Miso-glazed aubergine

For better-tasting food and your own peace of mind, use free-range eggs and sustainable, local ingredients wherever possible. 1 teaspoon is 5ml; 1 tablespoon is 15ml. 'Salt' refers to fine salt, unless otherwise stated.

MISO-GLAZED AUBERGINE SERVES 4

4 medium aubergines 1tbsp sea salt 2½tbsp extra virgin olive oil 8 spring onions, thinly sliced diagonally 2 medium chillies, deseeded AND FINELY CHOPPED 2tsp toasted sesame seeds buckler leaf sorrel and red veined sorrel, to serve

For the marinade 100g medium white miso 3tbsp mirin 5tbsp yuzu ponzu or lemon ponzu 2tbsp sesame oil 2tbsp light soy 1½tbsp rice vinegar 2tbsp maple syrup

A few hours before serving, cut the aubergines in half lengthways through the stem and lay on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Cut into the flesh with a sharp knife, making a crisscross pattern 1cm apart. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the marinade ingredients together and pour into a dish large enough to take the aubergines in a single layer.

Use kitchen paper to wipe the salt and excess moisture off the aubergine halves, then place them, cut-side down, in the marinade and leave for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Heat a wok over a low-medium heat and add 1tbsp of the oil with the spring onions and chillies. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then tip on to a plate. Stir the sesame seeds into the onion mixture and set aside.

Lift the aubergines out of the marinade and give them a squeeze over the dish. Sit them, cut-side up, on a large foil-lined oven tray. Pour the marinade into a small pan and heat to thicken for around 8 minutes, taking care that it doesn’t stick to the pan. Spoon a little on to the aubergine flesh along with the remaining oil and transfer to the oven for around 15 minutes until nicely soft and golden.

Top with the spring onion mixture and put back in the oven for 3 minutes. Scatter over the sorrel leaves to serve.

Miso caramel cheesecake tarts with miso caramel cream sauce

MAKES 8

For the pastry 250G PLAIN flOUR 75g golden caster sugar 125g cold butter, cut into cubes 1 egg yolk

For the filling 3tbsp white miso 1½TBSP CORNflOUR 250g mascarpone 75g golden caster sugar 3 eggs 200ml double cream 75g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

For the miso caramel cream sauce and topping 2tbsp red or white miso paste 230ml double cream 75g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped 200g caster sugar 20g butter

To make the pastry, put the flour and sugar into the bowl of a processor and pulse to aerate. Add the butter and process to form a breadcrumb texture. Add the yolk and 3tbsp water and pulse to form a pliable paste.

Tip on to a sheet of non PVC cling film and bring into a ball, squashing it down as you wrap it. Chill for 25 minutes.

Divide the pastry into 6 pieces and roll each piece out to 2mm thick. Use it to line

6 x 12cm x 3cm deep, fluted loose-based tart tins. Re-roll the trimmings to line 2 more tins. Alternatively, use a 23cm fluted loose-based tin. Chill the tins on a tray for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C F/Gas 6. Line the pastry with circles of scrunched up baking paper to come up the sides, then add baking beans and bake blind for

12-15 minutes until golden. Lower the oven temperature to 170C/150C F/Gas 3. Remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until golden and crisp. As the pastry cases cool, gently loosen them in the tin to make them easier to remove once filled.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, put the miso in a large bowl and mix in the cornflour followed by the mascarpone. Add the sugar, then add an egg at a time, beating between each addition. Put the cream and the chocolate in a small pan over a very low heat and stir to melt the chocolate. As soon as the mixture is smooth, stir it into the egg mixture.

Pour the filling into the tart shells to come 5mm below the top edge of the pastry. Bake for 15-20 minutes until there is still a little wobble in the centre. Leave to cool and firm up a little before removing from the tins.

To make the miso caramel cream sauce and topping, boil a kettle with 100ml water. Stir the miso into the double cream.

Put the chopped nuts on a foil-lined tray. Put the sugar and 100ml just-boiled water in a small pan over a low heat to make a syrup. When it becomes clear increase the heat and cook until it becomes a rich golden caramel, taking care not to burn it. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Spoon around 5tbsp of the buttery