Soft and Crisp Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking

'I'm Nigel Slater.

'I don't think cooking needs to be about expensive ingredients and hours of work.

'Sometimes the simplest combinations are the best.

'That's what this series is all about.

'Think sweet and sour, soft and crisp, surf and turf.'

It's just a way to turn very humble ingredients into something that's actually really exciting to eat.

'I'll be cooking favourite dishes and experimenting with some new ones.'

And it's the textures that make that so special for me.

'Some ingredients are just made to be together.

'Understand why and you'll transform your cooking.'

It's salty, it's refreshing all at once. It's everything I want a mouthful of food to be.

'Today I'm looking at soft and crisp.'

It's about textures that work together.

Get them right and you can turn a simple supper into a great one.

'Contrasting textures in a mouthful can really bring a recipe to life.

'Soft and crisp are both lovely on their own,

'but put them together and the results are heavenly.

-'And I'm not the only one who thinks so.'

-That's amazing.

The real origin of my love of things crisp and soft together was pizza.

That crisp, slightly burnt crust

and then the soft, melting cheese on top.

You can't beat a good pizza. But I don't always want to be making one.

'So I want to start by experimenting with traditional pizza textures

'to see what happens if I assemble them in a different way.

'I'm going to try a really simple mixture of soft tomatoes

'and mozzarella topped with a crisp parmesan crust.

'Firstly I'm going to make the crust.

'Use perfectly ripe tomatoes.

'Discard the watery seeds and chop into small pieces.'

When I think of flavours that work together,

the first one that comes off the top of my head is tomato and basil.

I can't think of two flavours

that work together quite as well as these two.

In a sauce, in a salad, in a soup, it's endless.

'For the crust to have crunch, add breadcrumbs.

It helps if the bread's a bit stale.

'Don't blitz them too finely.'

The crunchiness for this dish partly relies on different sizes of crumbs.

So, some fine and some a little bit coarser.

'The final ingredient for the crust

'is a good handful of freshly-grated parmesan.'

Tomatoes, basil, parmesan,

they're three ingredients happy to hold hands.

They love being in each other's company. Be generous.

Little bit of black pepper.

And then just a trickle of oil.

This time it really does have to be olive.

And then that sits under a hot grill until it starts to crisp.

This is buffalo mozzarella,

and it really is the only mozzarella worth using for this. It's creamy.

And you can slice it if you like,

it'll go a little bit further if you do.

But I like to tear it apart.

And you get smooth skin on the outside,

and then this rough but soft inside.

That's the bit I really love. I'm going to make a little dressing for that.

'Nothing complicated, just basil whizzed up with some flat-leaf parsley and olive oil.'

This isn't a fancy sauce.

It's green herbs and olive oil.

We've got quite a lot of other flavours going on in the crust.

'I love the combination of the milky white cheese

'and the vibrant green dressing.

'Everyone's got a favourite pizza topping.

'Today I fancy a few slices of salami,

'but Parma ham would work as well.'

There's no great surprises here,

we know these flavours, we know they work.

They've been used together for ever.

So all this is very, very soft.

I want my crisp crust to go with it.

'Keep an eye on the crisp topping.

'It's done when the breadcrumbs and parmesan are golden brown.'

It smells amazing, so I'm really hoping

my upside-down pizza will come together

in a marriage of soft and crisp.

It's everything I want food to be.

It's familiar - I know and love these ingredients,

and they marry perfectly together.

But it's something new, it's something different,

just a tiny little change to something I know and love.

When you take ingredients like these,

that are meant to be together, it's fun to experiment.

And by drawing inspiration from a pizza,

I've made a simple mozzarella and tomato salad

into a sublime supper.

Soft, melting cheese goes particularly well

with something crisp.

Think of a slice of cheese on toast just catching at the edges,

or a piece of goat's cheese on a cracker.

But there are other, similar combinations that work really well,

and after coming up with something new,

I think it's time to look at a classic.

One soft and crisp recipe

that never fails to please is a pie.

It's that moment of crunchy crust and a soft filling.

It doesn't matter to me whether it's sweet or savoury,

as long as it's a pie.

What IS essential is getting that light and flaky pastry

with something soft inside.

