Tomato/Cheese Tart in Puff Pastry
Incredibly delicious, French Inspired, looks impressive but easy to make; appetizer or side.
Ing tube puff pastry 4-5 heirloom tomatoes 4 oz goat cheese at room temp ½ cup shredded Gruyère shallot fine-sliced ¼ tsp s/p 1 tbl evo 3 minced gar/cl 1 egg well beaten shredded fresh basil
Set thin slice tomatoes on plate w/ layered p/towels; salt, then p/towels on top, set 20-30 min, switching top p/towels at least once; pat dry. Add minced garlic to ol/oil; hold. Slice shallots thinly .
Line b/sheet w/ parchment; sprinkle w/ bit flour. Roll out puff pastry gently. Fork dough, then score a line an inch from edge (don't cut thru dough).
Spread goat cheese gently w/ back of spoon inside scoring. Then add shredded gruyère, s/p. P/towel pat tomatoes, then place atop cheese, add sliced shallots. Gently brush tomatoes w/ garlic oil. Then brush edges generously w/ beaten egg. Bake 410 deg 20-25 min; edge is puffed and golden. Remove, sprinkle w/ fresh shredded basil, s/p. Slice and serve.
Notes--setting tomatoes w/ salt is important to release moisture so tart isn't soggy; if goat cheese isn't spreadable, micro/warm 15-25 sec. Gruyère can be subbed with shredded mozzarella or Swiss.
Chilled Glazed Berry Cheesecake / Serves 10-12
Make this showstopper topped w/ glazed strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate for extra indulgence
Ing 100g butter melted, plus extra for the tin 200g cookies 2 gelatin leaves 50g raspberries 50g sugar plus 2 tbsp 350g strawberries 500g full-fat soft cr/cheese 250ml double cream few drops red or pink food coloring 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste 50g white chocolate melted few drops lemon extract
Method Butter and line springform tin. Blitz coukies in a food processor to fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted butter until it looks like damp sand. Tip into the prepared tin, and smooth the mixture with the back of a spoon to make an even base, then chill.
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. Put the raspberries in a food processor or in a jug using a stick blender, and blitz to a smooth purée. Sieve out the seeds. Warm raspberry sauce w/ tbsp sugar; just starts to steam, then pour over 1 drained gelatin leaf in a bowl/stir to dissolve. Blitz 3 strawberries in processor, and warm through with 1 tbl sugar in pab. Tip into bowl and stir in the drained gelatin leaf.
Whisk soft cr/cheese, cream, sugar til just starts to thicken. Divide between three bowls. Fold strawberry purée into one with a few drops of food coloring to make it light pink, the raspberry mix with the gelatin into another with more food coloring so it’s dark pink, and the vanilla bean paste into the third.
Spoon raspberry filling over cookie base, smoothing surface to flatten. Next, add strawberry filling, gently smoothing on, then repeat w/ vanilla mixture, using clean spoon to level top. A spatula or knife might help with this to keep from dragging the below layers. Chill 4-24 hrs.
Run a knife around sides between the cheesecake and parchment, and loosen the base. Transfer to cake stand, and smooth sides, using a palette knife, to neaten the layers. Mix white chocolate w/ few drops of lemon extract. Pile the remaining strawberries, some sliced, some whole, on top, and drizzle over the chocolate to finish.