A Green Feast

Cheese sauce Melt the butter in a saucepan, then take it off the heat. Stir in the flour to a smooth paste. Add the milk and honey, and season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to the boil and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Grate the cheese and stir it in until melted. Serve straight away.

Batter Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the water and whisk to a smooth batter. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the batter to make it light and airy.

Frying Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F); a thermometer is essential for keeping an eye on the temperature. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Dip them in the batter and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper for a minute. They are best eaten straight away, while they are really crisp. If you fry in batches, you can keep them warm in the oven at 100°C (210°F) for 10–15 minutes until all the batches are done. Any longer and they turn soft.

Pea purée Cook the peas in lightly salted water for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Drain, add the cream and blend with a stick blender to a smooth purée. Season with salt.

Beetroot patties Parboil the beetroots in boiling water for 10–15 minutes. Drain, let them cool a little, then grate them coarsely. Mix with the eggs to an even mixture. Shape into patties and fry them in butter.

Chèvre sauce Bring the stock, cream and honey to the boil. Finely chop the chèvre and stir it in until all the cheese has melted. Blend with a stick blender until smooth, then stir in the cornflour and bring the sauce back to the boil so it thickens. Taste, and add a little salt if the stock and cheese need it.

Ice cream Bring the cream and milk to the boil, add the tea and simmer for a couple of minutes. Don’t let it simmer for too long, as it turns bitter. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and raw sugar until really pale and fluffy, then stir in the tea mixture. Heat gently, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken; this happens at 80–85°C (175–185°F). As soon as it has thickened, cool it in an ice-cold water bath. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks and fold it into the cold mixture to make the ice cream lighter. Churn in an ice cream maker until done.

Coconut crunch Whisk the eggs, sugar and room-temperature butter together; the mixture shouldn’t be whisked too stiff. Add the flour and coconut and mix well. Spoon small cookies onto baking paper and bake at 175°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack.

Serving Place a couple of scoops of ice cream on a plate and scatter over a few crushed coconut cookies. Any cookies left over will be delicious with your morning coffee the next day.