Try something exotic for your next barbecue, says Michael Smith, of the Three Chimneys restaurant on Skye
With a bit of luck you’ll be able to get the barbecue out this month. Instead of sticking to the usual salad to go with chicken, burgers and sausages, try serving spicy cous cous as it goes beautifully with barbecued food.
Cous cous is misunderstood in this country as people tend to think it’s bland. But as this recipe from my late mother-in-law, Monique, shows, it is anything but.
Monique, who was French, created this healthy dish, which has North African influences – and it’s that exotic hint of Africa that makes it so delicious.
For dessert, I’ve selected a classic chocolate mousse tart. If you have the time, and enjoy baking, then make the sweet pastry base yourself, but the mousse is so rich and delicious I’d suggest you either make your own base using ready-made and rolled pastry or buy a cooked tart case.
If you don’t want to make one large tart for sharing (or a couple of smaller tarts), then the mousse mixture can be baked and served in shallow ramekins – there’s enough mousse here to make four generous portions.
One thing you must not skimp on is the chocolate. Buy the best-quality chocolate you can afford, with at least a 70% cocoa content.
The tart is a bit of a showstopper but, as it takes less than 20 minutes to make (if you’re using a pre-made base), then I suggest you don’t keep it just for special occasions.
MONIQUE’S MARVELLOUS COUS COUS
SERVES 4 AS A SIDE DISH
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
Small piece of leek, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
Small nub root ginger, peeled and grated
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
Tablespoon each sunflower and sesame seeds
Ras el hanout (spice)
Fresh mint and coriander, chopped
150g cous cous
180ml warm stock (chicken or veg)
Heat a broad-based shallow pot with lid on a medium to low heat.
Add some rapeseed oil and gently fry the chopped vegetables with the lid on for 3 minutes or until soft. Now add the garlic, chilli and ginger. Cook and mix for 1 minute.
Next, add and mix in the spice (to taste) and then the cous cous.
Mix well over the heat for another minute to “toast” the cous cous. Now add the stock while shoogling the pan so as no clumps form.
Immediately place the lid on and pull off the heat.
Set aside with the lid on for 7 minutes, then remove the lid and gently fork and fluff the cous cous to separate the grains. Now gently mix in the herbs and serve in a warm bowl.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TART
SERVES 6
300g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)
200g butter (unsalted)
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
A little cocoa powder and icing sugar to dust
1 pre-cooked tart case appox 20cm diameter
Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of warm water and melt completely.
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until a light and fluffy sabayon.
Fold one third of the sabayon into the melted chocolate mixture and then fold this mixture into the remaining sabayon until evenly coloured.
Either pour this mixture into the pastry case or into four ramekins and bake in a preheated oven to 170C. Allow 7 minutes for the ramekins or 10 minutes if the mousse is in the pastry tart.
Remove from the oven and allow the tart to cool at room temperature. If the tart is still a little soft, put it into the refrigerator for a few minutes.
Serve the ramekins from the oven, dust with the cocoa and icing sugar and serve with creme and perhaps some fruit such as raspberries or the seeds of passion fruit.