Three Cornish springtime recipes to make for Mum this weekend

Everyone in the family will enjoy these recipes from Cornish chef Emily Scott, says James Schaak

All the generations will love this cake (Matt Jessop)

Afternoon tea or a classic roast are both excellent options for treating your mum on Mothering Sunday, but you don’t have to go out to get them.

From a showstopping cake to a classic lamb roast, these recipes from chef Emily Scott are not only perfect to whip up for Mum this weekend, but they also make the most of the season’s – and her hometown Cornwall’s – produce.

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Lemon drizzle Bundt cake

Served with Cornish clotted cream

There’s always time for cake. This is a perfect cake any time of the year and particularly on Mothering Sunday. This is a wonderful recipe, which will be loved by all the generations. So quick and simple that it will brighten up your day. Using a Bundt tin makes this cake a real showstopper for a pudding or afternoon tea. Baking is one of the most loving of all human skills and what better way to show how much you love your mother than baking her this special cake?

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

500g Cornish clotted cream – I use Rodda’s

Finely grated zest and juice of 4 lemons

450g caster sugar

4 medium eggs, free range

30ml milk

400g self raising flour

For the lemon drizzle:

4 tbsp granulated sugar zest and juice of 4 lemons

For serving:

Spoonfuls of Cornish clotted cream

For decorating:

Primrose flowers, extra granulated sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan/356F)

Bundt tin 25x25x9cm (lightly oiled)

Beat the caster sugar and eggs in a large bowl until light and fluffy and doubled in size. In a separate bowl grate the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice, add the clotted cream and stir together.

Gently beat in the clotted cream and lemon mix into the sugar and eggs, then add the milk. Sift the flour and gently fold into the mixture until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level off the top. Bake the Bundt cake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling, after 10 minutes carefully transfer to the plate you would like the cake to be served on.

For the drizzle, mix the lemon juice, zest and granulated sugar in a small pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, allowing to cool. When the cake is still warm make little holes with a skewer or cocktail stick ready to pour the syrup evenly over the cake.

Sprinkle the cake with more granulated sugar to decorate, and spring flowers. Cut into slices and serve with extra spoonfuls of clotted cream.

Vanilla seeded panna cotta with roasted rhubarb

Served with Cornish fairings sandwiched with clotted cream ice cream

Cornish fairings and ice cream hold all the nostalgia and magic of time spent in Cornwall (Matt Jessop)

This recipe is one of my favourites. Rich and creamy yet with a lightness to it that is unexpected. The perfect wobble is necessary and the vanilla seeds against the white of the background is so pretty. The panna cotta is so delicious, cool and soft that I think the sweet, sharp orangey rhubarb is the perfect accompaniment. Rhubarb and ginger are a wonderful pairing and fairings sandwiched together with ice cream made with Rodda’s clotted cream has all the nostalgia and magic of time spent in Cornwall. This pudding would work also with strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, and plums.

Cornish fairings… a holiday in Cornwall would not be the same without them. Spiced crunchy biscuits, I have added desiccated coconut to mine which gives a little more texture to the biscuit. Eaten straight from the oven they are chewy and if you allow them to cool, perfect for dunking in a strong cup of tea or sandwiched with ice cream for all the nostalgia.

Ingredients:

For the rhubarb compote:

1kg rhubarb

Zest and juice of 2 oranges

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

125g caster sugar

For the panna cotta (serves 8):

700g Cornish clotted cream – I use Rodda’s

250ml milk

1 vanilla pod (bean), split

2½ sheets of gelatine, soaked

150g icing sugar, sifted

For the Cornish fairing (serves 20):

60g butter, softened

125g plain flour

50g desiccated (dried shredded) coconut, plus extra for dusting

2 level tsp baking powder

1 + ¾ level tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 tbsp ground ginger

60g caster sugar

75g golden syrup

For the Cornish clotted cream ice cream:

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

600g Cornish clotted cream – I use Rodda’s

1 vanilla pod, scrape vanilla from the pod

Method:

Make the rhubarb compote:

Preheat the oven to 120C (100C fan/225F)

Wash the rhubarb and cut into uniformly sized pieces and arrange in a baking dish. Sprinkle the orange zest and juice, the vanilla pod and the sugar over the rhubarb. Gently cook in the oven for 45 minutes until the rhubarb is tender but still holding its shape. Allow to cool before serving. This compote will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.

Make the panna cotta:

Immerse the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water and leave to soak. For the panna cotta, add half of the clotted cream, all of the milk and the split vanilla pod into a heavy-based pan and slowly bring to just under a simmer. Do not boil the water, just warm enough to allow the gelatine to dissolve in the clotted cream (if you heat the clotted cream too much it will separate when setting). Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining clotted cream with the icing sugar. Return the infused clotted cream mixture to the heat to warm through. Remove the gelatine from the water, squeezing out any excess liquid, then add to the warmed clotted cream and stir to dissolve.

Pour the infused mixture through a fine sieve onto the cold clotted cream and icing sugar and stir well. Pour into small espresso mugs, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. To serve, top with the rhubarb compote, an extra spoonful of clotted cream and eat with the Cornish fairings sandwiched with the clotted cream ice cream.

