Fontina Asparagus Tart

Quick lunch? Late Breakfast? Lazy Sunday Brunch? This is a winner on all scores….so whip it up, and you may find you will be doing similar things again and again. (Deeply impressive to the eaters….as expressed to me this weekend!) I had it cooked, and on the table in less time than it takes to write a blog post! What is your favorite whipper upper that impresses??

NEED:

70g Fontina cheese, cubed

70g gruyere cheese, cubed

40g unsalted butter

30g corn flour

2 eggs plus 1 egg for egg wash

240g milk

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

3 commercial butter puff pastry sheets, thawed (or use the very fantastic Careme roll…or if you have For Foods Sake, pre-make the Flaky Butter Pastry, page 54)

1-2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut to size as needed

DO:

Preheat oven to bread baking setting 220ºC and line 2 trays with baking paper.

Place cheeses into Thermomix bowl and chop 8 sec/speed 10. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place all remaining ingredients except pastry and asparagus into Thermomix bowl and cook 6 min/100ºC/speed 4.

Add grated cheeses to the bowl and blend 10 sec/speed 6.

While the bechemel is cooking, prepare pastry bases by placing one sheet of pastry onto each lined tray. Form an edge to your tart by cutting the remaining sheet into strips and laying along all four edges of each square. Brush edges with egg wash.

Divide bechemel between the two tart bases and spread to the inside edges of pastry strips. Arrange asparagus spears over.

Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are golden and pastry base is well cooked. Serve hot with salad or steamed veggies of choice.

Almond Peach and Apricot Tart

You may have noticed…I have been putting up a lot of  recipes based on the Dried Apricot Preserves. Its just that I am down to two kids at home and I have so much of the stuff, I need it out of the fridge…to make room for new future creations. No one is complaining mind you and personally I cannot ever go past the combo of Apricot and Almonds, added peaches because I saw they looked so wonderful and were new season,  and as you know, I am pretty big on tarts! Putting them all together was always going to happen…but now who is going to eat it?  (I am not willing to adopt, but pick ups are acceptable. BYO takeaway containers?)

Mind you as a breakfast it isn’t all bad. There’s fruit, almonds, eggs…its practically an omelette!

NEED:

Pastry;

75g blanched almonds, toasted and cooled

40g sugar

230g  flour

Pinch sea salt

60g cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp Heilala vanilla extract

1/2 tp almond extract

15-25g ice cold water

Filling;

600g firm-ripe peaches, halved, pitted, and each half cut into three

1 tbsp Amaretto

60g + 2 tbsp sugar

110g Dried Apricot Preserves

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk

30g  cream

1 tsp  almond extract

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

DO:

Place almonds and sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add remaining pastry ingredients and mix 10 sec/speed 7. Push dough together on floured Silpat mat and form a flat disc. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare the fresh apricots by drizzling them with the Amaretto, and tossing them with the 60g of sugar.

Place remaining filling ingredients, including the 2tbsp sugar into Thermomix bowl and blend for 10 sec/speed 7.

Preheat oven to 180ºC and roll pastry out to line a 20-22 cm flan tin with removable base. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove baking beads and cook a further 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 170ºC. Line the cut peaches skin side up in the baked pastry case. Top with filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until filling is set. Serve in wedges with cream and/or ice cream (of course!)

Oh What A Tart!

Never one to  shy away from a tart…(you know that by now don’t you?) the beautiful strawberries that are out and about at the moment just beckon to me; So another tart. No apologies…suck it up…its tough, but someone has to keep you going to the gym! You’ll thank me…you will! (Oh, and Happy Birthday Number Four child…we thought of you as we ate this…missing you xx)

NEED:

Pastry;

40g raw sugar

Zest 1 lemon

Pinch coarse sea salt

190g flour

100g unsalted butter, cubed

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

1 large egg yolk

15g iced water

Mousse;

3 egg whites

Pinch cream of tartar

360g chilled cream

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

150g white chocolate, in pieces

Sauce;

500g strawberries

20g lemon juice, fresh

30g sugar

DO:

Pastry;

Place sugar, zest and salt into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

Add flour, butter and VBP and blend 4 sec/speed 8.

Add egg yolk and water and blend 10 sec/speed 8.

Push dough into a disc on floured Silpat mat and roll out into large circle. Line a flan tin with removable base with pastry and place into freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Blind bake pastry case for 20 minutes. Remove beads and cook a further 10 minutes.

Cool.

Mousse;

Insert butterfly into Thermomix bowl. Place egg whites and cream of tartar into Thermomix bowl and whip 5 min/60°C/speed 3. Remove whites from bowl and set aside in a large bowl.

