Meghan Markle’s Netflix series – With Love, Megan – showcases the Duchess of Sussex sharing her top hosting tips with a star-studded guest list. Meghan delves into the philosophy that great food is about more than just prep; it’s about creating memories with pals. Her celeb lineup includes Roy Choi, Mindy Kaling, Alice Waters, and Delfina Figueras, serving dishes ranging from a humble garden salad to a decadent honey and lemon cake. Filmed in a lavish $8million mansion close to her Montecito abode, the eight-episode show gives us a peek into Meghan’s culinary world. Last year, she introduced her lifestyle brand by gifting 50 jars of jam to friends as a teaser. She quipped about her company’s debut product, saying: “Of course there will be fruit preserves – I think we’re all clear at this point that jam is my jam.” She teased more home favourites to come: “But there’s so many more products that I just love that I use in my home and now it’s time to share it with you, so I can’t wait for you to see it.”
Meghan Markle shares her love of food
(Image: Netflix)
Here’s how to whip up some of Meghan’s beloved recipes Honey Lemon Cake Ingredients For the cakes: – Pan spray – 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar – 3 cups all-purpose flour – 1 tablespoon baking powder – 1 teaspoon salt – 4 eggs – 1 1/2 cups milk – Zest of 2 lemons – 3/4 cups olive oil – 3 tablespoons honey For the lemon honey syrup: – 1/2 cup honey – 1/4 cup lemon juice – 1/4 cup water – Zest of 1 lemon For the buttercream frosting: – 3 cups unsalted butter, softened – 5 cups icing sugar For decoration, you’ll need a pinch of salt, 1-2 cups of raspberry preserves, fresh raspberries and lemon verbena or small basil leaves.
Meghan Markle’s Honey and Lemon Cake
(Image: Netflix)
Method For the cakes 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Prepare cake pans with a light coating of pan spray / butter and baking paper. 3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. 4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, and lemon zest. 5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and add the honey. Mix gently until just combined. 6. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. 7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 8. Remove from the pans and let each cake cool completely on a wire rack. 9. Once cool, use a bread knife and gently slice off the mounded top of each cake. These make for great snacks. Makes three 8-inch cake rounds For the lemon honey syrup: 1.In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients to a simmer. 2. Remove from heat and let cool completely. 3. Use this syrup to brush each of the cake layers just before assembling the cake. For the buttercream frosting: 1. Mix all ingredients together until light and fluffy using a hand blender or a stand mixer. Cake Assembly 1. Brush each of the cakes evenly with the lemon honey syrup using a pastry brush. 2. Place the first cake onto the platter you will be serving it on. 3. Transfer your buttercream to a zip-top bag and cut a small hole in the bottom corner. Do the same with the raspberry preserves. 4. Pipe a line of buttercream frosting around the perimeter of the cake. 5. Then, working from the centre outward, pipe a spiral of buttercream, leaving the unfrosted cake in between each section of the spiral. 6. Working from the centre outward, pipe a spiral of raspberry preserves in the open space between the buttercream. Fill in any open spaces so the top of the cake can’t be seen. 7. Once finished, stack the second cake onto the first and repeat the process before decorating the top
Meghan Markle’s Ladybird Crostini
Ladybird Crostini Ingredients – Cherry tomatoes – Black olives – Fresh mozzarella – Baguette crostini – Fresh basil – Balsamic vinegar reduction To prepare your ingredients: 1. Cut your cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise to make the body. 2. Optional: Use your knife to cut a small 1/4-inch slice to create a tail/wings. 3. Cut the black olives in half lengthwise and then crosswise to make the head. 4. Slice the fresh mozzarella and then punch out into rounds with a ring cutter. To assemble a crostino: 1. Place the mozzarella round onto the crostino. 2.Top with a single leaf of basil. 3.Put the cherry tomato half, cut side down, onto the basil. 4.Position a quarter olive at the top of the tomato to create the ladybird head. 5. To make the ladybird’s dots, dip a toothpick into the balsamic vinegar reduction and dot the cherry tomato.
Meghan Markle featured some celebrity guests
Pasta Salad Ingredients For the pasta salad: 12 ounces paccheri or fusilli pasta Kosher salt 1 cup English peas, shelled 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 5 cups loosely packed leaves), chopped Optional: 1/2 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, chopped 3/4 cup snap peas, sliced Optional: 1/2 zucchini, chopped 1 cup feta cheese, plus more for garnishing 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnishing 1 tablespoon fresh dill, plus more for garnishing For the vinaigrette: 1 shallot, sliced 2 garlic cloves, grated 2 lemons, zested and juiced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes 1/3 cup olive oil Kosher salt, to taste Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste Method 1. Create a bowl of ice-cold water and ice cubes to shock your vegetables to stop the cooking process. 2. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil and season with 1⁄4 cup salt. Blanch peas for 30 seconds and move to ice water to shock. 3. Blanch Swiss chard leaves for 45 seconds to a minute, until tender and move to ice water to shock. 4. Add enough salt to the water so it “tastes of the sea” and boil the fusilli until fully cooked according to package instructions. 5. Drain the pasta and set aside to cool. 6. Dry peas and Swiss chard on a towel until ready to use. 7. Chop chard into bite-sized pieces. 8. To make the vinaigrette, combine the shallot with the dried chilli flakes in a large bowl. 9. Add cooked and cooled pasta. Toss to combine, add chard, peas, snap peas, feta, and herbs. Toss and season to taste.
Meghan Markle in Meghan, With Love trailer
(Image: Netflix)
Garden Salad Ingredients For the salad: Mixed lettuce like Little Gem or Red Gem Optional: chive blossoms Optional: bachelor’s button petals For the vinaigrette: 1 to 2 cloves garlic, cut into thirds Pinch of kosher salt Sherry vinegar 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided Juice of ½ lemon Method 1. Start by washing the lettuce thoroughly. To dry, lay out the leaves in a single layer on a kitchen towel. Top with another kitchen towel and repeat until all the leaves have been laid out. Put a kitchen towel over the final layer and then gently roll up from one end to the other. This helps to dry the leaves. Any leaves not being used can be stored this way in the fridge. 2. While the lettuce is drying, whip up the vinaigrette. Begin by adding the garlic and a pinch of salt to a mortar and pestle (or whatever you use to grind) and grind together. 3. Add a few teaspoons of sherry vinegar directly to the mortar and pestle and grind a touch more. Set aside and allow the mixture to macerate for a few minutes. From there, add a few tablespoons of olive oil into the mortar and half the amount of sherry vinegar. 4. Season to taste with salt, and mix. 5. Add the juice of half a lemon, mix again, and taste. Balance it out with more oil if it is too acidic, more vinegar if it needs more bite, and more salt if it isn’t seasoned well enough. 6. Place the desired amount of dried lettuce into a serving bowl. 7. Pour a little bit of the dressing over the greens and, with clean hands, toss everything together. 8. Garnish with chive blossoms and bachelor’s button petals, if using.
Meghan Markle with chef Roy Choi
(Image: Netflix)
Roy Choi’s Kimchi recipe from With Love, Meghan Ingredients 1 cup gochugaru 1 cup peeled onion 1/2 cup water 15 garlic cloves, peeled 1/4 cup peeled and chopped ginger 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 2 tablespoons natural rice vinegar (not seasoned) 1 tablespoon soy sauce Method Pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until you get a smooth puree. Then, mix this paste with your favourite fruit or vegetable to whip up a quick kimchi or use it as a dip for a crudité platter or fruit board. With Love, Meghan is on Netflix