Note: Another variation is to pour the panna cotta mixture into a cooked sweet pastry case, allow to set and then arrange the rhubarb on top. The light, biscuity pastry against the creamy cooked vanilla is glorious.

Make the Cornish fairings:

Preheat the oven to 150C (130C fan/300F)

Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl, then add all the dry ingredients except the sugar and mix together. Stir in the sugar and golden syrup and combine to form a dough. This can be frozen at the stage, for another day.

Roll pieces of the mixture into 16g balls (about the size of a large grape) and place on a baking sheet. Gently press your thumb in the middle of each ball of dough. Make sure they are spaced well apart as they will spread out during cooking. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

For the ice cream sandwiches allow the ice cream to soften ever so slightly, place a spoonful in the middle of a biscuit and then place another biscuit on top, gently squeeze together and smooth around the sides. Repeat with other biscuits. Place back in the freezer until ready to serve.

Make the Cornish clotted cream ice cream:

Put the condensed milk, clotted cream and vanilla into a large bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until thick. Place into a loaf tin, cover with cling film and freeze until frozen. I can never resist giving it a stir every 30 minutes (no ice cream maker required).

Slow roasted lamb shoulder with paprika, garlic and thyme

Served with gratin of dauphinois with wild garlic and Cornish clotted cream

A dish that brings you together with people you love (Matt Jessop)

I prepare the lamb with garlic, paprika, lemon and thyme the night before, this marinates the lamb which gives it a delicious flavour. Lamb shoulder has more fat, which in turn gives more flavour, but a leg of lamb works perfectly well too. I love to serve the lamb to the table; it makes a wonderful centre piece to carve in front of everyone.

Gratin of dauphinois is all that is comforting. Layers of potato interleaved with Cornish clotted cream, a hint of wild garlic and nutmeg. A dish that does nothing more than bring you together with people you love. Wild about wild garlic, to me it is an essential springtime ingredient foraged from woodlands. It has a subtle fragrance and works in pesto, risottos, pasta, and here in this delicious dauphinois. Spinach is a perfect replacement if you are unable to find wild garlic.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

For the lamb:

1 whole garlic bulb

100g thyme leaves

2 tbsp paprika

4 tbsp olive oil

50g butter

2.25kg whole shoulder of lamb,

1 lemon skin on, halved

250ml water

Cornish sea salt, freshly ground pepper

For the dauphinois:

Broccoli spears and minted peas to serve

1.2kg waxy potatoes, peeled (Desirée potatoes work well)

100g wild garlic, stalks removed (raw baby spinach is a perfect alternative)

300g Cornish clotted cream – I use Rodda’s

150ml crème fraiche or double cream

900ml whole milk

2 bay leaves

1 whole nutmeg

1 clove garlic, cut lengthways

50g butter

Cornish sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Prepare the lamb:

Preheat the oven to 160C (140 fan/320F)

Peel half the garlic cloves, then lightly crush them in a pestle and mortar with some sea salt. Mix in the thyme leaves and paprika. Gradually add the olive oil until you have a thick paste. Melt the butter in a small pan and add it to the paste.

Put the lamb in a deep sided roasting tin and rub it all over with the spice paste, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Add whole sprigs of thyme, the remaining garlic cloves still in their skins and place the lemon halves beside the lamb.

Cook uncovered in the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour in the water and use a ladle to baste the lamb with the cooking juices. Cover the lamb with foil and return to the oven for 3 hours, basting the meat every 30 minutes. For the last 15 mins remove the foil and if the juices are evaporating quickly, add a little more water.

Remove from the oven, cover in foil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Serve with creamy dauphinois, broccoli and minted peas.

Make the dauphinois:

Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan/320F)

Butter the sides and bottom of an oven to tableware dish. Wash the wild garlic leaves and set aside, if flowering, reserve the flowers for decoration (if wild garlic out of season spinach is a perfect replacement) Place the clotted cream and crème fraiche in a bowl and stir together until combined, add a pinch of sea salt, black pepper and a grating of nutmeg.

Peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 2½cm slices and place in a heavy bottom pan and cover with milk, add a good pinch of sea salt, and grating of nutmeg, 2 bay leaves and one garlic clove peeled and cut lengthways, bring the milk to the boil and cook the sliced potatoes for 10 minutes (be careful the bottom of the pan can catch). Discard the milk, garlic and bay leaves and carefully layer the potatoes in the dish alternately with the wild garlic. Making sure the top and bottom layer is covered by potato. Season each layer with sea salt and pepper.

Now pour the clotted cream mixture over the potatoes making sure the top layer is just covered. Finish the top off with some grated nutmeg. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour at 160C (140C fan/320F) or until golden brown and a table knife passes through with ease.

Allow to rest. Delicious to eat with a leafy salad on its own or served as an accompaniment with my slow roasted lamb.

Note: A mandolin is a useful tool here to slice your potatoes (just be careful). If you want to enrich it even more, grate 100g of Comté or Gruyere over the top before baking.