(uplifting music) - I know cooking can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it doesn't need to be.

- To be honest, it's all a bit stressful.

- So in this series, I'm joining some wonderful familiar faces.

- Mary!

- [Mary] Each with their own dilemmas in the kitchen.

- Would you like some turkey dinosaurs?

- [Mary] Not a lot.

I'm going to show them how it's done with easy new recipes.

- I'm your sous chef.

I love this.

- [Mary] In the most glorious locations.

- You are a natural.

- All right, Mary.

- Bez, you've gotta multitask.

- [Mary] Dishes anyone can whip up.

- [Mel] Wow.

- I like cooking with you.

- [Mary] I've recipes for beginners.

- I've never made anything in my life, that's the trouble.

- [Mary] Those who find cooking stressful.

- There's no messing about here, is there?

- I told you it was quick.

Would like to entertain more.

- Oh.

- [Mary] Or in need of some inspiration.

- I can do this.

- Here's the blender.

- Blenda Brethyn.

- It will all be beautifully easy, I promise.

- You're my type of woman, Mary.

(upbeat music) - I'm here in Bournemouth to meet dancing superstar Anton Du Beke on a rare down day from his tour.

He may dazzle on the dance floor, but in the kitchen, he doesn't know a spoon from a spatula.

I'm a firm believer that anyone can cook.

It's all about mastering the basics and having a bit of confidence.

- Cook, I'm a terrible, terrible cook, and I like to cook.

I like to cook for the children, I like to cook for my wife, so I'd like you to help me, but you're, I have to be honest with you, you're starting with very little.

If I was a larder, I'd be bare.

- Well, I'll choose something not too complicated, not too many ingredients, and not great skill to do, but it'll have that wow factor when it gets on the table.

- That's exactly what I'm after.

- We found some space at the end of the pier, and I'm starting with a recipe that will teach Anton the basics of cooking delicious seafood.

We're by the sea, the sun is shining.

What could be better than squid?

- My children love squid, so if you can show me how to make crispy squid, I shall be the best daddy in the world.

- Wonderful.

Sometimes known as calamari, you buy it at the fishmongers if you're lucky, already prepared in rings.

Or frozen will do just as well.

So to begin with, I'm going to beat an egg.

- [Anton] I'm very good with eggs.

- Right, you can beat this one, then.

- Oh, right.

That's the extent of my cooking skill.

Anything apart from eggs, I'm struggling.

Baking, I'm okay.

I was 17 when I started as a trainee baker.

I was a-- - What do you mean, you used to be a baker?

- Yeah, as a job.

- Really?

- Yeah, as a job, as my sort of day job, and I'd come in about seven o'clock, and essentially, I'd be clearing up, really, and then you'd learn as you go.

- That's an apprentice, isn't it, yeah.

- So the cooking thing never made any sense to me, it all seemed a bit made up, but the baking seemed a bit more scientific, a bit more precision involved.

Look at the technique of whisking.

Do you like that?

- It is pretty good.

If Anton can bake, I have total confidence he can learn to cook, but he'll need to master more than just eggs.

The squid is dipped into flour first.

It will help the egg to stick.

Some paprika will give it a gentle, smoky flavor.

Just a quarter of a teaspoon That's not a quarter, that's far too much.

No, that's half.

Less.

That'll do, okay.

- Whiz it in there?

- In there, yeah.

- There's not a lot of paprika in that.

Do you want me to whiz a bit more in?

- No, I don't want you to put more.

- Are you sure?

- I am sure.

A quick mix, and throw in the squid rings.

You're quite enjoying that now, you see?

Now all the slipperiness has gone.

- Once the slipperiness goes, it's quite therapeutic.

- Once coated, dip them into the egg.

While some cooks use breadcrumbs, I've got another option: semolina.

This gives a lovely crunchy outside on it.

- You do that, and I'll do this.

- 'Cause you'll be in the sticky wet, and I'll... - You'll be in the nice dry bit.

- I'm in the-- - You sure you don't wanna swap?

- No.

Coating is a great skill for a novice like Anton to master.

Once he has this in his repertoire, he can use it for all kinds of fish, meat or veg.

- Shall I have a tidy up?

- Yep, yep.

Are you organized in the kitchen?

- [Anton] Yes, I'm very organized.

- Well, you don't need to be too organized, you're only doing eggs.

(Anton laughs) To ensure the squid doesn't end up rubbery, don't deep fat fry them.

Just use a very hot frying pan, and cook them quickly.

- Why do you add oil and butter?

