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Woolworth’s ruined the friendship when they discontinued their pastry shell bases.

Combining them with both sweet and savoury fillings was so effortless I added them to a new course only to find out Woolworth’s would no longer be stocking the shells.

Thankfully the timing coincided with my foody friend Lisa Brink discovering a really quick and easy but amazing, no-bake-blind savoury pastry alternative and I was able to go ahead with the tarts, without scaring off the non-bakers and busy moms.

My choice of tart was the most delicious caramelised garlic filling (a slightly tweaked Ottolengi recipe below) but I ended up adding a butternut and goats cheese filling for the non-garlic lovers (most who were converted after tasting the garlic tart anyway).

Using the same pastry and custard, I have made various fillings, most recently two variations for my vegetarian cousin who came for dinner last night.

A black and porcini mushroom filling with caramelised onion as well as an orange sweet potato, sun-dried tomato and feta filling (below) worked beautifully with the parmesan pastry.

I have also added smoked salmon and parmesan, topping the tarts with slivers of salmon and fresh dill for my sister’s baby shower.

Make any size tart-large, individual or even fill a casserole dish-just adjust the baking time as indicated. The custard is not eggy, more creamy, so some large tarts may ooze a little if sliced from the oven.

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YUM YUM YUM! This salad is just delicious!

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There are two reasons why I don’t eat corn fritters as often as I would like to: Because they are fried and they have to be served immediately.

So oil aside, this is why, in my opinion, food establishments should refrain from adding fritters to their menu unless they are prepared to cook them on order.

There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. Salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be  instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

So if the fat content was not an issue, I would happily consume these all day long.

Pair the fritters with a halloumi and roasted peppers salad. See recipes…
Corn fritters
3 Mealies *
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup milk
½ cup grated parmesan *
A handful of chopped coriander
2 eggs
1 tsp salt and ½ tsp course black pepper
Oil to fry

1. Sift flour into a bowl, add parmesan, combine the milk and egg and add to the flour.
2. Remove the corn from the cob and add to the mixture
3. Heat a pan and add the oil and then add dollops of the batter and fry on each side
4. Serve with crème fraîche and a dollop of onion marmalade, or sweet tomato jam or an avocado salsa made with chopped onions, pickled peppers, coriander, avocado and squeeze of sweet chilli sauce.
5. Smoked Salmon, cream cheese and Woolies spicy guacamole makes a great topping.

COOK’S Notes
Use Woolies mealies, they are sweeter and juicy than other varieties and require no cooking, otherwise substitute with a can of corn (not sweetcorn)

The parmesan cheese I used is Cremona, from the cheese factory in Carrera shopping centre. If you are grating your own parmesan then do not add the milk-wait till everything is combined and add milk if necessary. Grating your own parmesan makes a light and airy serving of cheese which needs less moisture.

Fresh fig salad

 I have been working on my Italian. By this I’m referring, of course, to food. I had a rather short-lived adventure into the language and made a decision to keep my upcoming menu in English only!

Figs are abundant. This very Mediterranean delicacy is catching on in South Africa and I am delighted to find that the availability increases every year.

So the Italian word for fig is FIGA, or so I thought. It’s actually FICA derived from Figa and while Figa sounds exotic and strong (Feeeega!), I found out soon enough that it’s it is also very offensive.

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 The classic Tarte Tatin is an upside down caramelised apple tart which was accidentally created by Stéphanie Tatin, who served the “mistake” to her guests at her hotel and a signature dish was born!
This recipe combines 2 popular variations of the classic: Firstly, it uses savoury tomatoes and secondly it is made into bite size canapés instead of a whole tart.

The basic recipe requires nothing but a sprig of fresh thyme and can be served as a canapé, alongside a roast chicken for dinner or instead of a salad for a braai (just use a bigger muffin pan)
Here, I have transformed these little gems once again with the addition of parmesan cheese and Kloovenberg olive jam. They are absurdly easy to make and can also be topped with some torn buffalo mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese.

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There is nothing worse than a sloppy fritter-especially one that has been re-heated in the microwave, and this is why I avoid ordering corn fritters from most establishments.

If you need to prepare these in advance, then try not to serve them with a salsa and crispy rocket. In my opinion, salsa type toppings, with onions, should be paired with a fresh crispy fritter only.

Pre-made sloppy fritters, I discovered, can be instantly lifted by a smothering of crème fraîche and some sweet onion marmalade or tomato jam.

(more…)