When the delicious. team test recipes, we often debate the best new ways to do things as well as answering questions that arise in the test kitchen. Can you make your own nut lour? Is there one deinitive, better-than-the-rest egg poaching method? Can a cracked tart case be ixed? What are the best methods for barbecuing diferent cuts of meat? It’s the kind of information that you won’t ind anywhere else and it can help take your skills and knowledge to the next level

USE UP A GLUT OF…

BLACKCURRANTS

BY THANE PRINCE

Blackcurrants make a gorgeous summer curd. My method avoids the need to strip the berries from their stalks. Wash 500g blackcurrants and cook in a pan (in just the water that clings to the berries) until soft. Push them through a fine sieve, then whizz in a food processor with 250g caster sugar, 5 large free-range eggs and 125g salted butter until combined. Tip the mixture into a heavy-based pan set over a very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until the butter has melted and the sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat up to medium and, using a wooden spoon, stir over the heat in a zig zag pattern until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon – remember it will thicken more when it cools. Take the pan off the heat and pot the curd in hot sterilised jars. Screw on the lids straightaway, then leave to cool before storing/eating.

SEASONAL STAR

What’s the deal with... ibérico pork steaks?

BUTCHER’S CUTS

Ibérico pork (also known as pata negra because of its black feet) comes from a breed of pig native to southern Spain, which is most famously used to make top-quality ham (jamón ibérico). The best meat comes from pigs who forage for acorns in oak forests (and is labelled ibérico de bellota). Dark and high in oleic acid, the meat is nutty, sweet and buttery. Fat is marbled throughout, keeping everything moist. When ibérico pork comes from a trusted supplier, chefs may cook it medium or even medium rare – not something normally recommended for pork. The following cuts cook quickly on a hot griddle pan or barbecue: PLUMA A tender, wing-shaped cut from behind the neck, it has a generous coating of fat that gives it flavour and succulence. PRESA An oval-shaped steak cut from the shoulder, it’s beautifully juicy. SECRETO This ‘secret’ cut is taken from hidden parts of the pig between the shoulder and the belly. It’s fatty but flavoursome. SOLOMILLO, or tenderloin, may not have the strongest flavour but it’s the most tender cut.