Place cream and VBP into Thermomix bowl and whip 20-30 sec/speed 4 or until soft peaks form. Remove butterfly and add cream to egg whites, leaving approximately 60g whipped cream in the base of the Thermomix bowl. Add chocolate to the Thermomix bowl and melt 5 min/50°C/speed 1. Scrape down sides of bowl and incorporate gently for a few seconds.

Cool chocolate slightly before folding egg whites, cream and chocolate together in large bowl by hand.

Spread into baked pastry case and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Strawberry Sauce;

Place 200g strawberries, lemon juice and sugar into Thermomix bowl and cook 7 min/70°C/speed 1. Blend 30 sec/speed 7. Push through strainer to remove seeds.

Slice remaining strawberries and arrange on top of mousse filling. Drizzle with the Strawberry sauce.

Chill until service.

Asparagus and Walnut Tart with Ricotta

To say that I love nuts (in a food way) is a small understatement and of course, now that I have glutemate laden walnuts in Umami Paste, I am on to them….in a big way! I like using them as a fat replacment in biscuits or shortbread, and now I have the whole Umami thing on my mind with everything I cook that is savory, well…with or without the paste, we are adding dashes of Umami depth with every walnut, every cube of Parmesan…so enjoy!

NEED:

4 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
180g Parmesan cheese, cubed
Handful Italian parsley
20g Umami Paste
250g smooth ricotta cheese
100g walnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 asparagus spears per tart

Egg wash

DO:

Preheat oven to fan forced 220ºC. Line 2 baking trays with paper.
Cut two sheets of pastry in half and place on trays. Cut strips from remaining pastry and place on all edges of the cut tart bases to form sides to the tarts. Alternatively, you can line flan or pie tins with pastry. Dock bases with fork.
Place cheese and parsley into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 sec/speed 10.
Add Umami Paste, ricotta, walnuts and seasoning and mix for 5 sec/speed 5.
Spread mixture on each tart, ensuring you do not put any mixture on the edges.
Arrange asparagus spears on each tart and brush any exposed pastry with egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve hot sprinkled with a few additional chopped walnuts.

Greek Cheese Triangles.

Well having just popped over the Melbourne and back (for some GREAT classes…thanks guys!) and having bought one of these pastries at the South Melbourne Market, I thought I can do that…(dare I say, even better than…??) And then of course there was the whole cheese judging week for which I do not get paid, other than being able to bring home my body weight in amazing cheeses, ice creams, yoghurts etc….therefore with just a little cheese in the kitty so to speak, I figured this was a great option. If not truly authentic…truly delish!

NEED:

Handful Italian parsley
180g Swiss cheese, cubed
180g feta, cubed
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste
9 filo sheets thawed
Melted unsalted butter for pastry (approx 250g)

DO:

Preheat oven to fan forced 180ºC. Line 2-3 baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
Place parsley into Thermomix bowl and chop for 5 sec/speed 6. Set aside.
Add Swiss cheese and grate for 5 sec/speed 6.
Place parsley back into Thermomix bowl, add feta, eggs and seasoning. Gently blend for a 5-6 sec/Reverse + speed 3.
Prepare filo by laying on clean bench top; cover with dry tea towel and then wet tea towel to prevent pastry from drying.
Brush each sheet with melted butter, layer another sheet on top, repeat, and then cut each sheet into four lengthways, then turn cut sides to face you.
Dollop a little of the cheese mixture onto the corner of each strip, fold over and form a triangle. Brush with more butter and fold again. Repeat two more times. You will have a neat little triangle with no open edges. Cut and set onto lined baking tray. Repeat until all mixture is used. Brush each triangle again with any remaining butter.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve hot if possible, but they taste equally delicious cold.

TASTE:

To make cocktail size, cut your pastry into 5 strips. This recipe will make about 50-60.
Using ghee instead of butter will yield a prettier result, as sometimes the milk solids in butter brown faster and leave little marks on the pastry.

Blueberry Maple Custard Tart

Well I made it…yes the tart, but I made it in the City to Surf…and it was fun. Not so bad after all, and great to catch up with a bunch of Thermomix girls…crazy bunch. I admit I was glad to park it on the train on the way home, I am not as young as I used to be! Thoughts turned to Sunday dinner, a tradition in my household, and as I had already made the pastry for this, figured it would be quick and easy to finish it off….and so here it is; Fast Food for a busy Sunday, Thermomix style!

