Make a meal out of corned beef – and then try an 18th-century dessert, says Clare Latimer

CORNED Beef Hash sounds like a less than glamorous dish but it is now served in some of the smarter London restaurants – but at a price. It is so easy and cheap to make, I advise that you cook this one at home only.
As for Honeycomb Mould, it is a well and truly forgotten dessert and is one of the most wonderful puddings. Have a go and if you have any old jelly moulds hanging on the kitchen wall or in a forgotten cupboard they are ideal for this sweet.
Corned Beef Hash
A perfect supper dish and very good with a fried egg on top. If you need somewhere to buy your chutney we have some of the best in London.
All the ingredients are grown in a walled garden in Somerset. You can’t get much better than that!
Serves 4

Ingredients
700g of potatoes, peeled and diced;
Salt;
50g of butter;
Milk for mashing;
Freshly ground black pepper;
A 350g tin corned beef;
Two medium onions, peeled and sliced;
Oil for frying;
A dollop of good chutney.

Method
Preheat the oven 200C 400F Gas mark 6. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add the butter and as much milk as you need to make the mash fluffy and smooth. Season to taste with pepper then, using a fork, roughly mash in the corned beef.
Put the mixture into an ovenproof dish and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the onions in the oil until soft and serve with the hot hash and some chutney.

Honeycomb Mould
This is an original recipe from the 1700s but if you want to spice it up a bit then add a spoonful of runny honey, a little fresh grated nutmeg and a splash of West Country Mead or brandy. To serve at a dinner party, make in single portion moulds and serve on a tablespoon of sieved raspberry or blackberry puree.
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
One pint of full fat milk;
Three eggs, separated;
50g of caster sugar;
A few drops of vanilla essence;
One dessertspoon of
gelatine;
Two tablespoons of water.

Method
Put the milk into a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Put the egg yolks and caster sugar into a bowl and pour on the milk, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and whisk over a low heat for a few minutes. Add the vanilla essence.
Using a small saucepan soak the gelatine in the water for a few minutes, heat it gently until runny and then stir it into the milk mixture. Leave to cook for 15 minutes.
Whisk the egg whites until very stiff and fold then into the cool custard.
Pour into a mould and leave to set in the fridge. Turn out when ready to eat.

Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill, NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk