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Three tasty, no-cook skinny dip numbers; great to eat with potato-skin crisps, tortilla chips or crudités such as carrots, radishes and celery. You can make them all or just one or two. They can all be made ahead of time for stress-free snacking!
Time from start to finish (for all three): 15 minutes (about 5 minutes each)
Equipment: 2 medium bowls, scissors, colander, blender
Tuna & crème fraîche dip with black pepper
Makes: about 225g
185g or 200g tin of tuna in spring water
75g half- or full-fat crème fraîche
A few fresh chives
¼ lime (or lemon)
Teeny squidge of honey (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hummus with cumin & paprika
Makes: about 350g
400g tin of chickpeas
100g half- or full-fat crème fraîche
2 tsp cumin powder
Extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
¼ lime (or lemon)
A good pinch of paprika
A few fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Avocado, chilli & chive dip
Makes: about 275g
2 ripe avocados
1 small red chilli
A few fresh chives
1 lime (or lemon)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tuna & créme fraîche dip with black pepper
+ Drain the tuna well, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Place in a medium bowl, add the crème fraîche and then snip in the chives using scissors. Mix together well and season to taste with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lime (or lemon) juice. Add a little honey to sweeten, if liked, also. Spoon into a serving bowl to serve.
Hummus with cumin & paprika
+ Drain the chickpeas, rinse well and then tip them into a blender (I find a stick blender brilliant). Add the crème fraîche, cumin and a drizzle of oil, then peel and add the garlic clove. Season well with salt and pepper and blitz until fairly smooth. Check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary, add a squeeze of lime (or lemon) juice and then blitz again briefly. Spoon into a serving bowl, sprinkle the paprika on top, rip over some coriander or parsley leaves and serve.
Avacado, chilli & chive dip
+ Cut the avocados in half, discard the stones and then scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl. Deseed and finely slice the chilli and add. Then, using scissors, snip in the chives. Mash everything up until fairly smooth, season to taste with a good amount of salt and pepper and squeeze in the lime (or lemon) juice. Spoon into a serving bowl to serve.
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Lemoncello jello shots (#ulink_2c6505c7-921e-591f-bdfe-77ddfc013317)
Remove these sassy sunshine slices from the freezer or fridge an hour or so before you want to use them so they soften slightly before eating. Of course, these can be made for the kiddies, but for adults I like to add 150ml of lovely, luscious limoncello (#u9d6f52e0-752e-54c9-989b-411db795dac1) to 350ml of water. No need to heat it; just dissolve the jelly in boiling water, add the gelatine leaves, then finish with the limoncello and sugar.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Setting time: 30 minutes in the freezer (or 1 hour in the fridge)
Makes: 20–28 (depending on the size of lemons used)
Equipment: Kettle, small wide bowl, large tray or 12-hole muffin tin, heatproof measuring jug
Seven 6.5 × 11.5cm or eight 7.5 × 11cm leaves of gelatine
7 medium or 5 big lemons
135g pack of lemon jelly
400ml hot water
Couple of small drops of lemon essence (optional)
1 tbsp caster sugar
+ Put the kettle on to boil. Then put the gelatine leaves into a small wide bowl, cover them with cold water and set aside to soften.
+ Cut the lemons in half lengthways and, using a spoon, scoop out the juicy flesh. It takes a bit of wiggling and getting squirted by the juice, but you will get there! The trick is not to break through the skin. (You don’t need the flesh here, but afterwards I like to squeeze the juice out and freeze it in an ice-cube tray for handy lemon juice needs at other times.)
+ Set each lemon shell half, cut side up, on a large tray or put each one in the hole of a 12-hole muffin tin. If you have 14 shells, then nestle the remaining two on top in between the others and they should sit still.
+ Next, break up the lemon jelly a bit and put it into a heatproof measuring jug, then pour over enough hot water to reach 400ml in the jug.
+ Pick up the gelatine leaves – they will feel all soft. Gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from them, discard the bowl of water and then put the soft gelatine leaves into the jelly and hot water. Stir constantly until it dissolves. Then stir in the lemon essence (sometimes the lemon jelly just is not lemony enough) and sugar until dissolved.
+ Use the jelly to fill each lemon shell right up to the very top so it is almost overflowing. Let them cool down for about 5 minutes and then whack them in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up (but not much longer or they will freeze!). They will set in the fridge also, but allow double the time.
+ Once they are firm, remove them from the freezer (or fridge). Then, using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut them in half, straight down, lengthways, and there you have it!
