Here we have three Neven Maguire recipes that Mairead Lavery talks about in this week's editorial. The lamb was easy to make and fed 15 people with some to spare, while the desserts are also easy to make and are sure to be a big hit with your visitors
Butterflied leg of lamb with spiced yoghurt and mint
Serves four to six
This butterflied leg of lamb is the perfect choice for the barbecue, but it also works wonderfully in the oven. Your butcher will bone and butterfly it for you so that there is no waste at all.
1 x 3kg (6½lb) leg of lamb, boned and well trimmed, roughly 5cm (2in) thick
25g (1oz) fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
Four garlic cloves, finely chopped
6tbsp thick Greek yogurt
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp ground coriander
1tbsp mild chilli powder
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp coarsely ground black pepper sea salt
Lightly dressed green salad, to serve
Roast lamb from a previous Neven Maguire recipe. \ Philip Doyle
1 Place the lamb in a shallow non-metallic dish. Put the mint in a food processor with the lemon juice, garlic, yoghurt, olive oil, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground cumin and coarsely ground black pepper, then blitz until smooth. Rub all over the meat, then cover with cling film and chill overnight or leave to stand at room temperature for two to three hours if time is short. 2 Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark eight) or light a barbecue. 3 If the lamb has been chilled overnight, bring it back to room temperature. If cooking in the oven, place the lamb on a rack in a large roasting tin, cut side up, and season with salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 10 minutes for rare. Barbecue over medium-hot coals for about 50 minutes for medium-rare lamb, turning occasionally. Remove the lamb from the oven or barbecue and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. If you don’t like your lamb too pink, you can cover it with foil at this point and it will continue to cook. 4 To serve, carve the lamb into slices and arrange on plates with some lightly dressed salad.Peach tarte tatin with citrus mascarpone
Serves four
This is a very impressive dessert to get done in such a short time, but it’s definitely achievable by using the ready-to-roll puff pastry. Look out for the all-butter version, which more supermarkets are now stocking.
Three ripe peaches
50g (2oz) butter
50g (2oz) caster sugar
2tbsp cream
1tbsp brandy
320g (11oz) packet ready-to-roll
Puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Citrus mascarpone:
½tsp finely grated orange rind
½tsp finely grated lemon rind
100g (4oz) mascarpone cheese
2tbsp fresh orange juice
1-2tbsp sifted icing sugar
Peach tart. \ Thomas Gee
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark seven) and preheat the grill.2 Place the peaches in a pan of boiling water for one minute, remove, then plunge into cold water and peel away the skins. Cut into halves and remove the stones, then cut into quarters.3 Meanwhile, melt the butter with the sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for five to six minutes, beating continuously, until thickened and lightly golden. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for one minute, then stir in the cream, beating until smooth.4 Spoon into a shallow 20cm (8in) sandwich tin. Arrange the peach quarters on top, cut side up, and drizzle over the brandy.5 Unroll the puff pastry on a clean work surface and cut out a 25cm (10in) round section. Place over the peaches, pushing the edges down the side of the tin; trim off any excess pastry. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown.
6 Meanwhile, to make the citrus mascarpone, beat the orange and lemon rind into the mascarpone and then stir in the orange juice. Add enough of the icing sugar to sweeten.7 Preheat the grill to high (unless you have a kitchen blowtorch and can use that instead). Loosen the puff pastry from the tin with a knife. Cool, then turn onto a heatproof dish and quickly gratinate the top under the grill or with a blowtorch until caramelised. Serve cut into slices on warmed plates with quenelles of the citrus mascarpone.Summer berry pavlova
Looks gorgeous, tastes yummy - what more do you need for a summer dessert?
Four large egg whites at room temperature
Pinch of salt
225g/8oz caster sugar
2tsp corn flour
1tsp white wine vinegar
Four drops of natural vanilla essence
For the filling:
One punnet strawberries
One punnet of raspberries
250ml cream
Rind of one orange
One vanilla pod
1oz icing sugar
Other seasonal berries to decorate
You could also think about serving your meringues and fresh fruit as small sundaes. \ Philip Doyle
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark two/fan oven 130°C.2 Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment and draw on a nine-inch circle.3 Make the meringue in a large clean bowl. Whisk the egg whites and salt into stiff peaks. Slowly add the sugar, a third at a time, whisking well between each addition until the mixture is stiffened and shiny.4 Sprinkle in the corn flour, vinegar and vanilla, fold in gently with a metal spoon.5 Pile the meringue onto the paper circle and make a deep hollow in the centre. Put in the oven and reduce heat to 120°C/gas ½/fan oven 100°C. Cook for 1½ to two hours, until pale brown but a little soft in the centre.6 Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and cool completely.To make the filling:
8 Whip the cream with vanilla seeds, icing sugar and orange rind until thick. Slice the fruit if necessary.9 Peel the paper off the pavlova and transfer to a plate. Pile on the cream mixture, put the fruit on top, garnish with mint and serve.