- Because the oil will get to a higher temperature without burning.

- Right.

- [Mary] And the butter is for flavor.

Shall we put it in together?

- [Anton] Should we do it together?

- Just put this in as quickly as we can.

- You don't want it overlapping?

- [Mary] You've got it right.

That's it.

- How's that?

- And it's sizzling away.

A couple of minutes, and they will be ready.

And they should be golden.

- How are we, are they looking all right?

- They're good, they don't take long to cook.

If you cook them for too long and too low a temperature, they're tough.

- Ah, okay.

- [Mary] That's it.

- Day, that is marvelous.

- That was quick, wasn't it?

- That was quick.

That is so simple, he says, famous last words.

I'm amazed at how simple that was.

I'm definitely going to make that for my children.

This is exactly going onto my repertoire.

- But we want some aioli, garlic sauce to go with it.

- Do you want me to go to the supermarket and buy some?

- No, I do not, we're gonna make it- - Make it?

- And I promise you it's easy.

It's just a few simple ingredients.

Add a grated clove of garlic to some good quality mayonnaise and the juice of half a lemon.

And any pips?

- No pips.

- [Mary] What do you think that is, Scotch mist?

A teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and it's done.

- That was easy.

I like cooking with you.

- Do you?

Well, that's lucky.

- This is nice.

I'm gonna have a go.

Straight in.

Mary.

- [Mary] You don't have to pretend.

- [Anton] I might go again.

- Go on, then.

- Allioli, reminds me of someone I used to dance with.

Allioli.

- Aioli.

- Gorgeous.

Aioli?

- Are you gonna give this a go at home?

- I'm doing it tomorrow.

Tomorrow night supper.

- Will the family be surprised?

- Stunned.

They're gonna love it, thank you.

- Well, that shows Anton one of the basic ways to cook seafood.

My next recipe will hopefully do the same with chicken: pan fried escalopes with an easy peasy tzatziki.

(bright music) This way of cooking chicken really couldn't be simpler.

Escalope is a thin piece of chicken that cooks very quickly.

I've got a nice big chicken breast here without its skin, and I'm going to take a sharp knife and just saw the edge all the way through the center.

Get level with it, otherwise you won't get it through evenly, and right through the middle.

If it's even, the breast will cook quickly without drying out, so some bashing is required.

(paper crinkling) And that's absolutely perfect.

The coating for these escalopes couldn't be easier.

No egg and semolina needed here.

Just salt, pepper, and something extra for flavor.

Mustard always reminds me of when I was doing pasta bake with little Hobie, my grandson.

I was giving him a cooking lesson, he was going to take the pasta bake home for his tea, and we were adding the mustard, and he said, "Granny, add quite a bit of mustard, 'cause my brother doesn't like it and there'll be more for me."

I think they all like mustard now.

(serene music) Sprinkle over some chopped fresh parsley, and then just squash that down.

They will work their magic and give a good kick of flavor on both sides of the breast.

I'm just gonna wash my hands.

(water splashing) A great trick to avoid burning the chicken is to oil the escalope rather than the pan.

And the oily side down, that's it.

And they're sizzling away.

If you heat the oil in the pan, there is a chance that you might burn it, whereas if it's actually on the meat, there's no chance of that.

And I'm gonna gonna have a peek and see how that's doing.

(chicken sizzling) Now, doesn't that look good?

So, so simple.

Just mustard, pepper, salt and parsley.

They only take a couple of minutes to cook through.

Put them to one side and get on with the tzatziki, starting with half a de-seeded cucumber.

I'm leaving the skin on, because it's a glorious, bright green color, and it gives it a bit of texture, too.

Coarsely grate it, and remove any excess water with a kitchen towel.

Add to some Greek yogurt, along with chopped fresh mint.

Mint is becoming more and more popular.

Everybody's wanting mint tea.

I love it, because it's so easy to do.

It's just boiling water and mint.

It's got such a lovely smell.

A clove of grated garlic, salt and pepper, and it's done.

Give it a stir.

When I go to Greece, I love to have tzatziki.

I have it on almost everything, come home, and I make it for about a month til the family are absolutely sick of it, so I'm really thrilled to be making it again.

This dip is available everywhere, but it's so easy to make.

A generous dollop alongside the mustard-flavored chicken and a fresh salad.

What could be better?

Right, this is the part I like and I've been waiting for.

There we are.

It looks good.

I'm sure it's gonna taste wonderful.

And it does.

(gentle music) (cheerful jaunty music) We're away.