NEED:

Shortcrust;

260g plain flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

130g cold butter cubed

1 egg yolk

60g sour cream

1 tsp almond essence (optional)

Filling;

60g sugar

zest 1 lemon

1/2 tsp cardamom seeds

4 egg yolks

200g cream

200g milk

20g cornflour

50g maple syrup

250g blueberries (fresh or frozen)

DO:

Pastry;

Place flour, sugar and butter into Thermomix bowl and mix for 5 sec/speed 5.

Add remaining ingredients and mix for a further 10 sec/speed 5.

Tip out onto floured Silpat mat and press into a disc.

Roll out to fit a 18-20cm flan tin with removable base. Place in freezer for up to 3 hours but at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to fan forced 180ºC and blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans before filling.

Filling;

Place sugar, zest and cardamom into Thermomix bowl and mill for 15 sec/speed 9. Reserve a little for garnish.

Add remaining ingredients except blueberries and insert Butterfly.

Cook for 8 min/80ºC/speed 4. Cook a further 2 min/90ºC/speed 4.

Pour into pastry base and tap on bench to settle filling. Top with blueberries and return to oven for 5 minutes.

Cool before serving dusted with reserved lemon and cardamom sugar and of course, the obligatory dollop of whipped cream…oh well, I now balanced out the burnt calories of this morning. A happy excuse for dessert tonight at least!

Herbed Caramelized Garlic Tart

Long ingredient list, but don’t be afraid; (insert evil laugh here) There are a few processes, but you could cheat on the pastry with ready rolled puff pastry, but no complaints if you cheat…K? There is nothing quite as sublime as homemade puff pastry, once you realise and accept that you will have to spend a minimum of 5 hours at the gym working off said puff pastry….bring on the duck fat I say! A little experiment with the fat content here, and I must say, it was beautifully flaky, a lot like me really!

NEED:

Pastry;

130g unsalted butter

80g duck fat

250g cake flour

Pinch sea salt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

40g icy water

 Filling;

50g Romano cheese, cubed

50g vintage cheddar, cubed

50g Jarlsburg cheese, cubed

3 heads whole garlic

25g balsamic vinegar

30g EVOO

2tbsp dark brown sugar

Generous pinch sea salt

1 sprig rosemary, foliage only

80g cream

1 egg

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DO:

Pastry;

Place butter into Thermomix bowl and chop for 2-3 sec/speed 5. Place onto a shallow plate or saucer and add duck fat in pieces. Place into the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

Place all pastry ingredients except water into Thermomix bowl and blend for 5 sec/speed 6. You should have a breadcrumb look.

Add water and blend for 5 sec/speed 7. Remove dough and roll out into a rectangle on floured Silpat mat.

Fold each end of the pastry over on top of itself in thirds. Turn the pastry so that the folded edges are on each side of your mat.

Roll again and repeat this process 3-4 times. If the dough becomes sticky at any point, stop, wrap and place into the fridge until easy to work with again. The dough should eventually be in a beautiful even brick shape. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. To speed this process up, place into freezer, but do not leave it in there too long or it will become impossible to work with.

Roll out pastry and line a rectangular baking tray. Place in freezer until filling is ready.

Filling;

Place cheeses into Thermomix bowl and mill for 8 sec/speed 8. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place garlic cloves and enough water to cover into Thermomix bowl and cook for 10 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1. Drain garlic through simmering basket and cool slightly before cutting through whole heads and squeezing out soft garlic from skins.

Return garlic flesh to the clean, dry Thermomix bowl and add vinegar, EVOO, sugar and salt. Cook for 8 min/Varoma/Reverse + speed 1. Set paste aside.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Without cleaning bowl, place rosemary, cream, egg, salt and pepper to taste into Thermomix bowl and blend for 7 sec/speed 7.

Spread garlic over pastry base and pour egg mix over. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes on a pastry setting, (heat from bottom element.)

Throw a few fresh chopped herbs on top whilst still hot and serve in pieces with a small herbed salad.

Feijoa and Strawberry Scones

Well Feijoa’s are nearly done and dusted, you may still find a few in speciality green grocers. They are a delicately fragrant fruit that are basically a guava…and they go really well with berries, so this is a little take on that. Great for morning or afternoon tea, if you have no feijoas, just replace with other firm fruit of choice.

NEED:

zest 1 lemon
60g sugar
200g cream
150g soda water
500g cake flour
100g macadamias , roasted and salted
300g feijoas, skinned, ends removed
20g maple syrup
200g raspberries

Glaze;

2 – 3 tsp lemon juice
100g icing sugar

DO:

Preheat oven to fan forced 180°C. Line a rectangular tin with baking paper and set aside.