And butternut squash works beautifully in a pie.

Scoop out the seeds and the fibres -

they're of no use, but they're very good on the compost.

'Cut the flesh into equal-sized chunks so it cooks evenly.'

'Butternut squash takes ages to roast in the oven,

'so I'm giving this a head start, by steaming it first.'

I haven't got a proper steamer.

So I make one

with a kitchen colander balanced over a pot of hot water.

You pop that on to steam...

..for about 20 minutes or so.

'Next, it's going to get a roasting.

'Olive oil or groundnut would work. I'm using rapeseed.'

And for a little bit of richness, I'm going to add some butter.

There's masses of natural sugar in any of the squash family,

and I want to caramelise that sweetness in the oven.

A little bit of cinnamon - it works beautifully with the pumpkin family.

'It isn't just a spice for sweet recipes,

'it adds a depth to savoury dishes, like this one.'

The important thing for any pie

is to have a crisp pastry and to have soft filling.

And so I'm going to mash my squash.

Then that goes in the oven for about half an hour.

'Next, the crust.

'I'm going to use puff pastry for my pie -

'light as a feather and crisp.

'It's nice to make it from scratch, but I often use readymade.'

Give it an extra roll.

Although this is really thin and ready-rolled,

I want it to be even thinner and crisper.

I want these edges to stick together firmly.

So I'm going to brush them with a little big of egg wash.

Pop the other piece of pastry on top of that,

and then just press the edges round very firmly to seal them.

Two or three slits in the top will let the steam out.

Although I do like a really crisp crust and a soft filling,

I also like that bit just underneath the top bit of the crust,

where the filling or the sauce meets the pastry.

It's partly crisp and partly soft, and it's sublime.

Then into a really hot oven.

That'll take 20 minutes or so.

'You can't rush a pie.

'There's no shortcut when waiting for the filling to cook through,

'and the pastry to turn gold.

'Patience is all.'

I've got a crisp crust there.

It is that thing,

of something...very soft and fluffy

encased in something crisp and crunchy -

textures that just work.

Don't be scared of pastry.

Take that little shortcut with good quality ready made

and you'll still get a brilliant result.

When you get that combination of luscious and crunchy right,

a pie is a thing of beauty.

And the simpler, the better.

I've always found the combination of sunshine and sea air

makes me hungry.

I've come Brighton to meet a couple

who run a sea front takeaway with a difference.

When I met Jack, he was a part-time fisherman.

And then I started going fishing with him,

I really took to the sea, I liked the sea anyway,

but it's lovely to work down here.

Jack and Linda Mills have been together for 45 years.

For the last 15, they've run

a popular takeaway shop right on Brighton beach.

We know all the fishermen,

so the fishermen bring the fish into the harbour,

which is always freshly caught, and it comes from the harbour to us.

And then we fillet it, brine it and then smoke it.

And, of course, the next day people love it, it's lovely and fresh.

Jack's granddad was a fishsmoker so when Jack retired,

opening a smoke house seemed like a good idea.

Although things got off to a slow start.

The first time we opened, we took about £7 and we thought,

"We've done it wrong. We've done it all wrong."

From then, it has blossomed, it's grown and grown and grown.

We meet lots of nice people, it's really, really good.

Linda's going to share the secrets of one of her bestsellers -

an incredibly simple mackerel pate.

It's a "no cook no fuss" recipe.

She starts off with breadcrumbs.

So do you get through a lot of this in the summer then?

I use a batch every day.

I'll cut some of our home-grown shallots.

So they're from your garden? Well done.

They are very successful this year.

I'll do the mackerel.

In theory, there shouldn't be any bones left.

-But you give it a quick check for bones?

-Yes.

Cos you can be really, really careful about getting the bones out

and yet, somebody will always find one.

That's the way, isn't it?

Fish has bones.

-Some people are better at finding bones than others.

-Possibly, yes.

I'll just add the mackerel.

Whizz that up.

Then she adds some dry sherry.

-I don't put a lot in.

-No.

-We're not trying to get people drunk.

Would you like to put a bit of toast on for us?

-Certainly, yes.

-We'll have it with nice, hot toast.

Finally Linda pours in some single cream.