- Let's go.

- [Mary] Anton has performed in Bournemouth hundreds of times.

- [Anton] Nice.

- But he rarely gets a chance to enjoy the time.

Rescue Rod.

Oh, drain services.

(Anton laughs) - Not quite so romantic.

- I don't think I need a rescuing just yet.

We're off.

- We're off.

- [Mary] Before his next cooking lesson, we're taking to the skies.

It's just like looking down a telescope.

- [Anton] Yes.

- [Mary] And who better to show me the sights?

- Every July, they had a big competition here at Pavilion ballroom, and over here, we got the BIC.

- [Mary] Is that the brown building?

- It's got a huge ballroom in there.

We used to do the big competition in January that we used to call the UK Championships.

Bournemouth was taken over by ballroom and Latin American dances.

- [Mary] And everybody's got a smile on their face.

- Everyone's happy when the sun's out.

- [Mary] They certainly are.

We're at the top of the world.

- Top of the world, Ma.

- I'm working up an appetite.

Cooking seafood and chicken are great skills, but my next recipe centers around delicious sauces that can be so versatile.

In this case, they're bringing a beef cannelloni to life.

So I'm going to start off by making the meat sauce.

It's a sort of bolognese sauce.

Kick things off by softening a chopped onion.

Once tender, add a couple of cloves of grated garlic.

Onion and garlic cooked gently till it's soft is the basis for so many sauces, and, gosh, it gives good flavor.

Ah, now it's beginning to smell good.

That's it.

And then the meat.

(gentle music) (onions sizzling) Then just mash that up.

You'll always get a better flavor if you brown the meat for something like a sauce like this, and you want to drive off any of the liquid from the meat.

I've usually got some cooked mince in the freezer, ready to make a shepherd's pie perhaps, or to turn it into a bolognese sauce.

It's such a useful thing to have on hand.

This sauce will fill the cannelloni pasta shells, so I want it to be thick.

Two tablespoon-fulls of flour will do the job.

So mix that in well.

You can see no flecks of white.

Then I'm going to add 300 mil of stock.

(liquid hissing) Smells good.

Four tablespoons of tomato puree will give this a lovely rich flavor.

(sunny music) It's more economical to buy tomato puree in bigger amounts, and then you can just keep it in the freezer.

Chopped fresh thyme, a little Worcestershire sauce, and some salt and pepper to finish it off.

Give it a good stir, and then cook it very slowly so it's gently simmering for half an hour, and it'll be ready.

That looks perfect.

Pop it to one side to cool, and get on with the simple tomato sauce, which starts in just the same way, onions and garlic in the pan.

(onions sizzling) Now I'm going to add a couple of cans of tomatoes, chopped tomatoes.

In they go.

There's another one.

To make a bit more intense flavor, tomato puree.

About a tablespoon.

That was exact, wasn't it?

Then some pepper and salt.

And then this is rather thick at this stage, so I'm going to add a little water.

That's it.

Now this has decided to bubble up, my yellow jumper's keeping well away from it, so I'm gonna cover that up.

Gently simmer until the onion is tender.

How simple is that?

After 30 minutes, add some chopped fresh basil.

I can't resist smelling it, it is lovely.

It's one of my favorite herbs.

In it goes like that.

And a dash of sugar, a must to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.

It's a gorgeous color, isn't it?

And such an easy sauce to make.

So there you have it, two different sauces, and for this recipe, I'm bringing them together.

So now to my cannelloni factory.

Take each tube and, with a teaspoon, fill the holes.

I think Anton's children would love doing it.

They'll get awfully messy, but Anton can entertain them with a little bit of dancing around the kitchen.

Make sure the beef fills the whole tube, and rest them on top of the layer of tomato sauce.

(gentle music) There we are, like little soldiers.

Then spoon over with more of that delicious tomato sauce.

Make sure all the pasta is covered, because it's gonna take the moisture from the sauce to cook.

What more do you want?

Lovely.

The final touches, some mozzarella cheese on top, and then Parmesan, put that over.

Gives a lovely finish.

Anton will love it if he has a gang of friends coming around.

It's so easy.

30 to 40 minutes in the oven at 180 fan is all it needs.

(serene music) (serene music continues) How about that?

I'm tucking in.

Everything about it is right.

The pasta is beautifully cooked, the meat is delicious, and I love the topping of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

(uplifting music) I'm going round to a quiet corner to finish the rest.

(mellow music) - Oh.

