Tomato tarte tatin

via Australian Women's Weekly

Serving size: Serves 6
Cuisine type: Italian, Modern Australian
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Special options: Kid friendly
Course: Lunch, Main

Tomato tarte tatin

INGREDIENTS

500g block frozen puff pastry, thawed slightly
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g butter
2 red onions, sliced
12 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
1 kg roma tomatoes, core removed
baby herbs, extra balsamic and olive oil, to serve
crème fraîche

METHOD

Preheat oven at 180°C/ or 160°C (fan forced).

Grease a 30cm shallow round pan.

Roll out pastry to form a 5mm thick round disc, slightly bigger then pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium to low heat.

Add onion, garlic, sugar and balsamic and cook for about 15 minutes or until onions and garlic are very soft and golden brown.
Season with salt and pepper and then set aside.

Place tomatoes in a medium saucepan filled with boiling water, cook for 1 minute or until skin just starts to come away from flesh.

Rinse under cold water until cool. Peel off skin using a small knife, cut in half and then remove and discard seeds.

Arrange tomatoes rounded side down on prepared pan, leaving a 1cm border. Scatter onion mixture evenly over top.

Lay pastry disc round over tomatoes and gently press excess pastry around edge to enclose.

Cook for 30 minutes or until pastry puffs up, is golden and cooked through.

Serve topped with baby herbs and drizzled with extra balsamic, olive oil and crème fraîche.

Tomato, goat's cheese and olive gratin

BBC Good Food Magazine via Madeleine Loewen

I love this dish, especially when there are masses of fresh tomatoes. I often eat the left overs cold. Mmmm!

First you make the rich tomato compote

3tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 strips dried orange zest (or I do a small amount of fresh orange zest)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1lb 5oz tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tsp tomato puree

light muscovado sugar, to taste (I don't bother)

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Toss in the onion, garlic and orange zest, then fry until the opnion is soft, but not coloured. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir until is is completely evaporated.

2. Tip the tomatoes and puree into the pan and cook over a medium heat for aobut 10-15mins, or until the compote is as thick as you want it. Remove and discard the orange zest. Season with salt if you want, plus pepper and muscovado sugar to taste.

Gratin, Serves 4

1batch of rich tomato compote

2 tsp dried thyme

4 medium tomatoes

2 x 100g logs soft, rindless goat's cheese

16 pitted olives (I use more than the precise 16!)

1. Heat over to 180C/350F. Spread two thirds of the tomato compote over the base of a 20 x 30cm ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over 1 tsp of the thyme.

2. Slice the tomatoes and goat's cheese, then arrange in rows on top of the compote. Scatter over the remaining thyme and the olives.

3. Spoon over the remaining compote, bake for 10mins, then pop the gratin under a hot grill until golden.

Classic French Bread

Though I prefer the meatier texture of a nice honey wheat loaf, there's something profoundly satisfying (and, let's admit -- impressive) about bringing homemade baguettes to a gathering. Here's the classic four-ingredient recipe from Famous French Desserts, but with a few notes from me. Apparently, you can adapt it to a whole wheat baguette if you use 2-3 cups whole wheat flour in lieu of white. I haven't tried that yet. On the whole, this is a lovely, simple (albeit really time-consuming) recipe.

4 cups Flour
1 tbsp. Dry Active Yeast
1-2 tsp. Salt
2 cups Warm Water
Oil for bowl

1. Combine the flour and the salt.
2. In another bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and half of the flour/salt mixture. Using your hands, mix until it forms a dough. (This will be very sticky.) Then, cover with a dish cloth and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. It should triple in size.
3. Gently incorporate the rest of the flour/salt, using your hands.
4. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. It should be supple and elastic when you stop kneading. (By supple, we still mean sticky.)
5. Lightly oil a bowl. Place dough in bowl. Cover with a dish towel. Let sit for 1 hour. It should double in size.
6. Preheat oven to 450°F. Knead again. Then cut dough into 3 parts and form each part into a long baguette. Place on a baking sheet. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. (Don't forget that last step. If you do, the baguettes will be unnaturally skinny.)
7. Place a bowl of water in the oven. Bake baguettes for about 25 minutes (maybe less). Remove the bowl of water after 15 minutes of baking.

Pear and macadamia nut crumble

Pear and macadamia nut crumble - Curtis Stone via Fiona Murray

8 William pears, peeled, cored and quartered
100 g caster sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise

Crumble:
280 g plain flour
125 g caster sugar
100 g macadamia nuts, roasted and crushed
125 g butter, softened

Ice cream to serve.

