Ingredients

Serves 4

Fast-Roast Chicken with Oranges, Black Olive and Parsley
1 orange
4 poussin (small chickens) around 500g each
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
12 black olives
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
1 tbsp thyme sprigs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet potato, large
250 ml white wine or stock
Sea salt and pepper
Half cup flat parsley leaves

 

Fruit and Flower Trifle
500 ml rose or light red wine
150 g sugar
2 sheets titanium strength gelatin leaves (or 4 tsp instant)
8 sponge finger biscuits
100 ml fresh orange juice
75 ml Cointreau
250 g fresh ricotta
150 g low-fat yoghurt
3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
250 g strawberries, hulled
1 cup edible flowers e.g. nasturtiums, sweet peas, heart’s ease

Method

Fast-Roast Chicken with Oranges, Black Olive and Parsley
Golden roast baby chicken (known as poussin or spatchcock) is infused with the sunny freshness of oranges and white wine, spiked with the Mediterranean flavours of black olives, cherry tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Cut finely, the sweet potato bakes into golden, lightly scorched ruffles of goodness.

Heat the oven to 200°C. Cut 2 big cheeks off the orange, and cut each into 3 or 4 wedges. Squeeze the remaining orange flesh until you have 2 tablespoons juice.
Using a sharp knife, cut right down one side of the backbone, then the other and remove backbone. Turn the poussin over and lay skin-side up on the bench and press down on the breastbone to flatten, then cut down one side of the breastbone to give two halves.
Arrange cut-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Scatter with sea salt and pepper, fennel seeds, oregano, olives, cherry tomatoes, orange segments, garlic, and most of the thyme. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons orange juice and half the olive oil, and pour the white wine around the chicken. Finely slice the sweet potato, toss in remaining olive oil, sea salt and pepper and arrange on a second lined tray. Bake the poussin and sweet potato for 40 minutes or until golden.
Strew the poussin with parsley and remaining thyme and serve with the sweet potato ruffles, oranges and the pan juices.

 

Fruit and Flower Trifle
A free-range sort of trifle that can be served in individual glasses or a fine glass bowl.
Make the jelly a day ahead, and it’s easy to put together on the day. Any edible flowers should not have been sprayed with chemicals.

Bring the rose wine and sugar to the boil, stirring, then remove from the heat.
Soak gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes until softened, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Whisk the gelatin into the warm wine until dissolved, then leave to cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Break up the sponge finger biscuits and soak in 60 ml orange juice and 75 ml Cointreau.
Whisk the ricotta, yoghurt, icing sugar and 1 to 2 tbsp of the remaining orange juice together until light and creamy. Cut the strawberries into quarters lengthwise.
Scatter the soaked biscuits on the base of each serving glass or bowl, then cover with spoonfuls of jelly, then a scattering of strawberries then ricotta cream. Top with more biscuits, ricotta cream, and then jelly. Scatter with strawberries and refrigerate before serving, up to four hours. Scatter (generously) with edible flowers and serve.