Well, I quite like it that consistency, which is quite enough.

So it's just about to fall off the spoon,

that sort of, on the edge.

-Black pepper.

-Black pepper.

And that is ready.

What's lovely is the way everything here is so simple.

Well, I always believe in not complicating food.

Simple food is so much better.

Especially, when the raw ingredient is just so spot on and so perfect...

-Why spoil it?

-Exactly.

-Are we done?

-Yes.

-Have we got a plate? Got a nice plate?

Let me give you a taste of that, you can see what you think.

I like my toast when it's very brown round the edges like that.

-Adds flavour.

-Certainly does.

-It's simple.

-And it's easy for anybody to make.

It's half a dozen ingredients and some gorgeous fish.

It's that marriage of something very soft and something crisp.

-Yes.

-And it just works.

-It just works.

A day at the seaside has brought back memories of the things I used

to eat on holiday when I was young.

They always tasted extra special.

I've come up with my take on a childhood favourite -

poached pears with a cream and biscuit filling.

When I was a kid, we used to go on holiday

to the same place every year. And I looked forward to it

because the place we stayed at had this dessert that was

pears with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

And it was one of my favourite things

and this is just a grown-up version of that.

Made with fresh pears.

Not canned, which they were in those days.

Poach the pears in sugar syrup.

A little lemon juice will stop them going brown.

I'm adding a vanilla pod,

but a few drops of vanilla extract would work too.

When the pears have been simmering in their syrup,

for about 15-20 minutes, just test them with the point of a knife

to make sure they're really, really soft and tender.

They should be on the verge of collapse.

Let the pears cool in the syrup

and then put them in the fridge to chill while preparing the filling.

I like to whip cream by hand,

so I can stop the second it reaches the perfect texture.

Take no notice of anybody who says whip it to firm peaks.

That's too far.

You want it to be soft and voluptuous.

It should just hold its shape on the whisk.

I don't want to whip it any more than that.

And then keep that really cold.

And I've got the lovely soft fruit, I've got the softly whipped cream,

but I want something crunchy as a change of texture.

For that I use some expensive biscuits.

They can be anything, sometimes brandy snaps,

sometimes ginger biscuits with chocolate on them.

Sometimes just little Florentines.

Which ever ones you use the only really important thing about them

is that they're crisp and crunchy.

You only need a few of these lovely biscuits.

A little goes a long way.

And I'm filling these very generously because, you know,

it's a pudding, it's special.

I'm just going to go for it.

The final indulgence. A trickle of melted dark chocolate.

I'm going to pop that in the fridge,

just so that last bit of chocolate goes crisp on top of the cream.

I can't think of a better way to round off an evening meal.

But the perk of being the cook means I don't have to wait that long.

I mean, of course the flavours work, they're classics.

It's the textures that make that so special for me.

It's the crisp biscuits, the soft cream, it's the juicy pears

and then that last little bit of very crisp chocolate on top.

It's truly, truly gorgeous.

This sweet treat is a delight to make.

And even more enjoyable to eat.

A childhood memory made real.

I'm back in Brighton with Linda and Jack who run a seafront smokehouse.

I want to cook them a quick snack

that's a wonderful combination of soft and crisp.

Light sweetcorn fritters topped with cream cheese.

-Lovely.

-Oh, we love sweetcorn.

-Self contained foods.

-I know!

-They're just ripe, too, they're lovely.

-I can never grow them.

We grow them, but they're not highly successful.

They're tricky, aren't they? And they take up a bit of space.

I thought it would be quite fun to make some little cakes with them.

And I know you can buy them in a bag,

-but there's something about fresh sweetcorn.

-It's much nicer.

Oops, didn't mean to shower you with them.

This is an incredibly simple recipe,

you almost can't call it a recipe, but it's delicious nevertheless.

I'll put an egg in there.

I'm making a simple batter by adding an egg

and some self-raising flour straight into the corn.

I suppose about a tablespoon, heaped.

To make the batter even lighter, add an extra egg white.

It's funny that thing that I've always known that eating outside,

for me, it's the best seasoning of the lot, is fresh air.

But actually cooking outside is something

that I discovered not so long ago

and now it's like any excuse.

I'll get the little camp stove going.

