Term 1 Week 7

Margaret Fulton’s Plain Short Crust Recipe
This pastry, which does not include sugar, is good for savoury pies and pastries, and is fairly easy to handle. Butter will give the best flavour, but firm cooking margarine can be used if preferred.
Ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 100g chilled butter or firm cooking margarine, diced
• 3 tablespoons iced water
• lemon juice, squeezed

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the diced fat and stir round with a knife until the pieces are coated with flour. Rub the fat into the flour between thumbs and fingertips, lifting your hands above the bowl to keep the mixture cool, until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl so that any large lumps come to the surface, then rub them in.
2. Mix the water and lemon juice. Add 2 tablespoons of the liquid to the flour mixture and stir in quickly with a round-ended knife. When the dough starts to cling together, use the fingers of one hand to gather it into a ball. Sprinkle in more liquid only if necessary to dampen any remaining dry mixture in the bowl, and use the ball of dough to gather it up. The dough should leave the bowl clean.
3. Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly by turning and pressing with the floured heel of your hand until smooth. Pat into a round, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface, press the dough with your hand into a round or other shape as required. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out, lifting and turning the dough frequently and lightly flouring the work surface as needed to prevent sticking. Chill again after shaping and before baking.
5. Unless otherwise indicated, bake shortcrust pastry in a preheated 190°C oven.

Variations
Larger pastry shells:  For a 25 cm pastry shell or a two-crust 20–23 cm pie, follow recipe for Plain Shortcrust Pastry, using 2 cups plain flour, 150 g butter or firm margarine and about 4 tablespoons iced water with a squeeze of lemon juice added. For a two-crust pie, use a little more than half of the dough for the bottom crust, and the remainder for the lid. Scraps can be used to decorate the pie if liked.
Roasted tomato and basil tart
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/
 
25mn To Prep
 1:25mn To Cook
8 SERVINGS
Ingredients

• 400g tomato medley mix
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• shortcrust pastry
• 400g fresh ricotta
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons caramelised onion relish

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

  
  

1. Line base and side of a 2.5cm-deep, 11.5cm x 34cm (base), loose-based fluted tart pan with pastry. Trim excess. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Place pan on a baking tray. Line pastry with baking paper. Fill with ceramic pie weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights or rice. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until light golden. Cool for 10 minutes.

 

1. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Place ricotta, eggs, basil and parmesan in a food processor. Process until well combined. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until just combined. Spoon into pastry case. Arrange tomatoes on top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, covering with foil halfway through cooking, or until ricotta mixture has just set. Stand for 10 minutes then remove from pan. Serve warm or cold (see transport note).

Chunky tomato relish
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes
 
Chunky tomato relish adds colour and flavour to all your favourite meat dishes or sandwiches.
 
0:05 mn To Prep
 0:25mn To Cook
Makes 1 1/2 cups
 
Ingredients
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
 2 garlic cloves, crushed
 1 small fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
 500g ripe vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped
 2 tablespoons brown sugar
 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until aromatic.

 

1. Add the tomato to the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the tomato breaks down.

 

1. Add the sugar and vinegar, and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.

 
Kiwi Fruit Sorbet
Gourmet  Traveller Magazine
 
Ingredients

• 250ml water
• 250g caster sugar
• 750ml kiwi fruit pulp
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 egg white

 

1. Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Take off the heat and let it cool and then chill.
2. Pour the syrup, kiwi fruit pulp and lemon juice in the ice cream maker. Churn.
3. When the sorbet is nearly ready, add the egg white which has been beaten to stiff peaks. Keep churning to desire consistency and egg white is incorporated into the sorbet.

Makes 1,5 litres.