If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.
Recipe
Fruit
Quinces
If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.
When the quince tree gives you quinces…
Spiced Pickled Quinces
The tree was loaded, the birds were getting eager, but the cupboard was bare! Continue reading
Tomato Galette (Galette aux tomates)
Tomato Galette (Galette aux tomates)
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Resting time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
The perfect way to showcase heirloom tomatoes when in season. This is a true summer tart!
Quantity: 1 25cm/10" galette (serves 4-6)
Ingredients
- 750 g heirloom tomatoes different colours and sizes, if you can get them
- 350 g shortcrust pastry
- 150 g soft cheese
- 25 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 clove garlic crushed, or finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped basil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp finely sliced shallot
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Small basil leaves to garnish.
Instructions
-
Line a tray with paper towel or a tea towel.
-
Thickly slice the tomatoes( 6-7mm/1/4” thick) and lay in a single layer on the paper towel or a tea towel.
-
Line a baking tray or pizza try with baking paper.
-
Roll pastry out to a 30cm/12” circle and carefully lay on the prepared baking tray. Place into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to rest.
-
Combine soft cheese, parmesan, garlic, basil together and season with salt and pepper.
-
Preheat oven to 210˚C/420˚F.
-
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and spread the cream cheese mixture over the base, leaving a space of 3-4cm/ 1-11/2” around the edge.
-
Lay the tomato slices in overlapping concentric circles, starting from the outer edge of the cheese layer, until you have used all of the tomatoes.
-
Sprinkle with the finely sliced shallots, a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and then carefully turn the uncovered edges up over the outer edge of the tomatoes.
-
Brush pastry with egg wash and bake in pre-heated oven for 35 - 45 minutes, until golden and the tomatoes have caramelised.
-
Remove from the oven and allow too cool a little before serving.
-
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve warm, or at room temperature, with lightly dressed salad greens.
Notes
- Laying the sliced tomatoes on the paper towel and leaving them uncovered, removes excess moisture and reduces the risk of a soggy galette and helps the tomatoes caramelise.
- For the soft cheese you could use, chévre, mascarpone, quark, whipped cottage cheese, marinated feta, ricotta, etc.
- Feel free to use fresh herbs of your choice. You could even add a sprinkling of fresh chilli if it’s your thing.
- You can purchase soft cheese with garlic and herbs at the supermarket, which also works perfectly in this recipe.
- You could use a sheet of frozen pastry.
A Day with Plants and Family and Friends
Recently I spent the morning working with my pot plants just out the back door. I had sad tomato plants that needed to be potted up before I lost them, and a cucumber similarly needing potting. Soon enough I was spending the morning working with plants, repotting, weeding, tidying, even a little painting, and all the time I was with my family and friends! A storm was looming, due around lunch time, so I knew that my time was limited, but planned to work until driven indoors.
I spent time with my late mum via the beautiful yellow gerbera that she had given me eight years ago, and the lavender that I had dug from her garden after she passed, there’s even a juvenile lavender now growing in a large pot, home to a small mandarin tree.
Yellow Gerbera – a gift from mum -2016
Lavender dug up from mum’s garden.
Self sown lavender in the mandarin tree pot.