Vanilla Scented Citrus Cheesecake Flan

A tart by any other name is…well a flan, but hey, I do a great tart! My friend is having an afternoon tea tomorrow and as I am always looking for people to eat what I make…(can you believe that??) I decided it was an opportunity for a blog post, which between you and me are getting harder and harder to fit in to my busy life. I am madly getting ready for my first two ‘Cooking with Tenina’ cooking classes, which have been booking up nicely, (thanks all)! Please find details for all my upcoming classes on Facebook just until I get that website up and running…so much to do, so little time!

Through my food travels, I have also recently discovered the beautiful Heilala Vanilla products and I must say, for this recipe, do not scrimp, source the Heilala and you won’t regret it. The only vanilla I can bring myself to use now…remember this vanilla jelly?

And BTW if there are any mad food tourists out there who would be interested in joining me in Tonga, at the Heilala plantation on the most amazing week of wonderful food and classes in the company of Melbourne chef Damien Styles, please let me know. Check out all the details here, it is an exclusive little group of only 14-16 and will include amazing media foodies, whom I am not yet at liberty to divulge…but you will LOVE it. (I confess I may keep banging on about this…but what an opportunity!) OK…the recipe…focus Tenina…focus!

NEED:

Pastry;

45g sugar

55g pistachios, shelled

Small piece cinnamon stick

130g butter

210g plain cake flour

pinch sea salt

1 egg

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

Filling;

200g sugar

1 vanilla bean

Finely grated zest 4 lemons

150g cream cheese

4 eggs

1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

Juice 4 lemons (150g approx)

DO:

Pastry;

Place sugar, pistachios and cinnamon stick into Thermomix bowl and mill for 12 sec/speed 10.

Add remaining pastry ingredients and blend for 8sec/speed 6.

Press into a 25cm flan tin with a removable base and place into the freezer for 30 minutes or longer.

Filling;

Preheat oven to 160ºC.

Place sugar, vanilla bean and zest into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 sec/speed 10.

Add cream cheese, eggs and vanilla bean paste and blend for 8 sec/speed 7.

Add juice and blend for 30 sec/speed 8.

Pour into pastry base and bake for 40-45 minutes until just set in the centre.

SERVE:

With dollops of Chantilly Cream…which can be made quickly and easily by milling 1 tbsp sugar in Thermomix. Insert Butterfly and then pour 600ml cream into bowl, with 1 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste. Whip for 20-30sec/speed 4 until soft peaks form. I grated a little vanilla bean on top as garnish….and the afternoon tea goers? Well, I think they loved it! Did you girls?

Quick Pumpkin, Feta and Caramelised Onion Tart

WOW, what a week. I have left Thermomix Australia as their first ever Recipe Developer…and now I am starting my own business running Advanced Thermomix Cooking Classes….(Yes that deserves capitals don’t you think?) To stay abreast of all developments and until the website is up and functional, please join me on Facebook and you will be the first to know…really!

Threw this together over a very busy weekend, and it was so pretty, (and as you know I am the Queen of Tarts) so knew that you would love this.

NEED:

200-250g red onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic

20g EVOO

20g Balsamic vinegar

20g brown sugar

Pinch sea salt

1kg pumpkin cubed

2tbsp honey

9 sheets phyllo

Melted butter as needed (approx 60g)

Handful baby spinach leaves

Few grape or heirloom tomatoes, halved

2 eggs

40g creme fraiche

200g feta, crumbled

DO:

Preheat oven to 200ºC.

Place onions, garlic, EVOO, vinegar, sugar and salt into Thermomix bowl and chop for 4 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl and saute for 9 min/Varoma/speed 1.

Allow to cool.

Meanwhile prepare the pumpkin, heat the honey and drizzle over the pumpkin, season to taste if desired. Roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes. Cool.

Brush pastry sheets with butter and line a deep sided pie dish, allowing the folded pastry to crinkle up at the edges to form a crust. Reserve one sheet pastry to screw up in to a ball at the end, making sure you keep a damp paper towel on top of left over pastry to prevent it from drying out.

Spread the base of the pastry shell with the caramelised onions, top with spinach, tomatoes, and roasted pumpkin.

Place eggs and creme fraiche into Thermomix bowl (without cleaning first) and blend for 10 sec/speed 6. Pour over contents of tart. Top with crumbled feta. Using extra melted butter if necessary, brush all pastry liberally with butter. Brush remaining pastry sheet with butter and screw up gently like a ball of paper. Place that in the centre of the tart as shown.

Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is well browned. Serve with salad and crispy potatoes.

So kids, there you have it! Easy, family friendly (just ask who licked the pie dish at my house??) and seriously tasty…a glimpse of things to come your way when you book into a Cooking with Tenina class….please join me, can’t wait to see you all!