with the bounty of beautiful British produce over the warmer months that I change the menu almost daily, so I don’t miss out on the chance to use all of it. If only the weather would keep up.

Tomato and basil tart fine (pictured top)

Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 6

320g pack ready-rolled puff pastry, ideally all butter (or vegan ready-rolled puff pastry, if need be)
1 egg yolk, beaten, to glaze
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
340g cherry tomatoes (ideally in a variety of colours), cut in half
Salt and black pepper
10g basil leaves

For the green sauce
10g flat-leaf parsley leaves
10g basil leaves
10g mint leaves
5g dill leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated (I use a Microplane)
20g capers, drained
Zest of 1 lemon
25ml lemon juice
40ml extra-virgin olive oil

First, make the green sauce. Finely chop all the herbs, put them in a blender with the rest of sauce ingredients, blitz to a coarse paste and set aside.

Now for the tart. Lay out the pastry flat on a lined heavy oven tray. Using a small knife, score all around the pastry 2cm from the edges, then brush the border with the beaten egg yolk. Dock the pastry inside the border all over with a fork.

Smear the green sauce all over the inside of the border, to cover, then sprinkle the sliced onion all over the top. Arrange the halved tomatoes cut side up on top, then season liberally.

Bake at 195C (175C fan)/380F/gas 5½ for 30 minutes, until the underside of the tart is crisp and golden brown. Tear the basil leaves all over the top and serve warm or at room temperature with a crisp green salad.

Strawberry and elderflower trifle

Sally Abé’s strawberry and elderflower trifle.

Prep 15 min
Soak 10 min
Set 2 hr+
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6

For the strawberry jelly
500g frozen strawberries
20g sugar
20ml lemon juice
4 leaves bronze gelatine, soaked in cold water for five to 10 minutes, then drained and excess liquid squeezed out

For the sponge fingers
150ml elderflower cordial
50ml Chambord liqueur
175g packet trifle fingers – you’ll need 3-4 per trifle

For the elderflower cream
300g double cream
5 heads fresh elderflower, shaken gently to get rid of any dust or dirt – the season ends very soon, so if need be use 1 tbsp elderflower cordial instead
8 eggs
75g caster sugar
5g bronze gelatine, soaked in cold water for five to 10 minutes, then drained and excess liquid squeezed out

For the strawberry compote
400g fresh strawberries, hulled
150g icing sugar
Lemon juice, to taste

For the whipped cream
300ml double cream
50g icing sugar

To finish
250g fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters

Put the frozen strawberries and sugar in a metal bowl. Cover tightly with clingfilm, then set the bowl over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water and leave to cook for 30 minutes, until the strawberries leach all their juices. Pass through a sieve to collect the juice; do not push it through as if you were making coulis, though, or the liquid will go cloudy.

Stir in the lemon juice, then weigh the strawberry juice and top up with water to make it up to 500g. Stir in the drained gelatine until it dissolves, then divide the jelly mix between six trifle glasses or similar, and chill until set.

Mix the cordial and Chambord in a small bowl. Put the sponge fingers in a medium bowl, pour over the cordial mixture and leave to soak for a minute max.

Now for the cream. Put the cream and elderflower heads (or cordial) in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for five minutes. Pass the cream through a fine sieve into a clean pot.

Using an electric whisk, ideally, beat the eggs and sugar until light and creamy, to make a sabayon. Bring the cream back to a boil, then turn down the heat and beat in a third of the egg mix. Work in the remaining egg sabayon, bring the mix to 82C, then whisk in the squeezed gelatine until it dissolves. Pass the mix through a fine sieve or a chinois into a tray, then cover and put in the fridge to set. Once set, transfer to a bowl and whisk smooth.

For the compote, put the strawberries in a pan with the sugar and a squeeze of lemon, and simmer for about five minutes, until the fruit is beginning to collapse. Take off the heat, leave to cool, then add more lemon juice, if need be.

For the cream, put the double cream and icing sugar in a bowl, whisk to stiff peaks, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a nozzle.

To assemble the trifles, top the set jelly in the base of each glass with a few booze-soaked sponge fingers, then spoon in the elderflower custard mix and top that with some strawberry compote. Pipe on the cream to cover, decorate with the fresh strawberries and serve.

• Sally Abé is chef/owner of Teal, London E8