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Watermelon jello shots (#ulink_1a32f798-a2c0-510c-9613-ea33b34446b4)
If you were a sporty type at school, you may remember those little orange slices that were given out at half-time during matches. A momentary respite from jumping and leaping in the air on a cold windy netball court in the depths of winter seems to be a vivid memory from my early teenage years. Naturally, giving you a recipe for orange slices may have proven uninspiring so, with a bit of cooking magic, I would like to introduce you to my watermelon jello shots … A happy walk down memory lane with a very modern twist. For an alcoholic version, replace 150ml of the water with some vodka.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Setting time: 25 minutes in the freezer, plus 15 minutes if using passion fruit seeds
Makes: 56–64 (depending on the size of limes used)
Equipment: Kettle, small wide bowl, large tray or 2–3 × 12-hole muffin tins, heatproof measuring jug
Seven 6.5 × 11.5cm or eight 7.5 × 11cm leaves of gelatine
16 small or 14 medium limes
135g pack of strawberry jelly
400ml hot water
1 tbsp caster sugar (optional)
1 large or 2 small passion fruit (optional)
+ Put the kettle on to boil. Then put the gelatine leaves into a small wide bowl, cover them with cold water and set aside to soften.
+ Cut the limes in half lengthways, rather than around their middles and, using a spoon, scoop out the juicy flesh. It takes a bit of wiggling and getting squirted by the juice, but you will get there! The trick is not to break through the lime skin. (You don’t need the flesh for this recipe, but afterwards I like to squeeze the juice out and freeze it in an ice-cube tray for handy lime juice needs at other times.)
+ Set each half, cut side up, on a large tray, or put each one in the hole of a 12-hole muffin tin. They fit perfectly and don’t move around too much that way. You will need two or three 12-hole muffin tins, but if you don’t have enough, you can nestle the excess lime shells on top in between the others and they should sit still.
+ Next, break up the strawberry jelly a bit and put it into a heatproof measuring jug and then pour enough hot water over the jelly to reach 400ml in the jug.
+ Pick up the gelatine leaves – they will feel all soft. Gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from them, discard the bowl of water and then put the soft gelatine leaves into the jelly and hot water. Leave to stand for a few minutes until everything begins to melt, then stir a little until everything is completely dissolved. Next, stir in the sugar, if using, until dissolved also.
+ Use the jelly to fill each lime shell right up to the very top so it is almost overflowing. Let them cool down for about 5 minutes and then whack them in the freezer for about 25 minutes to firm up (but not much longer or they will freeze!). They will set in the fridge also, but allow double the time.
+ Meanwhile, prepare the passion fruit by cutting it (or them) in half and scooping out the seeds onto kitchen paper. Dab the seeds dry with the paper and set them aside.
+ Halfway through the setting time (once the jellies are just beginning to firm up), remove them and carefully arrange the passion fruit seeds on top. Arrange about six seeds on each one, keeping them away from the middle as you will be cutting them in half later, and lightly press each one down a little so it will set into the jelly. Then return to the freezer until completely firm.
+ Once they are firm, remove them from the freezer. Then, using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut them in half, straight down (again, lengthways), and there you have it!
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Strawberry & mint mojitos (#ulink_07511754-f77f-5ac3-86bf-8ce9813e2637)
Ahh, mojitos. My Achilles heel, for sure. Whether they be alcoholic or virgin, I love these sugary South American drinks. Strawberries can be substituted with other fruit, such as blackberries or raspberries, and the rum replaced with extra soda water or lemonade for a non-alcoholic version.
Time from start to finish: 15 minutes
Makes: 4
Equipment: Four 350ml glasses, rolling pin, straws or cocktail stirrers
3 limes
8 tbsp demerara sugar
12 strawberries
400g crushed ice
Small handful of fresh mint
250ml white rum
250ml soda water or lemonade (or even Pimm’s)
+ Cut the limes into quarters lengthways and put three pieces in the bottom of each of four 350ml serving glasses. Make sure the glasses are wide enough to fit the end of a rolling pin in. (You’ll see why.)
+ Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar to each one. Then, using the end of a rolling pin, squash everything together to squeeze the lime juice out and mix with the sugar.
+ Hull the strawberries (cut out the green bit with the point of a sharp knife) and add three to each glass. Then very gently crush them a bit too.
+ Fill the glasses almost to the top with the crushed ice. Pick and reserve four nice mint sprigs from the bunch and then rip the remaining leaves off the stalks and scatter them onto the ice. Divide the rum evenly between the glasses and then top with the soda water or lemonade.
+ Mix everything together with a spoon, then add a sprig of mint to each glass and serve at once with a straw or cocktail stirrer popped in.
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Lovely limoncello (#ulink_25db12c4-aa54-5777-a19f-1e2446abbd92)
To prepare the containers for this luscious lemon drink, sterilise a 1-litre glass bottle with a stopper or a Kilner jar in the dishwasher on the hottest wash, or carefully put them in just-boiled water (off the heat) for a couple of minutes and dry with a clean tea towel.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Infusing time: from 1 day to 3 months
