Episode 1 Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites

I'm Mary Berry, and in this series,

I'm going to be showing you some of my absolute favourites.

Not too difficult to make, not too many ingredients,

and the sort of recipes that the family are going to say

"ooh and "ahh" and, "Please, can we have them again?"

These favourites have been inspired by the places I love -

the countryside...

by the sea...

markets and gardens.

And, of course, my home.

I'll be sharing with you some brand-new ideas

and some recipes that I never, ever tire of.

Tonight...

I've got one! I promise you, I've got one!

..it's dishes inspired by my love of the seaside.

Some of my earliest memories are holidays by the seaside.

In those days, we never went abroad.

No matter what the weather, we were always on the beach.

And some of my fondest food memories are from those trips.

Tonight, I'm cooking some of my favourite dishes,

inspired by the Great British seaside.

A smart and delicious fish supper.

A luxurious linguine.

My right royal fishcakes.

A home-made ice cream the family will love.

But first, no-fuss goat's cheese and shallot tarts,

with a crisp walnut pastry.

These tarts are perfect to take down on the beach for a picnic.

So, to begin with, I'm going to make the pastry.

It's a different pastry - it's walnut pastry.

Into the processor goes 175g of plain flour.

I'm just going to season that a little. Up to you whether you do.

Just a little bit of pepper and salt...like that.

Then I'm going to add 100g of butter.

I think it's better to have the butter fairly firm.

Then on with the lid and process it just until

it's sort of like breadcrumbs.

That looks about right.

In goes the egg.

Whizz it together till it holds together. Don't overwork it.

That's it. It comes together in no time.

Now I'm going to roll the pastry out, as thin as you can,

then you don't have to bake blind.

To make the pastry extra special,

sprinkle over 30g of roughly chopped walnuts.

And obviously, if I'd got the rolling pin on there,

it would stick to the rolling pin.

So if you take a piece of clingfilm...like that,

tear it off

and just roll out the pastry.

Cut out the pastry slightly bigger than the cases.

I find that Yorkshire pudding tins are perfect for making these tarts,

and this recipe is enough to make eight.

And at this stage, just take a fork

and prick the base to stop them rising up.

Whilst the pastry cases firm up in the fridge,

I can get on with the filling.

Slowly fry off 500g of shallots until golden brown and really tender.

Add a tablespoonful of sugar and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

I'm going to now put that to one side till it's absolutely cold.

Now to the other filling that goes on top of the shallots.

Mix 300g of soft goat's cheese with two beaten eggs

and add two tablespoons of chopped parsley.

I've been making these tarts for a long time

but I've put all different fillings in them.

I just look in the fridge and see what there is to be used up.

Often, we have a bit of Stilton or a nice Camembert left

on the cheese board and I would use that.

It is important that you don't let any come over the edge of the pastry.

Put them in the oven at 180 fan on two preheated baking trays.

Bake for 20 minutes, switching halfway through.

You rotten thing!

LAUGHTER

I can get away with ANYTHING!

You'll know when they're ready -

the pastry is crisp and the filling is just set and golden.

They need just a little bit of parsley over the top.

They come out beautifully.

Mind you, if I'd spilt the mixture all down the side,

it would be another kettle of fish.

That's it.

You have the layer of shallot at the bottom,

then you have the layer of the mild goat's cheese on top.

Well seasoned, beautifully cooked underneath.

Just a pale golden brown there.

Oh!

I really, really like that.

The flavour is excellent.

Sheer heaven.

Whilst the tarts are perfect for a picnic,

one of my all-time favourite seafoods is crab.

But it's not cheap these days,

so here's an ideal recipe to make it go that little bit further.

I think you'll love my crab and cod fishcakes with tomato salsa.

Something different.

I've made many a fishcake in my time, but these are the very best.

Why?

Because I have the addition of crab, and it really gives them a lift.

It makes them right royal.

I've got to start with some beautiful fresh cod.

And you can always recognise it if it's cod

because it's got little flecks of yellow in the skin.

My secret is to butter and season the foil.

I'm going to fold that over, a little bit like a Cornish pasty,

and pull it up at the sides so if there is any juice,

it doesn't run out all over the tray.

I'm going to put it in the oven at 180 fan

and it'll take about 15 minutes.

Keep looking at it, and as soon as there's no translucent bits,

you know it's done.

So, in it goes.

Once the fish is cooked, leave it to cool.

Now to the actual making of the fishcakes and, I promise you,

they are different.

To give the fishcakes extra flavour,

add six chopped spring onions to 500g of cooled mashed potato,

then flake the cod into it.

