Meet the taste makers
These delightful combinations of textures and flavours are sure to tickle your taste buds and wow your friends, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Eggplant & halloumi salad with sumac pita crisps
This tasty medley is a play on the classic Arabic bread salad, fattoush.
Eggplant & halloumi salad
2 eggplants, cut into chunks Olive oil for cooking
1 block halloumi (about 200g) 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1⁄2 large telegraph cucumber,
deseeded and sliced Small bunch each of dill and
parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup mint leaves, roughly torn 4 spring onions, finely chopped 3 tbsp pistachios, shelled and
coarsley chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tbsp good-quality extra virgin
olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar Generous pinch flaky sea salt
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
Sumac pita crisps
3 large pita breads, cut into
large pieces
2 tbsp neutral cooking oil 1 tbsp sumac
Salad: Heat oven to 200C. Spread eggplant in a roasting tray and generously drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and roast for 30-40 minutes or until it shrivels slightly and turns golden.
Cut halloumi into thick strips and fry until golden.
To assemble salad, place all ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix to combine, using clean hands. Add pita crisps just before serving. Serves 6
Pita crisps: Heat oven to 180C. Scatter pita pieces on a tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sumac. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Makes about 2 cups
Asparagus, gruyere & pancetta quiche
You could save time and use bought savoury short pastry sheets for this tasty tart, but pastry dough really is a doddle to make in a food processor.
Pastry
200g flour 100g butter, well chilled,
cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
3-4 tbsp chilled water
Filling
20g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped 8 slices pancetta, coarsely chopped 30g gruyere cheese, grated 3 eggs
150ml cream
50ml milk
1 small lemon, finely grated zest Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 450g fresh asparagus, trimmed
and blanched
Pastry: Place flour and butter in a food processor and mix until fine and crumbly. Add egg yolk and 3 tablespoons chilled water. Continue to process until dough comes together in a ball, adding a little extra water if needed.
Form dough into a flat brick, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 190C. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and line a 34cm x 12cm tart tin. Prick base all over with a fork. Cover with crumpled baking paper and top with a layer of baking beans.
Bake 10 minutes, then remove from oven and take out paper and beans. Trim pastry edges and return to oven for a further 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 180C. Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add onion and half the pancetta and saute´ until onion is soft and transparent.
Spoon mixture over base of pastry case and sprinkle with half the cheese.
Combine eggs, cream, milk, zest and nutmeg, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour mixture into pastry case and top with asparagus spears, remaining cheese and slices of pancetta.
Bake 25-30 minutes until egg mixture is set. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes a 34 x 12cm quiche
Yoghurt panna cotta with poached tamarillos & caramelised white chocolate
All of the components of this gorgeous dessert can be made in advance. Caramelised chocolate has a deeper, toasty flavour.
500ml cream
125g sugar
10g powdered gelatine or 1 sheet
leaf gelatine
1⁄2 tsp good-quality vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp rose water
500ml natural yoghurt
6 tamarillos, poached in water until
tender, skins removed
1 cup chopped white chocolate
(we used Whittaker’s)
Heat cream gently in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir to dissolve.
Sprinkle the powdered gelatine over a little water and leave to bloom. If using leaf gelatine, soak in water to soften then squeeze to remove excess water.
Take cream off heat and mix in gelatine until thoroughly dissolved. Mix vanilla and rosewater through yoghurt, then add to cream. Pour into 6 moulds (200-250ml capacity) and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
When ready to serve, carefully run a rubber spatula around the edge of each dessert and upturn onto a plate. Add a poached tamarillo and scatter caramelised white chocolate crumbs over.
Caramelised chocolate: Scatter chopped chocolate on a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven for 5-10 minutes until it starts to brown. Remove and run a fork through it. Leave to set – some will go the consistency of crumbs, which is what you’re after. Serves 6