Place the pears in a medium saucepan with the sugar, zest and juice, cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Cook, covered, over a moderate heat until the pears are tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the pears. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod.

Preheat the oven to 170C and grease an ovenproof dish (30cm x 15 cm and 8 cm deep). Spoon the pears into the prepared dish.

For the crumble, combine the flour, sugar, and macadamia nuts in a bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingers, rub it into the mixture until evenly distributed. Scatter over the pears and transfer the dish to the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve warm with ice cream.

Serves 4-6

Chocolate and banana bread

Chocolate and banana bread - via Fiona Murray

This is a decadent and dense loaf that's not too sweet. The better the chocolate, the better the result.

250 g plain flour (2 cups)
20 g cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
120 g butter, softened
130 g raw sugar (1/2 cup)
2 large eggs
2 very large ripe bananas (about 500g) mashed, plus 1 extra
60 g shredded coconut
80 g dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to fan forced 175C (195 convectional).

Sift combined flour, cocoa, and baking powder into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in-between. Add mashed banana and stir until combined. Fold in flour mixture, then add coconut and chocolate chips and stir until well-combined.

Grease loaf pan and line the base with baking paper. Spoon mixture into pan. Slice extra banana and place on top of loaf. Bake for 60-65 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Chocolate and hazelnut self-saucing puddings

Chocolate and hazelnut self-saucing puddings - via Fiona Murray

1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1/4 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts, skins removed, chopped
125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
45g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
120 ml boiling water

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Lightly grease two 250ml (1 cup) ovenproof dishes or cups. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and nuts. Stir to combine. Add milk, butter and egg and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Divide batter between prepared dishes.

For the sauce - combine brown sugar and cocoa powder and sprinkle over the two puddings. Carefully pour 60 ml (1/4 cup) boiling water over the top of each pudding, then place in oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve with a dollop of thick cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Makes 2.

Cheat's Chips (Fries)

Cheat's chips (steak fries)- via Fiona Murray

3 large potatoes, peeled, cut into thick pieces
Sea salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. finley grated parmesan
1 Tpsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 220C (425F). Place potatoes in a steamer for 7-8 minutes. They will only be par-cooked and not completely tender. Toss chips (pieces) with olive oil and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Season and bake for 20 minutes, remove and sprinkle with half the parmesan and the parsley. Return to oven for a further 5-10 minutes or until chips are crisp and golden. Remove and sprinkle with remaining parmesan just before serving.

Serves 2.

My big fat Greek meatballs

My big fat Greek meatballs - via Fiona Murray

3 thick slices white bread
150 ml red wine
500 g minced lamb or beef or combination thereof
1 onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 beaten egg
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
sea salt and pepper
50 g plain flour
olive oil for frying
500 ml tomato passata
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
1 bay leaf

Remove the crusts from the bread, roughly tear into pieces and soak in the red wine. Squeeze lightly, reserving the wine. Using your hands, combine the soaked bread with the minced meat, onion, one of the curshed garlic cloves, the egg, parsley, cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper and mix well, squishing it all together. Leave the mixture to stand in the fridge for an hour. Form into generously sized balls and roll in the plain flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the meatballs until they are nicely browned all over. In the meantime, combine the reserved red wine with the tomato passata, paste, tomato sauce, olive oil, remaining garlic clove, sugar, and bay leaf in a saucepan, and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

ANZAC Biscuits

ANZAC Biscuits - via Fiona Murray

1 cup coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
4 oz. (120 g) margarine
2 level Tbsp. golden syrup
1 tsp. bicarb of soda (baking soda??)
2 Tbsp. boiling water

In a bowl, mix together coconut, oats, flour, and sugar. In a saucepan, melt margarine and syrup, adding in soda dissolved in boiling water. When this is melted and mixed, add to the ingredients in the bowl. Place teaspoonfuls on greased oven trays. Allow room for spreading. Bake in a moderate oven (180C or 350F) for 15 minutes. Loosen on tray; allow to cool. Eat and enjoy!

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins - magazine, via Fiona Murray

Whisk together 170g (2/3 cup) sugar and 2 eggs until thick (Fiona beats the sugar and butter together first, then adds the eggs). Add 200g (7 Oz.)butter, 200g (1 1/2 cups) sifted self-raising flour and then 80ml milk. Throw in 1/2 cup frozen raspberries and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. Stir gently to combine. Spoon into muffin tins. Press into the top of each muffin extra raspberries and white chocolate chips. Bake in a moderate oven (180 C or 350F) for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.