2 chilled soups (pea with mint (nigella lawson forever summer) and leek with lemon grass (waitrose cooking witht the seasons); served with a warm twice cooked cheese souffle (variation of a delia smith summer cooking theme).

Then chicken with lemon and garlic, with greeen beans

And dessert – has to be figs; 2 variations (obviously I’m in “duo” mode; figs baked in montbazillac; and figs stewed with cassis and spices (4 spices, ginger, cinnamon) served with almond macaroons (made in the newly acquired 20 year old Kenwood Chef – so easy!) and vanilla fromage frais.

On va se regaler!

Lots of variations on a theme – I’ll add variations as I come across them.
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Figs in sweet Beaume de Venise muscat wine

8 fresh figs
1/2 bottle of beaumes de venise
strip of lemon zest
1 vanilla pod

stab the figs 2 or 3 times, and gently poach covered 5 – 10 mins in the simmering wine, lemon zest and vanilla pod. Use a wide frying pan that will take them in a single layer. Drain, remove lemon and vanilla, reduce liquid, pour over figs, cool.

Alternatively, cut them through into quarters, but not right the way through the core; put into baking dish with montbazillac (sweet desset wine); or rasteau, or even cassis; bake … and I serve at room temperature.

Serve with creme fraiche, creme anglaise (vanilla custart), or vanilla icecream.

Or vanilla fromage frais, or any of the varieties of not quite yoghurt/not quite cream/not quite cheese stuff that fill the dairy of shelves of french supermarkets (and range from 0% through to 33% fat content). Just add sugar and the vanilla seeds from a vanilla pod