Gooseberry and almond cake - By Diana Henry.

- Gooseberry and almond cake - Telegraph

Sweet-tart and moist.
There’s sugar in this, of course, making it an occasional treat.
But it’s made partly with wholemeal spelt flour, which is both better for you than white flour and also brings a nutty tone.
You can replace it with wholemeal wheat flour, if you prefer.

Serves 8




125g unsalted butter, plus more for the tin
125g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g wholemeal spelt flour, sifted
25g plain flour, sifted
75g ground almonds (preferably freshly ground)
3-4 tsp baking powder
350g dessert gooseberries (red or green), topped and tailed
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
30g flaked almonds icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
Butter a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin.

Beat the butter and soft light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
If the mixture starts to curdle, add 1 tbsp of the spelt flour.
Fold in the rest of the flours, the almonds and baking powder using a large metal spoon, then scrape into the prepared tin.

Toss the gooseberries with the golden caster sugar and spread them over the top of the cake.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle on the flaked almonds and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove the ring and base of the tin.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.


a cherry version…
This is just as good made with cherries.
Just pit 500g of them and throw them on to the cake just before it goes into the oven.
They’ll be soft in the time that it takes the cake batter to cook.
This makes a lovely squidgy cake.

- Tip:
Cake needs to be cooked for much longer – in my experience a fruit-heavy cake like this needs at least 45 – 50 mins in the oven, I had to keep returning to the oven and actually went on to 50 mins.
For lack of gooseberries I baked my blueberry pie!
Nice batter and tasty cake in the end though!

Roast chicken with dill and leeks recipe . By Diana Henry.

Roast chicken with dill and leeks recipe - Telegraph
Simple, satisfying and perfect for Sunday lunch: whole roast chicken infused with dill and lemon, cooked with waxy potatoes
You might think this recipe comes from Scandinavia – land of dill lovers – but in fact it was inspired by a dish I had in Turkey, where whole fish were cooked on a bed of potatoes and dill (and a little raki). This is a very comforting dish, but light and spring-like at the same time. Serve it with roast tomatoes or a carrot purée.
SERVES
8
INGREDIENTS
2kg chicken
10g dill
75g unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 lemon
500g waxy potatoes, peeled
4 leeks
400ml chicken stock
3-4 tbsp dry vermouth
4 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Remove the coarser stems from the dill and set them aside. Roughly chop the remaining light, leafy part. Mash the butter with half the chopped dill.
Carefully lift the skin of the chicken breast and legs and push about half the butter under. Spread the remaining butter over the bird and season. Put in a roasting tin or a flame- and ovenproof dish. Squeeze the lemon over, then put the shells into the cavity of the bird with the dill stalks. Truss the chicken, if you like. Roast for 20 minutes.
Slice the potatoes to the thickness of a pound coin. Trim the leeks, discarding most of the dark-green tops. Chop into 4cm lengths and wash thoroughly.
Take the chicken out of the oven and put the potatoes and leeks around it, coating them in the juices. Season. Pour the boiling stock on to the vegetables with the vermouth.
Reduce the temperature to 180°C/gas mark 4 and return the bird to the oven for one hour. The potatoes will become tender and the cooking liquid reduce significantly. If the vegetables haven’t absorbed all the liquid, remove the chicken to a warmed platter and insulate with foil to keep it warm.
Set the roasting tin on the hob and boil until the liquid mostly disappears. Add the crème fraîche, if using. Heat this through – it doesn’t have to be completely mixed into the vegetables. Check for seasoning.
Put the bird back on top of the vegetables, throw on the rest of the chopped dill and serve.

Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley. By Diana Henry.

Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley recipe - Telegraph
A whole chicken poached with leeks and carrots makes a substantial and comforting broth
This is one of the best things I cook. It's like a substantial version of the chicken soup my family grew up with.
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
1 medium-sized chicken, about 1.6kg
4 leeks
300g long slim carrots, preferably with greenery
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
bouquet garni, plus more parsley stalks
200ml dry vermouth
55g pearl barley
about 4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
METHOD
Remove any discoloured layers from the leeks and trim and discard the dark tops. Cut into 4cm lengths and wash thoroughly under running water. Trim the carrots, leaving a little tuft of greenery if there is any. Wash really well,
but don't peel. Cut fatter carrots into halves or quarters lengthways.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole over a medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides. Try not to tear the skin as you turn it over (I use wooden spoons), and season as you go. Remove the chicken, set it aside and add the onion and celery to the pot. Sauté gently until the onion is softening but isn't coloured, about five minutes.

Return the chicken and add the bouquet garni, parsley stalks, carrots, a good grinding of black pepper, the vermouth and 800ml of water. Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat right down, cover and poach the chicken for 1½ hours. The water must not boil – it has to be gentle or the chicken will become tough. With 45 minutes of cooking time left, add the barley. With 15 minutes left, add the leeks. At the end, add the chopped parsley.
Serve in big broad soup plates, giving each person some of the vegetables, barley, broth and chicken. My mum serves boiled potatoes with this, which you can break up in your broth, or buttered wheaten (soda) bread. I must admit to gilding the lily a little and offer cream, mustard and sometimes even horseradish.