Whisk up the egg white in a second bowl

and then fold it into the sweetcorn batter.

All lovely and light.

What I'm hoping to do is just almost suspend the crunchy sweetcorn

kernels in a very soft, little pancake.

So that you get a little bit of soft pancake

and then the crisp kernels.

-That's what I'm hoping to do. We'll see.

-It looks crispy.

I'm going to keep the heat in...

with a bit of boy scout stuff.

-That's a brilliant idea.

-It'll work.

-It's lovely to eat outside cos you can have fun.

-It's part of it.

There's something very British about this.

The other thing that works for me

with sweetcorn every time is black pepper.

A lovely thing to use the stone, it's what you call logical thinking.

You know, you think you've packed everything!

Peppery cream cheese is the perfect topping.

Very nice too. Made me hungry.

We're just about done.

Cooking outdoors is always a bit of an adventure.

No matter how organised you think you are.

-All these little chaps here.

-They look lovely. Amazing.

-Would you like some cream cheese?

-Yes, please.

I'll put some on the top there.

-I'll just pass that over to you.

-Thank you.

I can't wait to taste this.

Very nice. Amazing.

It's crunchy.

The sweetcorn actually cooks for such a short time in the pan,

so it still stays really crisp and crunchy.

That's amazing, that's really nice.

Simple recipes are definitely the best way to experiment with textures.

Check out the website for lots more information on all of these ideas.

Soft fish works with a brittle coating.

I want to use those classic textures in a crabcake.

And alongside, a chip shop favourite, mushy peas.

Just a few ingredients, easy to make and so delicious.

To start, I'll need equal amounts of brown and white crab meat.

You can buy it from a fishmonger or supermarket.

I like to give them a bit of zip, and for that I use citrus notes,

like lemongrass and lime.

The lemongrass needs chopping as finely as possible,

and I'm going to use the juice and the zest of the lime.

Crab is a really rich ingredient.

You need flavours in there that will lighten it up, give it some life.

So anything hot or citrus-y works beautifully.

And then the juice.

Lime and ginger, and lemongrass.

There just has to be chilli in there as well.

Put as much or as little as you like.

For this recipe, I want the flavour of chilli, but not the heat.

So discard the seeds and chop finely.

To complement the flavours of lemongrass and lime,

ginger and chilli, add finely sliced spring onions

and a handful of shredded coriander.

A beaten egg and breadcrumbs will bind the mixture.

But also they'll give lovely crunchy bits as they fry in the pan.

Just softly push them together.

Now, those little chaps need to go in the fridge

for a good half an hour,

so all the ingredients get to know one another

and they firm up a little bit.

I want something quite substantial with my little crabcakes,

so a nice pile of pea puree.

Use fresh or frozen.

I'm going to put a bit of mint in with those.

Add a little olive oil or melted butter, and it's done.

It couldn't be simpler.

So once you see the oil start to shimmer,

you know it's hot enough to put the cakes in.

There's always a huge temptation to fiddle with things

that are frying, to poke them and move them around,

but if you do that too much then you won't get a crust

forming on the bottom, because it won't get a chance,

so I just leave them be.

It's best if you can turn them in one swift, very sure move.

They might break up, it's not the end of the world.

There's lots of flavourings from afar in those,

lemongrass and chillies, and I want something that...

will bring them back down to earth, and mushy peas is the way to go.

It's so fine, that crisp crust.

It's absolutely featherlight,

and then inside, this wonderful soft crab with citrus notes.

It's a long way from fish and chips, but it really is quite heavenly.

This recipe is very adaptable.

Try different types of fish.

If you don't like the coriander, try a handful of chopped parsley.

The main thing to remember is don't move the fishcakes around the pan.

You want to make sure you end up with soft fish

with that gorgeous chip shop crunch.

Soft and crisp,

textures that are great on their own but just so wonderful together.

So when you cook, if you think about mixing textures as well as flavours,

you'll transform the dishes that you make.

Next time, I'll be looking at sugar and spice.

They're taste sensations that are perfectly matched,

and not just in delectable desserts.

They also help make some savoury dishes into delicious treats.

Sugar and spice, and absolutely gorgeous.

It's like heaven on a spoon.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk