You Are Viewing A little something on the side

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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I included this salad on my Chocolate and Orange course, in a very chilly month of July 2010 and it was aptly named red winter slaw. As long as papaya and red cabbage are available it can be made anytime as it is rather delicious with seafood like salmon and makes a refreshing summer starter or braai salad.

It’s a tweaked Ottolenghi recipe and I have excluded savoy cabbage leaves, mango, fresh chilli and lemon grass so as to simplify the ingredients (as well as adding fresh orange to the dressing, to fit in with my theme).

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If I were to list my top 5 salads they would be:

1. Lisa’s roast vegetable salad with Asian dressing
2. Lisa’s carrot salad
3. Lisa’s strawberry salad
4. Lisa’s Indonesian chicken and mango salad
5. Ottolenghi’s red cabbage salad

So clearly my DELICIOUS! friend has a thing for salads…

Yes I tweak them and sell them, but she certainly knows how to find them and I count myself lucky to have a COOKSISTER who shares so abundantly and generously.

This is a salad that was a hit on my summer course and it’s a recipe that gets asks for the minute the first forkful is devoured.

It’s a beautiful accompaniment to curries and braai’s.

The only problem with this salad, is that you will HATE regular carrot salads and never eat a carrot and pineapple salad again!

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I love onions. Especially caramelised , and  this salad/side dish is just simplicity and sweetness on a plate.

Great for a braai, as an accompaniment to roast chicken or even served at room temperature as a side to a Ploughman’s Platter without the pickle.

Roast onions (4)

Slice a whole onion into 4 slices. Pan fry the slices in butter and sprinkle with some sugar on both sides, turning carefully so that the middle does not fall out. Remove when golden brown (about 2-3 minutes a side)

Carefully transfer to a baking tray with a non- stick mat and roast the onions at 170˚ for about 20 minutes until cooked through. Once again, lift them very carefully onto a platter. Scatter with thyme and Maldon salt and serve.

YUM YUM YUM! This salad is just delicious!

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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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