Cool summer trio

PHOTOS: Inge Prins

VISI selected three fancy but easy recipes from Festive France (a book by Louis Jansen van Vuuren, Hardy Olivier and Anet Piennar on their lives in France) – perfect to impress your guests this summer without spending ages in the kitchen.

Rose ice cream

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 5 minutes, plus freezing

500ml low-fat milk
500ml Monin Rose Syrup*
250g thin cream rose petals and tuille biscuits, to serve

Blend all the ingredients and churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen. Serve in small glasses with rose petals and a tuille biscuit.

* Monin products are available at selected delis.

Chilled Catalan almond soup

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes

250g blanched almonds
750ml ice-cold water
100g day-old bread, crusts removed and soaked in cold water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3T good vinegar (try sherry vinegar)
3T good olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
seedless grapes, ripe figs or croutons, to serve
Grind the almonds as finely as possible in a food processor.
Add a little ice water and blend into a paste.
Add the bread, with most of the water pressed out, the garlic, vinegar and olive oil, and continue blending until smooth.

Season and blend again, adding small quantities of cold water until a velvety consistency is achieved.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Adjust the seasoning before serving and transfer the soup into chilled bowls. You can even add an ice cube or two.

Serve with halved seedless grapes, halved ripe figs, croutons, or even just a few drops of sherry vinegar.

Tartare de Saumon

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus overnight marinating

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill juice and zest of 1 large lemon
1T caster sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
500g filleted Norwegian salmon
½t mustard
2t crème fraîche
1 medium cucumber
olive oil, salmon roe or caviar, to garnish

Mix the dill, a little lemon juice and zest, caster sugar and seasoning in a bowl and rub onto both sides of the salmon.

Wrap in cling film and refrigerate overnight.

An hour before serving, rinse the fish, pat it dry and cut into small cubes.

In a separate bowl, mix the mustard, crème fraîche, the remaining lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Add the salmon cubes and leave in a cool place for about an hour.

In the meantime, prepare a “salad” of cucumber ribbons sliced with a mandolin. Sprinkle salt over the ribbons and leave for 30 minutes, allowing the moisture to draw out. Rinse and pat dry.

Arrange a few slices of cucumber in the centre of each plate, drizzle with olive oil and season.

Place a rounded scoop of salmon on top and garnish with dill and a lemon slice. If you wish, top with a small dollop of salmon roe or caviar.