Ben says: “There’s something so wonderfully comforting and therapeutic about the whole process of roasting a chicken. This exquisite Provençal version sets sweet roasted grapes and fragrantly aromatic rosemary as a backdrop to the salty chicken.

“My friend Christophe, also vegetable supplier extraordinaire to my restaurants, hails from a small village just outside of Arles. He is forever proudly boasting that all the local households prepare an unbeatable version of this recipe when grapes from the harvest are abundant and in danger of going to waste. This is mostly his mum’s recipe.”

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 red onion, unpeeled and cut into quarters
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half widthways
• 1 oven-ready, free-range chicken, about 1.8kg
• olive oil
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
• ½ unwaxed lemon
• 700g seedless red or black grapes, ideally on their stalks
• 200ml dry red wine
• 300ml chicken stock (fresh or homemade is best)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7.

Put the onion and one half of the garlic bulb in a deep roasting tin. Rub the chicken with olive oil, then season all over and inside the cavity with salt and pepper. Place one rosemary sprig, the lemon half and the remaining garlic bulb half in the cavity. Place the chicken on the onion and garlic and transfer the tin to the oven. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, or until the skin has started to brown nicely and caramelise.

Reduce the temperature to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Scatter around the grapes and remaining rosemary sprigs, and pour around the wine and half the stock. Continue roasting for a further 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through – it should be crisp and golden on the outside and the juices should run clear when the thigh is pierced.

Transfer the chicken to a rimmed plate, cover with kitchen foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Do not turn off the oven.

Meanwhile, strain all the juices from the roasting tin into a saucepan and put the grapes back in the tin and return to the oven. Roast for a further 5 minutes, or until they are sticky and begin to caramelise.

Add the remaining stock to the saucepan and boil for 10 minutes, or until the juices have reduced and thickened. Serve the chicken with the sticky, sweet grapes and the sauce for pouring over at the table.

Ben says: “A culinary hymn of praise to simplicity, this is my favourite way to cook steak. Fiorentina is traditionally a T-bone or a porterhouse steak – a steak on the bone has more flavour than a boneless one – but a good-quality rib-eye or sirloin steak will work well. The steak must be cut thick as you want the meat beautifully crisp and caramelised on the outside and medium-rare and pink within. This recipe is perfect for cooking on the barbecue, and fried potatoes and a salad are ideal accompaniments. Try my Holiday Chips (see page 102 of Mediterra) with this for a real treat.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 x 1kg T-bone or porterhouse steaks, or 2 x 600g sirloin or rump steaks, at room temperature
• olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• needles from 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
• grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 2 tablespoons grape or date molasses (optional)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Light a barbecue about 30 minutes before you want to cook so the coals turn ashen grey and are at the optimum grilling temperature. Position the grill above the coals so it gets very hot. Alternatively, heat a large ridged, cast-iron griddle pan to maximum.

Rub the steaks with oil, then season well and place them on the grill or griddle pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until nicely caramelised and charred. Now move either the steaks to a cooler spot on the barbecue or turn the heat under the griddle down to medium, and continue cooking for a further 6–7 minutes, turning every minute or so for medium-rare. Add another 3–4 minutes for medium-well.

Remove the steaks from the grill and transfer to a tray or rimmed platter and sprinkle over the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and juice and the molasses, if using. Leave to rest for 10 minutes like this before serving either whole or in the traditional style with the meat cut from the bone, sliced and arranged back against the bone for serving with the resting juices spooned over. Sprinkle with extra salt, if you want.

Ben says: “This is a real showstopper. Layers of crisp and fudgy meringue, praline cream scented with cinnamon, and juicy, ripe fresh figs, all stacked into a glorious sweet sandwich, oozing with the sultry flavours of the Lebanon. I made this recipe for a friend’s wedding some time back, each table getting a pavlova to share, served family style. It was a great success.

“Use the best black figs in season. Their juices should almost be bursting out of the skins. When they are at their best these glorious Mediterranean fruits need little in the way of embellishment. But I’m afraid I can’t resist them when served in a decadent pavlova.”

Serves 10–12

Ingredients

• 40g flaked almonds
• 50g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
• 50ml clear honey
• 600g fresh black figs, cut into thin slices

For the cinnamon meringue:

• 130g large free-range egg whites
• 130g caster sugar
• 130g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the almond cream:

• 50g flaked almonds
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 400g mascarpone
• 200ml double cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C/Fan 120°C/ Gas Mark 1. Place a sheet of baking parchment on a baking sheet and lightly draw a 34cm circle – this is to guide you for positioning the meringue.

To make the meringue, half fill a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Select a heatproof bowl that will fit over the pan without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Place the egg whites and both sugars in the bowl and whisk by hand to combine. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk the egg whites for about 6 minutes until they are frothy and the sugar melts. Transfer this meringue to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a beating attachment, and whisk on high speed for about 5 minutes until it is stiff and glossy. Or, remove the bowl from the heat and use a hand-held mixer to whisk until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Whisk in the cinnamon.

Spread the meringue inside the drawn circle, creating a nest by making the sides a little higher than the centre. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the meringue for 3 hours. Switch off the oven, but leave the meringues inside until they are completely cool – this will take about 2 hours. Do not open the door during this time. Once cool, remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, reheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

Toast all the almonds (90g in total) by spreading them out on a baking sheet and toast for 7–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, divide into 2 portions – 40g for the pavlova, 50g for the almond cream. Set aside and leave to cool.

Wash and dry the bowl you placed over simmering water and set aside.

After the meringue has cooled for 2 hours, bring another pan of water to the simmer. Place the chocolate into the washed bowl and place it over the simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate melts. Leave to cool a little, then brush the chocolate inside the meringue, leaving the top and side without. Set aside again for an hour or so to let the chocolate set.

To make the almond cream, first make an almond praline. Place the 50g toasted almonds on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and set aside. Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan over a medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Increase the heat and boil, swirling the pan, until a dark golden-brown caramel forms. Pour this caramel over the nuts and leave to cool completely. Transfer the praline to a food processor or blender and blitz until you achieve fine crumbs.

Just before you are ready to serve, place the blitzed praline in a large bowl with the mascarpone and cream and whisk until stiff peaks form. It won’t take long – so don’t overwhisk.

When you are ready to assemble, warm the honey. Spoon the almond cream into the centre of the meringue and top with the fresh figs. Stir the remaining almonds into the honey, then spoon these over the figs. The pavlova is now ready to serve.