Do you know, if we had done "Strictly Come Dancing" together, I'm convinced we would've won.

Should we go for the big lift now?

- [Mary] Over your shoulder?

- Over the shoulder.

We should have done this years ago, you and I.

You are a natural.

- [Mary] Flattery will get you everywhere, Anton, but perhaps not as far as my next recipe, a mouthwatering salmon linguini with lemon and capers.

- What's a caper?

- Those are capers.

It's actually a bud of a flower.

Do you wanna just taste one?

- Yeah, let me taste a caper.

- It just-- - Ooh, they're.

Is that, have they been pickled or something?

- They're pickled capers, and they're a little bit salty.

- I got such a refined palette, did you notice that?

- You have, yes.

The last recipe had two sauces, but this one is a flash in the pan, starting with the pine nuts.

I'm gonna toss them around til they're done.

- [Anton] Do they have oil in them that comes out?

- You're very knowledgeable.

- Well, I just, I heard it on a show one day.

I was watching you.

They smell amazing.

- While I'm doing this, do some chopping.

So we've got some spring onions.

- Yes.

- I suggest that you just cut them in half like that first, and then chop them.

- [Anton] You like texture in your cooking, don't you?

- Texture, flavor, but it's got to look good when it's done, because it's got to tempt everybody.

Now, that's the color we want, look.

- Oh lovely.

- Just a pale, and it's so easy to get them overcooked.

So who does the cooking at home?

- My wife, Hannah.

She's an excellent cook, actually.

- Have you ever cooked for Hannah?

- No, I haven't.

I mean, apart from the eggs.

- Well, perhaps you'll do this for her.

- I'm definitely gonna do this.

- So you've done the spring onions beautifully.

- Thank you.

- [Mary] Anton's newfound knife skills can get to work on the chives.

- Just chop away?

- Yep that's it.

- [Anton] Like this?

- You've done that before.

Whilst the spring onions soften in butter, Anton can flex his juicing muscles.

So you can imagine- - That smells nice.

- It is very lemony, and what goes better with salmon than lemon?

- My daughter's gonna be delighted.

- [Mary] Will she love this?

- Yeah, she'll love this.

Do you want that in there?

- Yeah, well done.

- All of it?

- And you haven't spilt a bit.

- Not a drop, I'm very- - Every bit.

- [Anton] Very steady of hand.

- It's a good thing Anton is a fan of those capers, because I'm using a whole jar with the brine drained off.

Let that bubble away.

I've got some parsley to do.

Can you give that a stir while I'm doing this?

- It'd be entirely my pleasure.

Look at this, I'm gonna do it with a flair.

How's that?

- Does Hannah like dancing just as much as you do?

- She does.

Different style of dancing, she likes.

Well, the first time I met her, we were at a do, and-- - [Mary] What sort of a do?

- It was a ball, and she was on this table on one side, and I was on the other, and I saw her sitting there.

I thought, oh, hello, she's- - You fancied her?

- Rather splendid.

Oh, not many, Benny.

Towards the end of the evening, I asked her if she would like to dance, and she went, "Oh, no."

She said, "I don't do your sort of dancing.

I'm more of a raver."

- Oh, but she knew who you were.

- Oh, yes.

- Ah, right.

- Oh, yes.

We started seeing each other, and then we got married and had twins.

- That's just lovely.

- And I have never cooked for her yet.

- [Mary] Well, I'm on a mission to change all that.

The star of this dish is hot smoked salmon, so Anton has no excuses.

- [Anton] Why is it hot?

- It's hot smoked.

- [Anton] They smoke it hot.

- Exactly.

- I thought it was warm- - No.

- In temperature.

- No, no, that's just straight out of its packet, or a fishmongers.

- In the fridge department?

- In the fridge department.

- See, this is the sort of information that people like me need.

- A knob of butter and olive oil in with the capers, spring onions and lemon juice, then toss in some cooked linguini.

Flake away.

And I'm stirring this in.

It'll give it a lovely shine.

In goes the parsley, salmon and chives.

Voila.

- Have chives, will travel.

Chives going in.

- But you see how the chives and the parsley just give it a lift.

- Yeah.

- And then we've got the nuts to go in.

- Oh, yes.

Oh, this is an absolute beauty.

- [Mary] Pine nuts, in they go.

- In they go?

- Yeah.

But doesn't it look good?

- It looks amazing.

What beautiful colors.

- [Mary] It's all heated through and ready to serve.

(sunny music) How quick and easy was that?

- That is amazing.

That is so nice.

Do you know what it is, I'm not scared of this dish.

You've explained it to me, it makes sense.

I can do this.

- The sun is out, the sea is calm, the sky is blue, and I've got you.

It sounds quite poetic.

- I'm getting, I'm a little bit emotional now, Dame Mary.

You're the best.

- Has it inspired you to have a go?

- Yes, definitely.

This, I'm gonna do, for sure.

What I'll do is I'll FaceTime you as I'm making it, and you can coach me as we do it.

- Well, that's all extra, you know?

- Oh, really?

Send me the invoice.

(gentle music) - [Mary] It's not just professional dancers who flock to Bournemouth.

The beach is heaving with people wanting to take full advantage of everything on offer.

- This is so quintessentially British, isn't it, really?

Ice creams on a beach.

- All dripping down the side.

- Oh, lovely.

- Tastes so good.

Have you got a sweet tooth?

- Oh, this is my vice, is a sweet, puddings, ice cream.

Yeah.

- Anton will be pleased there's something else sweet on the horizon.

Filled with custard and apricots in a flaky pastry case, this is my take on the Portuguese classic pasta del nata.

If you're a total novice, it's good to know how to make a first rate custard and also be able to handle pastry.

The first thing to tackle is the custard.

With my foolproof recipe, it will work every time.

In goes the milk, and that's 250 mil.

That's it.

A hundred mil of double cream.

For a wonderful flavor, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, then gently heat until hot, but not boiling.

While that's on, I'll crack on with the eggs.

I'm using one whole egg and two yolks.

For total beginners, separating an egg may seem a little bit difficult, so just bang it on the side enough that you can break it in half, and then let the white drop down, and if you watch the chefs, they do it two at a time, but I don't.

The extra yolks will make it gloriously rich.

Whisk in caster sugar and, to ensure a first rate custard, four teaspoons of cornflour.

Over the years, I've found that adding cornflour to the custard gives the perfect consistency.

Whisk the hot milk and cream into the eggs and sugar, then pop it all back onto the heat to thicken up.

You've gotta be patient to do this.

Keep stirring all the time.

Homemade custard is something very special.

Once you've made this sort of basic custard, you can go on to make creme patissiere, that's the thick custard that you put in eclairs, which is so good.

It has thickened beautifully, it coats the back of a spoon.

That's just the right consistency.

While the custard cools in the fridge, I'm going to cut out the puff pastry.

Don't worry, Anton, it's shop bought.

Use a 10-centimeter round cutter to create 10 tart bases, and pop them into a 12-hole muffin tin.

Put it in, pressing it very gently against the sides.

Because puff pastry has a high proportion of butter in it, you don't need to grease it.

Now I'm going to take a fork and prick the base, otherwise it balloons up and it spills all over the place.

With the pastry ready, I can simply pour the cool custard into the cases.

I've had Portuguese tarts in Portugal.

I had them almost every day, because they were so, so delicious.

Now, I'm just looking around to see if any one needs a little bit more.

Maybe this one over here.

I'm adding four slices of tinned apricots to each of my tarts, and a sprinkle of Demerara sugar to give them some crunch.

Then slide into a 180 fan oven for about 25 minutes.

(gentle music) I'm pretty proud of those.

Gorgeous crispy edge there.

I'm going to lift them out.

They've cooled a bit.

That is, to me, sheer perfection.

For the final flourish, a brush over of melted apricot jam.

It's just the finish that makes them so lovely and shiny.

I think the Portuguese have got this right, and that one's got my name on it.

(light music) (pastry crunches) I don't think I've got words to describe this.

I'm just looking forward to the rest of it.

I can tell you something, I'm gonna finish that, and I might be onto a second.

(cheerful music) My new friend will definitely want to try these.

Luckily, I've saved him some.

- These look delicious.

Can I go straight in?

Here we go.

Amazing.

You are like a gift.

- The greatest reward for me is that you make them when you go home.

- This has been so brilliant.

I feel like I've come on leaps and bounds.

I'm gonna get into the kitchen, I'm gonna make these dishes for my family, and my family will be delighted.

Thank you.

- I want to be proud of you.

- You're the best.

- Thank you.

(grand music) Next time.

- Mary!

- [Mary] Lorraine Kelly's daughter has called me in to help.

(Lorraine yelps) - (laughs) Oh no.

- [Mary] With easy recipes for her mum, who doesn't cook in her busy life.

- Tell me about this one.

How about that?

- That's you.

I'm doing it, I'm cooking!

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (grand music) (no audio)