A picnic to farewell summer
Say au revoir to warmer days with a French-inspired spread featuring the best of the late-season harvest, says NZ House & Garden food editor Sally Butters.
Weekend kitchen Heirloom tomato galette
Farmers’ markets are good places to find flavoursome heirloom tomatoes. The tomatoes can be roasted one day in advance.
400g good-quality, store-bought
shortcrust pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
750g small heirloom tomatoes Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle 250g punnet cherry truss tomatoes Large pinch of sugar
1⁄4 cup picked thyme leaves 120g goat’s cheese (we used an
ash-coated one)
Heat oven to 190C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. Roll out pastry to 3-4mm thick, place on the tray and fold over the edges to create a border. Lightly prick the base with a fork. Lightly brush the pastry with the egg. Put on the lower shelf of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked. Remove and set aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, put the heirloom tomatoes on another large lined baking tray. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with flaky sea salt and put on the higher oven shelf for 5 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, add the cherry truss tomatoes, season with salt, sprinkle over the sugar and scatter over the thyme. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the skins burst and the tomatoes have softened slightly. Set aside to cool completely.
Drain any liquid from the tomatoes, as it will make the base soggy. When ready to serve, top the pastry base with the tomatoes and thyme. Crumble over the cheese, drizzle with extra virgin oliveoil and season with freshly ground black pepper. Serves 6
Pickled green beans, fennel & grapes with tarragon
This is a quick pickle – as pickles go – but you will still need to start making it a day ahead.
11⁄2 cups water
11⁄2 cups white wine vinegar 1 bunch tarragon
1⁄3 cup caster sugar
4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp black peppercorns 150g green beans, topped 1 baby fennel bulb, trimmed,
thinly sliced
150g red seedless grapes
Combine water, vinegar, tarragon, sugar, salt and peppercorns in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then add the beans and turn off the heat. Set aside until it is warm, not hot.
Put the fennel in a 1 to 11⁄4 litre preserving jar. Add the beans, tarragon and grapes, then pour in the warm pickling liquid and set aside to cool completely. Seal with a lid and leave at room temperature overnight. Makes 1-11⁄4 litres
Late summer clafouti
Clafouti is a classic French fruit dessert. Serve this baked custardy delight warm with vanilla icecream.
Butter to grease the dish
125g punnet raspberries
125g punnet blackberries
150g cherries, halved, stones
removed
3 eggs, lightly beaten
180ml (3⁄4 cup) double cream 180ml (3⁄4 cup) milk
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest l vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
or 1 tsp vanilla extract
110g (1⁄2 cup) caster sugar
50g (1⁄3 cup) plain flour
1⁄4 tsp fine sea salt
Icing sugar to dust
Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 11⁄4 litre oval or round baking dish well with butter. Scatter half the fruit over the base of the dish.
Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl, then whisk in the cream, milk, zest and vanilla until combined.
Combine sugar, flour and salt in a separate large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the egg mixture, whisking until combined. Pour the batter over the fruit, then scatter over the remaining fruit.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serves 6