CRAB SALAD

2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoon mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon natural yogurt
450 grams cooked crab meat (1 lb)
1 cucumber, diced
4 tomatoes, skinned and cubed
110 gram Pasta shells, cooked (4 oz)
1 lettuce, shredded
Cucumber and lemon slices, to garnish.

Mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and yogurt.
Combine the dressing with the remaining ingredients except the lettuce.
Serve the crab salad on a bed of shredded lettuce.
Garnish with cucumber and lemon slices and accompany with brown bread and butter.
If you are using fresh crabs in their shells you will need two large crabs to produce the weight specified.
The dish looks good garnished with crab claws.

CHEESE AND LEEK SOUFFLÉ

55g butter + a little for greasing
1 medium leek, cleaned, white and green chopped into fine matchsticks
55g all purpose flour
2 tsps Dijon mustard
300ml milk
75g grated cheese (ask Nigel at Cornish Cuisine for his suggestion!)
4 large, fresh eggs, yolk and white separated
Salt and ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 395∞F/200∞C.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan.Add the chopped leeks and cook gently until the leeks are soft but not brown.
Stir in the flour and mustard.
Add the milk a little at a time stirring thoroughly to create a thick, glossy sauce
Season with salt and a little pepper.
Add the egg yolks and beat well with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated.
Finally add the cheese and stir until all the cheese is melted.
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff and firmly set (about 5 minutes).
Using a metal spoon, stir 2 tbsp of the egg white into the souffleÈ base to loosen the mix. Carefully fold in remaining egg whites in two parts. Be very gentle and try to retain as much volume as possible.
Lightly grease 6 individual ramekin dishes with a little butter. Gently spoon the mixture into the dishes.
Place the ramekins onto a baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the souffles are golden and risen.
Serve immediately with a green salad and crusty bread. Be quick though, the souffle will sink in a few minutes!

STUFFED LEG OF CORNISH LAMB

1.2 kg boneless leg of lamb (1.5 kg if bone still in)
Large handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely sliced
70g cubed pancetta or bacon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
150ml good red wine
100ml veal or beef stock
2 tsps ice cold butter cut into tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 350∞F/170∞C/Gas mark 4. Remove string from leg of lamb and open out the joint, skin side down. Slash any thick parts of meat so the joint lays flat to the board.
Evenly sprinkle the parsley, garlic and Pancetta over the surface, and then sprinkle generously with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Roll the joint back up and tie securely with kitchen string.
Place the joint into a large roasting tin and cook for 1 hour (rare) 1 hour 15 mins for medium.Tightly wrap the joint in foil and leave to rest for 10 mins.
Meanwhile, carefully pour off any fat from the roasting tin and place it on a medium heat on top of the stove. Pour in the wine carefully scraping up all the juices stuck on the bottom and reduce to a sticky glaze. Add the stock, stir well and reduce by half.
Strain through a fine sieve into a small saucepan and add the butter and shake the pan gently until all the butter is absorbed. Check and adjust the seasoning.
Slice the lamb and serve immediately on a bed of wilted spring greens, surrounded
by the sauce.

SUMMER PUDDING

2 tbsp water
5oz / 150g sugar
1lb/450g washed, mixed summer fruits including strawberries, raspberries, red and blackcurrants
4 - 6oz/100 -150g thin sliced white bread, crusts removed
Whipped cream or custard sauce, better still Cornish clotted cream!

Stir the water and sugar together and bring to a gentle boil.Add the berries and fruits and stew very gently until softened but still retain their shape.
Line a 1 pint pudding basin with the bread slices ensuring there are no gaps. Fill with the stewed fruits and cover the top with more bread slices.
Place a saucer with a weight on top (a can of tomatoes or beans is ideal) and leave overnight in a cool place.
The next day, before serving, turn the pudding out onto a plate and serve with the whipped cream or custard sauce.

HAZELNUT MERINGUE

5oz chopped hazelnuts
4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 oz sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
10 fl oz whipping cream
1 lb raspberries

Preheat oven to 300f/150c/gas mark 2
Line the bottom of 2 8inch cake tins with greaseproof paper and grease.
Beat the egg whites and salt until they hold stiff peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the sugar, then fold in the remaining sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, with a rubber scraper. Fold in the vanilla and the hazelnuts.
Divide the batter between the prepared tins and spread level.
Bake for 1 1/4 hours. let stand for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling , whip the cream just until firm.
Spread half the cream in an even layer on one meringue round and top with half the raspberries. Top with the other meringue round. Spread the remaining cream on top and arrange the remaining raspberries over the cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour if you can wait that long!