Good mood food

Heat the sunflower oil along with a good knob of butter and when it is good and hot, fry the cutlets on each side for about five minutes, until nice and golden brown. Serve them on a platter along with the basil sauce.

Basil sauce

1 egg yolk

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tsp Dijon mustard

75 ml olive oil

Splash of anchovy essence, or few squirts of Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Few basil leaves, very finely sliced

Few squirts Tabasco sauce

In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with the garlic clove and the mustard. It will form the base to which you slowly whisk in a few drops of olive oil. Continue in a thin stream and you should feel it start to thicken. Add about half the olive oil and then season with the anchovy essence and the red wine vinegar. Then start adding the rest of the oil, which will thicken it up a bit more.

Season really well and add the basil leaves and Tabasco. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you can tone it down by adding 25mls sunflower oil, or more olive oil. You can make this a few hours ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

PLUM, GINGER AND OAT CRUMBLE

Serves at least six

700g plums

160g butter

2 balls of stem ginger (in syrup)

Good pinch cinnamon

Good pinch allspice

175g Demerara sugar

120g porridge oats

50g flour

2 tbsp Golden Syrup

100ml cream

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas 4. Cut the plums in half, remove the stones and place in a saucepan with a good knob of the 160g of butter and saute for about 10 minutes with the ginger, cinnamon and allspice, until they are becoming soft. Then put them in a suitable gratin dish, so they form a decent layer. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of the 175g of sugar.

In another bowl, mix the remaining 140g or so of Demerara sugar with the oats and flour.

Melt the remaining 140g butter and add the syrup and cream. Whisk this and then pour on to the oats and flour mixture. Mix well and then spoon on top of the plums and bake for at least 50 minutes.

You may need to cover the top with tinfoil. Bake until golden brown and then let it sit for a bit before you serve it. Serve with vanilla cream or a blob of vanilla ice cream.

dkemp@irishtimes.com

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