I've got 100g of crab.

Now, this crab is mixed crab.

I want the dark meat and the light meat and that's all going in.

The crab really gives these fishcakes a lift.

There are more ingredients to make it extra tasty.

Add two tablespoons of mayonnaise,

the same again of Dijon mustard,

a dash of Tabasco,

some finely chopped parsley,

and season well, before mixing it all together.

Don't break up the fish too much,

but it's when it's all one even colour...

That looks fine to me, and I'm going to make eight fishcakes.

Now, an old trick to help divide the mixture evenly -

tip it onto a board and, with wet hands,

make it into the shape of a cake.

Then simply slice it into eight wedges.

That's made the job easy, hasn't it?

Next, shape each one, ready to go in the fridge to firm up.

And if they're not quite round, they look very home-made

and everybody will know you haven't bought them.

That's it. They're pretty good, though, aren't they?

After half an hour, they'll be ready to breadcrumb.

These are panko breadcrumbs, Japanese ones,

and they're really crisp and dry.

In go the fishcakes.

Don't have too high a heat.

It's better to brown them slowly -

around four minutes each side should do it.

When you think about it, everything in the fishcake has been cooked.

You want to just get it piping hot in the middle and a lovely,

crisp, crunchy outside.

Those are perfectly done and they're ready to serve.

I think the perfect accompaniment is a simple salsa of tomato,

red onion and parsley.

That's about it.

So there you have it - the very best fishcakes,

with the addition of that wonderful crab.

When it comes to seafood, one thing we can't get enough of are prawns.

In Britain, we consume about 85,000 tonnes of them every year.

And the best thing is, you can catch them all around our shores,

if you know where to look.

I just love the sea - I love the smell,

I love when you get the wind through your hair,

and to be on a beach with my prawning net...

You never know what you might find.

We've got masses of winkles round here and I'm hoping

I'll find an odd prawn.

Today, I'm in Botany Bay, Kent,

to meet local naturalist Dr Alasdair Bruce

to see if he can help me catch some of the local delicacies.

This is a marvellous stretch of coastline.

What would one expect to find?

We catch prawns, there are plenty of winkles here.

There's occasional wild oysters,

and the rocks beside us here are often full of lobster and crab.

So it's a serious smorgasbord of shellfish that we can find here.

When did you last find your lobster here?

I get about a dozen or so every year. But I know where to look.

An old gentleman many years ago showed me

there's certain holes to put my hand in

and sort of winkle out lobsters.

So it's a closely guarded secret, I'm afraid.

'With Alasdair keeping his lobster spots close to his chest,

'I'm interested in catching some prawns.'

Mind your step. There's a few holes and dimples here.

-I'm being REALLY careful.

-OK.

-OK...

-OK. Right, now...

-I am the king of the castle!

I'm definitely after prawns.

-Well, there's a good chance.

-There's a good chance?

-So, wish me luck!

-Good luck.

They'll be right underneath you.

Right underneath you, with a bit of luck.

'Prawns can be found all around the British coast.

'They live in areas where they have rock and weed cover.

'If you want to catch them, try a low tide during the summer months.'

Oh, that current!

I'm being very, very, very...

And then I'll catch them.

That's it.

There's not a lot of sport in there.

-HE LAUGHS

-No...

Well, you've got some edible seaweed.

OK. Think I was a bit quick.

Nice and gently.

I've got one! I promise you, I've got one!

-I have, look!

-Fantastic.

-It's a whopper!

-There you go.

-No, no, don't... Agh! It's mine!

-OK!

That is a sheer beauty. And it's all mine!

'With my meagre catch and Alasdair's slightly better haul,

'we should have enough for a fisherman's supper.'

I'll do the cooking, cos you're the fisherman.

I didn't know what I was doing, really.

-And you say always cook it in sea water if you can?

-Yeah. There you go.

-Oh, take that bit of seaweed out.

-Look at those beauties.

-Straight in.

Look, they've gone from translucent to a pale pink.

In a minute, our fisherman's tea will be ready.

Absolutely. And it's all free.

The most exciting thing of all is of course doing it on the beach,

sitting round, and we'll have such an appetite when it comes.

Pity we didn't catch twice as many prawns!

-Well, nothing could be fresher, could it?

-Lovely colour, isn't it?

It is so exciting. Mind you, I think I can see the one I caught.

It's that very big one there. HE LAUGHS

It was pretty big, though, wasn't it?

It was, it was. I'll give you that.

-A little bit of lemon.

-Mmm.

-So, here goes.

-There we go. All the best.

-Cheers!

Mmm! Oh, that is really nice.

Do you know, I'm sure it's better to cook them in that salt water.

It is absolutely beautiful.

It doesn't need any mayonnaise, it doesn't need anything.

-No, not really.

-Mmm!

-Very nice.

This, to me, is wonderful.

It's a treasure from the sea.

The beauty of fresh seafood is, it doesn't take a moment to cook.

This linguine is a luxurious dinner party dish for six that takes

no time to prepare.

It's absolutely delicious and rather different.

So, to start with, I've taken three shallots

and I've slowly cooked those, and they're just nice and soft.

And I've got some linguine here and it's 250g.

Cook it as the packet says. It's usually about ten minutes.

Add to the shallots one finely chopped red chilli

and two cloves of crushed garlic.

Now, I've got some beautiful fresh clams here.

I've given them a good scrub.

If any of these are open, you're not to put them in there

because they're not fresh.

Tip those in...

..and the shock of the heat will start them to open.

Then I'm going to add 250ml of wine, give or take a bit.

I shouldn't say a bit of wine - you can't have a bit of wine.

My husband's always telling me that. A drop of wine.

Give that a bit of a stir, then in the lemon goes.

Those are cooking nicely, but to make sure they all open,

they need to be in the steam.

So, pop that on.

This should only take about three minutes.

Once the clams are all open, add the cooked pasta.

Just leave that for the moment.

It's on a very, very low heat,

and I'm going to quickly get on with cooking the rest of the shellfish,

and that'll just take a couple of minutes.

To make it even more luxurious, I'm also including squid and king prawns.

Keep moving them about.

And you'll know when the prawns are done,

because they'll turn bright pink.

You can see the squid is changing colour.

And for something special, add six scallops, sliced in half,

to make them go further.

So, there it is...

Doesn't that look beautiful?

Loaded with wonderful seafood.

What I've forgotten to do is my tomato. Still got the heat on here.

Just shows you I'm not perfect.

Season and fry the tomato for a couple of minutes

before adding to the pasta...

with a generous handful of chopped parsley, and mix all together.

Doesn't that look good?

That is, to me, sheer luxury.

Everybody will feel that you've spoiled them rotten.

I love my linguine, but sometimes I feel like a more traditional fillet.

And so here's a favourite recipe for the catch of the day.

Sea bass has become very popular,

quite understandably,

because brill and halibut and Dover sole are very expensive.

It has a lovely flavour, sea bass,

and when you marry it with my favourite ingredient,

shrimps, in a delicious sauce, what could be better?

To make the sauce, start by frying one finely sliced onion till soft.

Then add 200ml of white wine and reduce it by half.

Then in goes 300ml double cream.

And it must be double.

If you use single cream, you'll have to boil it too long

and there is a chance, too, of it splitting.

Coat the sea bass fillets in seasoned flour and fry in oil and butter.

I cook the white side down first,

particularly if I'm doing six fillets,

because if you do the skin side first, bits come off, you get flecks,

then you put the white side down on it and it doesn't look so good.

So that's why I do it that way round.

Now, I'm just going to have a look and see how it's doing.

Oh, that's a lovely colour.

To get the skin really crispy,

press the fish down and it will catch on the bottom.

To finish the sauce, add the juice of half a lemon,

a tablespoonful of capers and a good amount of chopped parsley.

And the main ingredient, these beautiful shrimps.

Do you know, I can't resist these.

They are absolutely delicious.

Not just one, I had about seven.

So, in they go, about 120g there.

What could be better than that?

To me, this sauce looks most tempting.

We've got lovely shrimps, then the finely sliced onion,

parsley and capers in a lovely creamy sauce.

I'm going to serve it up.

Oh, that looks a beautiful brown colour! Just perfect.

Pop that on the plate.

Now to my shrimp sauce.

Lots of shrimps on the side there.

That's it. I've got some piping-hot beans here.

Just there.

I think that looks so tempting.

I can't possibly not taste it.

That reminds me of the sea.

It takes me back to holidays.

One of my fondest childhood memories was eating ice cream by the sea.

On the Broadstairs seafront is an ice-cream parlour

just like the ones I remember.

-Hello, Mary.

-Marino.

-Really nice to meet you. How are you?

-I'm very well.

-This is amazing. It takes me all back in time.

-Yeah.

How long have you been making ice cream here?

We've been making ice cream in this place since 1932,

when my grandfather started.

And my great-grandfather started in 1907,

so we're in our fifth generation now.

Still very Art Deco with the Lloyd Loom chairs

and the special ceiling designs.

The one thing I remember from my childhood is knickerbocker glory,

and the ice cream was the most important part of that.

What's the secret about this ice cream?

I think the secret is just to keep making good,

traditional ice cream the old-fashioned way.

-May I see it being made?

-Yes, absolute pleasure, Mary.

I'll take you down. After you.

'Marino is taking me to meet Gino,

'who's been making gelato for 22 years.'

-Let's see how it's made.

-OK.

So, this one is the secret ingredient.

Milk, sugar, a dash of cream.

Our finest ice cream in Britain is made from custard, eggs and cream.

You describe ice cream. Here, we are making gelato.

'To make the gelato, milk, sugar and cream are pasteurised

'and cooled overnight. Then it's time to add the flavourings.'

What is the most unusual ingredient you use, that I would be surprised?

I made, earlier on, a couple of flavours for you.

You will try later.

-All right.

-They are a bit unusual.

But, you know, gelato is a form of art.

-Well, let's make some hazelnut.

-Yeah.

Gosh, it's pouring like silk.

Now we make the noisy part - we mix.

-We mix?

-Yeah.

'Once the flavours are mixed, it's time for it to churn.'

OK, push the gelato button.

-Yeah.

-Light's on, green for go.

-And how long will that take?

-Eight, ten minutes?

How much do you make today?

We... More than 150 litres per day.

So how many ice creams is that?

1,200.

-Can I try some?

-Of course.

Mmm! Do you know, that's as smooth as velvet.

Hazelnut is a firm favourite here, but nowadays,

people want something different.

And Gino is responsible for creating new combinations -

everything from gin and tonic to Cornish pasty.

-This one is marmalade on toast.

-Marmalade on toast?

It's my most favourite thing for breakfast.

Certainly tastes of marmalade!

And the next one is a bit more adventurous.

Gorgonzola and honey.

Now, that's very weird.

But it's really good!

It's strong, of Gorgonzola, too. I would like to end a meal with that.

With a glass of port!

-Fantastic.

-Thank you.

But before I go, there's just one thing I have to try -

my childhood favourite, knickerbocker glory.

A classic combination of fruit, ice cream and whipped cream. Wow!

Thank you so much.

This was my first visit to Broadstairs and I came here

in search of my old favourite, the knickerbocker glory.

Thank you very much for having me. You won't miss it, will you?

There's nothing that reminds me more of seaside holidays

than a knickerbocker glory.

And you don't have to come all the way to Broadstairs

to know how to make them.

I'm going to show you right now.

I really enjoyed that decadent knickerbocker glory in Broadstairs.

Gosh, it was good! I'm now going to recreate that for you to do at home.

First, a simple vanilla ice cream

that doesn't require an ice cream machine.

Separate four eggs and whisk the whites at full speed.

Slowly add 100g of sugar to make the meringue

that will be the base of the ice cream.

In go the egg yolks and you just mix them for a moment.

That's it. And this really is so stiff. So far, so simple.

Next, scrape the seeds from two vanilla pods

into 300ml of lightly whipped double cream.

Don't throw that away.

If you've got a pot of sugar in your kitchen, put it into the pot

and that will give a flavour to your sugar, you know,

if you're making custard or something.

And I'm just going to beat that. It's partly beaten.

Now I've got to fold the cream into this mixture.

Now, I have got volume in it.

I've got volume in the meringue, I've got volume in the cream.

That's why we don't have to rewhip it

and why we don't have to use an ice-cream machine.

So just fold that in.

And remember, folding, round the outside

and cut through the middle, until it's beautifully smooth.

That's going into the freezer. Minimum, eight hours, best overnight.

Now to the coulis -

a lovely puree that will drift through the ice cream.

I know you can buy it in a squeezy bottle

but it's not the same as home-made.

Measure 250g of fresh raspberries

and two tablespoons of icing sugar into a small processor.

And you just puree that.

Off with the lid.

And then I'm going to sieve that into a bowl.

The reason for sieving it, of course, is to get rid of the seeds.

I've got everything assembled, ready to make my knickerbocker glory.

This is the part I like most.

Begin with a layer of chopped mango, followed by a few blueberries,

then a trickle of the delicious raspberry coulis

and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This is a lovely consistency. Then just drop that into the middle there.

Then repeat the process.

I've got a couple of raspberries here that I kept back for a bit of colour.

Gosh, that looks good!

The crowning glory of a little bit of chopped nut

just over the top, like that.

This is my take on the classic seaside special, knickerbocker glory.

There!

That really does remind me of my childhood.

Next time...

-Don't you lose it now!

-Whoa, there you go! There's your fish.

..it's dishes inspired by my love of the countryside.