Here we have three Neven Maguire recipes that Mairead Lavery talks about in this week's editorial. The lamb was easy to make and fed 15 people with some to spare, while the desserts are also easy to make and are sure to be a big hit with your visitors
Butterflied leg of lamb with spiced yoghurt and mint
Serves four to six
This butterflied leg of lamb is the perfect choice for the barbecue, but it also works wonderfully in the oven. Your butcher will bone and butterfly it for you so that there is no waste at all.
1 x 3kg (6½lb) leg of lamb, boned and well trimmed, roughly 5cm (2in) thick
25g (1oz) fresh mint, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
Four garlic cloves, finely chopped
6tbsp thick Greek yogurt
4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp ground coriander
1tbsp mild chilli powder
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp coarsely ground black pepper sea salt
Lightly dressed green salad, to serve
Roast lamb from a previous Neven Maguire recipe. \ Philip Doyle
1 Place the lamb in a shallow non-metallic dish. Put the mint in a food processor with the lemon juice, garlic, yoghurt, olive oil, ground coriander, chilli powder, ground cumin and coarsely ground black pepper, then blitz until smooth. Rub all over the meat, then cover with cling film and chill overnight or leave to stand at room temperature for two to three hours if time is short. 2 Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark eight) or light a barbecue. 3 If the lamb has been chilled overnight, bring it back to room temperature. If cooking in the oven, place the lamb on a rack in a large roasting tin, cut side up, and season with salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then turn over and roast for another 10 minutes for rare. Barbecue over medium-hot coals for about 50 minutes for medium-rare lamb, turning occasionally. Remove the lamb from the oven or barbecue and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. If you don’t like your lamb too pink, you can cover it with foil at this point and it will continue to cook. 4 To serve, carve the lamb into slices and arrange on plates with some lightly dressed salad.Peach tarte tatin with citrus mascarpone
Serves four
This is a very impressive dessert to get done in such a short time, but it’s definitely achievable by using the ready-to-roll puff pastry. Look out for the all-butter version, which more supermarkets are now stocking.
Three ripe peaches
50g (2oz) butter
50g (2oz) caster sugar
2tbsp cream
1tbsp brandy
320g (11oz) packet ready-to-roll
Puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Citrus mascarpone:
½tsp finely grated orange rind
½tsp finely grated lemon rind
100g (4oz) mascarpone cheese
2tbsp fresh orange juice
1-2tbsp sifted icing sugar
Peach tart. \ Thomas Gee
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/gas mark seven) and preheat the grill.2 Place the peaches in a pan of boiling water for one minute, remove, then plunge into cold water and peel away the skins. Cut into halves and remove the stones, then cut into quarters.3 Meanwhile, melt the butter with the sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for five to six minutes, beating continuously, until thickened and lightly golden. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for one minute, then stir in the cream, beating until smooth.4 Spoon into a shallow 20cm (8in) sandwich tin. Arrange the peach quarters on top, cut side up, and drizzle over the brandy.5 Unroll the puff pastry on a clean work surface and cut out a 25cm (10in) round section. Place over the peaches, pushing the edges down the side of the tin; trim off any excess pastry. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown.
6 Meanwhile, to make the citrus mascarpone, beat the orange and lemon rind into the mascarpone and then stir in the orange juice. Add enough of the icing sugar to sweeten.7 Preheat the grill to high (unless you have a kitchen blowtorch and can use that instead). Loosen the puff pastry from the tin with a knife. Cool, then turn onto a heatproof dish and quickly gratinate the top under the grill or with a blowtorch until caramelised. Serve cut into slices on warmed plates with quenelles of the citrus mascarpone.Summer berry pavlova
Looks gorgeous, tastes yummy - what more do you need for a summer dessert?
Four large egg whites at room temperature
Pinch of salt
225g/8oz caster sugar
2tsp corn flour
1tsp white wine vinegar
Four drops of natural vanilla essence
For the filling:
One punnet strawberries
One punnet of raspberries
250ml cream
Rind of one orange
One vanilla pod
1oz icing sugar
Other seasonal berries to decorate
You could also think about serving your meringues and fresh fruit as small sundaes. \ Philip Doyle
1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark two/fan oven 130°C.2 Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment and draw on a nine-inch circle.3 Make the meringue in a large clean bowl. Whisk the egg whites and salt into stiff peaks. Slowly add the sugar, a third at a time, whisking well between each addition until the mixture is stiffened and shiny.4 Sprinkle in the corn flour, vinegar and vanilla, fold in gently with a metal spoon.5 Pile the meringue onto the paper circle and make a deep hollow in the centre. Put in the oven and reduce heat to 120°C/gas ½/fan oven 100°C. Cook for 1½ to two hours, until pale brown but a little soft in the centre.6 Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and cool completely.To make the filling:
8 Whip the cream with vanilla seeds, icing sugar and orange rind until thick. Slice the fruit if necessary.9 Peel the paper off the pavlova and transfer to a plate. Pile on the cream mixture, put the fruit on top, garnish with mint and serve. 
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