PHOTOGRAPHS KATE WHITAKER
Twice-baked crab and chive soufflés with quick-pickled samphire, p26
ILLUSTRATIONS ROSIE RAMSDEN
It’s an exciting time to be in the kitchen: spring is in the air and it brings with it a wealth of cookery inspiration. Seasonal ingredients take on a whole new intensity this month, transforming any recipe they’re used in. Chickens seem plumper thanks to grazing on fresh grass, which nourishes their meat and eggs with extra goodness. Shellfish are enjoying a last hurrah before the breeding season, and green shoots are popping up everywhere – watercress is more peppery, soft herbs are more fragrant. To show off the recipes on the following pages, we commissioned food writer and artist Rosie Ramsden to create some beautiful watercolours as a backdrop. REBECCA WOOLLARD, FOOD EDITOR
Twice-baked crab and chive soufflés with quick-pickled samphire
SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN, OVEN
TIME 30 MIN, PLUS QUICK-PICKLING
MAKE AHEAD
This recipe is ideal for making in advance, as the second bake is brief. Follow the recipe to the end of step 7 up to 24 hours in advance, then cover and chill. Remove the soufflés from the fridge 30 minutes before baking again (step 8). Make the quick pickle up to 24 hours ahead and keep in the fridge; drain just before serving.
FOOD TEAM’S TIP
Cider vinegar’s appley flavour works well with crab, but you could use white or red wine vinegar instead.
• 40g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 250ml whole milk
• 190ml double cream
• 1 onion, chopped into wedges
• 45g plain flour
• ½ tsp English mustard powder
• Scant ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 100g brown crabmeat
• 150g white crabmeat, flaked
• 4 medium free-range eggs, separated
• 15g fresh chives, snipped