Ingredients:

• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 large, firm, but not under-ripe pears (Bosc or Bartlett work well)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 dried Black Mission figs (soft enough that they can be thinly sliced)

Method:

• Split vanilla bean lengthwise and to a small saucepan, extract the seeds from both sides by scraping with a paring knife.
• Add the remaining part of the bean, and cover with 1/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, allowing sugar to dissolve, and then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• You will be left with a nicely perfumed simple syrup, strain or remove large pieces of vanilla pod and set aside.
• Peel pears and halve lengthwise, leaving stems attached.
• Remove core, and with a sharp knife, remove a thin layer from the rounded part of the pear, allowing it to sit flatly on a plate.
• In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter, add brown sugar and stir until melted.
• Place pears, cored side down, into pan and cook until brown, keeping them moving a little, to prevent sticking. Turn pears and cook their back for a couple of minutes as well.
• Transfer individually to a baking dish, and pour vanilla syrup over each pear as to as to coat the flesh.
• Add a couple slices of fig to each pear center and then spoon a little syrup over the figs.
• Bake until golden and tender, about 25 minutes, serve.
• If you are left with extra syrup, it works well as an addition to iced drinks like lemonade.

many thanks to  Almost a Chef

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of scallops – about 6 large ones
• 1 small head of frisée
• juice 1 lemon
• really good olive oil, and some oil decent enough for cooking with
• 2 big handfuls of dried beans – cranberry are the best if you can find them, great northern are fine
• 1 red (bastards) chili
• salt and pepper
• small bunch of thyme and parsley
• 1 tomato
• 1 small starchy potato

Method:

• Start the day before – soak the beans in a lot of cold water overnight. About 1 hour before needing to serve, drain the beans. Put them in a large pot of water, along with the thyme, parsley, potato and tomato. Bring to the boil. Simmer for about 40 minutes – or until the beans are just tender (cooking time depends on the beans you are using – great northern is about 40 minutes).
• Prepare the scallops. Pat them dry with paper towel, and season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Scorch the chili over a gas burner, until the skin is blistering.
• Wash and coarsely chop the frisée. Finely slice the chili, removing the seeds if you wish.
• Make a quick dressing for the beans – put almost all of the lemon juice in a bowl, and add in 3 times its volume of really good olive oil. Whisk to combine.
• When the beans are done, drain them and discard the potato, tomato and herbs.
• Get a heavy bottomed saute pan hot. I like to use stainless steel here, but feel free to use a good non-stick pan too. Add some regular olive oil to the pan (not the really good stuff). When nearly smoking, add in a few scallops. Sear for no more than one minute, then flip them. Cook for another minute. Remove scallops from the pan, and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining scallops. Remove the scallops from the pan, and add in the remaining lemon juice and sliced chili. Shake this around for 30 seconds.
• Toss the frisée with the beans. Season with a little salt and pepper. Pour over some of the dressing and toss. Taste the beans and frisée. Add more dressing if required. I always add dressing in stages – you can add more, but never take some out if you add too much.
• Divide the greens/beans between two plates. Pour over the pan juices and chili. Top with the scallops. Get stuck in immediately.

sourced from: mattikaarts

(adapted from “Italian Two Easy, by Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray)

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini’s – about 1lb worth
• 10oz of cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• small handful of fresh chopped basil
• Really good extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Cut each piece into small chunks – about 1/2” thick.
• Squeeze the tomatoes to let out some of their juice. Discard the juice, and keep the tomatoes.
• Peel and slice the garlic cloves.
• In a large saute pan over a high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, toss in the zucchini.
• When this just starts to brown toss in the garlic.
• When the zucchini is browned nicely, add in the cherry tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Let this cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix in the basil, and pour over a little of the really good olive oil.
• Cover, and let stand for 10 minutes off the heat before eating.

Ingredients:

• 400g (14) green beans, trimmed
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 50g (1½ oz) pecorino, freshly grated
• 45ml (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
• juice of ½ lemon

Method:

• Add the beans to a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes or until just tender. Drain, refresh in cold water, then pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Put the onion in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave for 5 minutes. Holding the colander over the sink, pour on a kettleful of boiling water to remove some of the onion’s acidity. Drain well and pat dry.
• Toss the beans, onion and pecorino together in a bowl. For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad to serve.

sourced from: Greedy Gourmet

Adapted from Epicurious

Makes 6

Strawberry Thyme Compote

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups strawberries, washed and cut into halves or quarters

Lemon Flans

• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• Peel from half a lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler in strips
• Pinch salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

Method:

• To make strawberry lemon thyme syrup, combine sugar, water, lemon thyme and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature and then stir in vanilla.
• Spoon 3 teaspoons of syrup into each of six ¾ cup ramekins. Place ramekins into a large baking dish. Allow syrup to infuse overnight.
• Combine milk, sugar, lemon peel, and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Uncover and let milk mixture steep at room temperature 1 hour. Return milk mixture to a simmer. Strain into a small bowl and discard the lemon peel.
• Preheat oven to 170°C (350°F). Whisk eggs and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk warm milk mixture into egg mixture.
• Divide custard among prepared ramekins. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custards until centers are set and thin knife inserted at edge of dish cleanly separates custard from dish, about 45 minutes. Remove flans from water. Cool for 1 hour, and then refrigerate flans uncovered overnight.
• Pour lemon thyme syrup over the cut up strawberries. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours maximum before serving.
• Run small thin knife around flans to loosen. Invert each flan onto plate. Serve with strawberry lemon thyme compote.

many thanks to Lisa from Spicy Icecream