Just in case the sun shines! (Delia Smith's Summer Collection - Delia Smith)

Member Name: jo@145

Product:	Delia Smith's Summer Collection - Delia Smith
Date:	04/03/09 (1358 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Recipes using fresh summer fruits and vegetables

Disadvantages: Our weather

Summer time when the living is easy says the song, but British summer times have been going downhill recently and picnics and barbecues are rare occasions. Even so there are some lovely fresh fruits and vegetables available and Delia's book called Summer collection gives plenty of recipes, 140 in fact, but sadly only a few colour photos.

Delia Smith has been on many television programmes and written several books, she has been pushed into the background by younger, more up market cooks, but I still like her books.

There is a very useful conversion chart with oven temperatures, measurements, weights and volumes, something I turn to when using other recipes. Delia writes an Introduction and then the book is divided into 12 chapters.

Soups, Starters and Light lunch dishes

Recipes in this section are suitable in smaller portions as a first course or in a larger portion for a light summer's lunch. .Delia suggests that chilled soups should be tried as long as they are properly chilled, but the recipes can also be served warm if the day is cold! Another lovely recipe is so simple but delicious Piedmont Roasted peppers served with homemade bread. If you grow your own tomatoes and have a glut then try the recipe for Roasted tomato soup, roasting really makes a big difference in the flavour. Asparagus is such a lovely summer vegetable and some recipes are included using Quail eggs or Parma ham.

Herbs, salads and dressings

Included in this section are some interesting salads, a recipe for making your own Pesto sauce, which is great if you planted a packet of basil seeds and wondered how to use all the basil it produces and some other recipes for dressings.

Summer Fish and Shellfish

Delia says that there are lots of semi-veggies about now who eat fish, so there is always a demand for new recipes using fish. There is an interesting recipe for fishcakes called Salmon Rosti fish cakes, slightly more upmarket than your usual fishcake and also Rosti crab cakes, again delicious and can be served with some of the salsa recipes included in this chapter. Avocado salsa has tomato and red onion mixed with it and is very colourful as well as tasty. Several other recipes suitable for summer meals.

The vegetables of Spring and Summer

There is a recipe for warm potato salad that tastes like potato salad should, not like the artificial flavoured tubs bought in supermarkets. Another potato recipe I like is Oven roasted potatoes with garlic and Rosemary, easy to cook and very tasty. There are other recipes using summer vegetables like tomatoes, courgettes, fennel.

Barbecue and Outdoor Food

Delia in her introduction to this chapter says we will never catch up with the Australians and Americans and I think that is very true, the weather is a great problem here but there are some recipes worth trying especially the Spiced lamb and Cashew kebabs which can be cooked on the grill. Oven baked chicken with garlic and parmesan can be served cold for picnics or on a buffet - finger licking good! There are also some cold drinks recipes like real lemonade and a recipe using the skin of a pineapple which is left to ferment!
At the end of this chapter are two pages of suggestions of menus for Summer entertaining, quite a useful idea.

A Vegetarian Summer

Vegetarian recipes that tempt meat eaters too are in this section. Rigatoni and asparagus au Gratin is really tasty, good also as a small portion for a starter. Twice baked goat's cheese soufflés are good for entertaining as they are made earlier and then reheated.

Summer Meat and Poultry

Included in this chapter is a recipe for a curry, which seems strange but Delia says is a great dish on a rainy and uses fresh coconut. A great one pot meal is the Chicken Basque, using chicken, rice, olives and peppers rather like a Paella. Easy to make and cooks by itself.

Jellies, creams and Compotes

Delia says she tries to watch her weight and only eats puddings at weekends or when out, so she is looking for desserts with fruit or if she is going to be really naughty, it has to be a really special one. There are recipes for lovely jellies, peach wine and gooseberry and elderflower make a more adult jelly than strawberry, like you had at children's parties. I am not a lover of rice pudding but Italian rice creams served with fruit puree are nothing like rice pudding! The rice is cooked in milk, then added to a cream and gelatine mixture and left to set. When chilled it doesn't resemble rice pudding at all!

Ices and Granitas

Delia gives lots of information about making ice cream, but this section is a little out dated as there are even more machines available now and quite reasonably priced.
As well as the usual Vanilla ice cream Delia has recipes for Gooseberry and Elderflower, Lemon Meringue ice cream and a stranger one I haven't tried is Rhubarb crumble!

Summer baking and Desserts

These include some recipes to compliment the fruits of summer and the summer Millefeuille is photographed and looks lovely! You can also use bought puff pastry making it simpler to make. There is a basic recipe for American muffins and different variations, coffee and walnut is one of my favourites. Pies and cakes using fruits are also included.

Summer Preserves

Sometimes there is a glut of fruit and vegetables so preserving them for winter is a solution to the problem of how to use them. There are a few recipes for pickles and preserves.

Bread, Pizza and focaccia.


Delia includes some information on the techniques used on bread making, and suggests making bread on a wet day and storing it in the freezer. The mini Focaccia bread with different toppings goes well with the roasted peppers and tomato dishes.

There is a page on Equipment update and Ingredients update too.

I use this book at all times during the year not just summer, there are 220 pages and although some recipes I probably will never make others I love and use more frequently. Originally on sale at £14.99 and now available on Delia's website for £11.69 in paperback or on Amazon as used for only 1p plus postage!

A lot of the recipes are easy to make as you want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen when the sun is shining. I like this recipe book, but like most recipe books I only use a few of the recipes, but still would recommend it!

Summary: Recipes for summer