Baked Lemon Ricotta Tart with Ginger Pastry and Golden Saxifrage

Happy New Year. I know it’s been a very long time since I last updated my blog, apologies. However I will try to keep on top of it starting now.

The main reason I haven’t up-dated my blog is because sadly Sadiq can no longer take my pictures because of other commitments, but I thank him for his skills, efforts and time.

I still get asked for the recipes of the dishes I create at Kaffeine, so I shell up-date redjarcooking without shinny wonderful pictures for now. I still have a few remaining images which I will use from time to time. I'm also looking into investing in a decent camera. Plus my secret Santa bought me an amazing book on food photography, which I'm currently reading.

In the meantime I will be re-editing some of my recipes and work on more recipes cards, which are still available at Kaffeine.

Here is my latest recipe, a savoury baked ricotta tart. It looks very festive on a plate (you'll have to take my word) and I've garnished this ricotta tart with a foraged item Golden Saxifrage. Crisp, textural and ever so slightly bitter leafy green. Best eaten raw and lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. The refreshing taste of golden saxifrage goes well with creamy citrus ricotta, sweet tomato sauce and slightly spiced flaky pastry. You may find this recipe a tad labour intensive to make, none the less the end result is very therapeutic.

PASTRY:

300g plain flour

150g butter

50g grated cheddar

1 egg

3 tablespoons water

11/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of sea salt

TOMATO SAUCE:

3 plum tomatoes

1 white onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 basil leaves

Dash of dry sherry

Sea salt and ground white pepper

RICOTTA FILLING:

600g good quality full fat ricotta

1 white onion

150g grated gruyere

3 eggs

25g butter

2 lemons

Sea salt and ground white pepper to season

GARNISH:

60g golden saxifrage

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Start with making the pastry, place flour, cheddar, ginger and salt in large mixing bowl. Cube the butter and add to dry mixture, rub butter into flour until well blended together then add egg and cold water. Lightly knead together until only just combined. Wrap pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Grease a fluted flan tin with removable base 30cm in diameter and 3cm deep. Once the pastry has rested roll out on a floured surface until about 4-5mm thick and line the tin with pastry, pinch and press down around the edges and refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.

Once pastry has rested using a folk prick the base of pastry 10 times and line with grease proof paper then fill with uncooked rice or dried legumes, bake in oven set at 200ºC for 12 minutes. When the pastry is baked remove parchment paper and legumes and bake the pastry for further 8 minutes until golden brown.

To make the tomato sauce peel and finely dice the onion, crush the garlic and roughly dice the tomatoes. Warm a sauce pan over a medium heat and add olive oil followed by onions and garlic, gently cook until onions have softened. Add the tomatoes, sherry and season with salt and pepper, cook until tomatoes begin to break down. When tomatoes become mushy remove from heat and pour into a food processor with basil, blend into a smooth sauce.

For the ricotta filling peel and finely dice the onion. Add butter into a fry pan and warm over a medium heat until the butter has melted. Add onion to fry pan and cook until onions become translucent then remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl add ricotta, onion, gruyere, eggs, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, mix together until evenly combined.

Spread the tomato sauce over the base of the pastry then evenly top with ricotta and smooth out, bake in oven on middle shelf set at 180ºC. When the tart has finished baking leave to cool for 30 minutes before cutting into 8 pieces.

To garnish gently mix golden saxifrage, lemon juice and olive oil together and top each slice of tart with the dressed golden saxifrage and serve.

Passionfruit and Ginger Muffins

Here's a slightly spiced and tropical muffin mixture to keep the sun shinning just a little longer. This mixture is reminiscent of carrot cake and my new favourite muffin variety.

450g plain flour
200g sugar
100g butter
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
100ml coconut milk
100ml buttermilk
2 eggs
8 large passion fruit
2 tablespoons grated ginger
25g sultanas
25g chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons dessicated coconut 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Method:
Put butter in a small pot and melt, once melted place to one side for cooling. In a large bowl place flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, sultanas, apricots, dessicated coconut and stir together. Scoop the seeds from 6 of the passion fruit into dry mixture, then beat eggs into butter and  pour onto dry ingredients. Then add the ginger, coconut milk and buttermilk, using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry till just combined. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with oil spray or butter, evenly distribute the muffin mixture into pan. Bake in oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes. While the muffins are cooking spoon the seeds of the 2 remaining passion fruit into small sauce pan and add brown sugar. Place sauce pan over medium heat and cook till passion fruit starts to bubble, remove from heat. Once muffins are cooked brush the passion fruit syrup over muffins and leave to set for 15 minutes before removing muffins from pan.

Apricots, Spiced Ewes Dressing and Ginger Rye Crackers Salad

Literally all stone fruit at this very moment is stunning! I'm not sure what the science is but I've noticed every second year stone fruit is better than the last. This year just happens to be the year for exceptional peaches, apricots and necterines. Make the most of their supperior juicey sweetness because you're going to have to wait another 2 years to get it this good.
I've incorperated apricots into a new tasty salad with sharp and sweet blue ewe's milk cheese and decorated in ginger rye crackers, fresh chilli and spring onions. Simply summer on a plate.

 4 apricots
1 bunch spring onion
1 large red chilli
100g washed baby spinach

Dressing:
100g blue ewes milk cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
150ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 clove garlic
Pinch sea salt

Ginger Rye Crackers:
350g rye flour
200g butter
100g grated cheddar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
90 tablespoon cold water

METHOD:
Start with the crackers, place rye, cheddar, ginger, and salt in mixing bowl. Cube butter and add to the dry ingredients, using a fork press the butter into the dry ingredients till roughly combined. Add half the water and stir, add the remainder water and gently knead into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in fridge for 1 hour.
Once cracker dough has rested roll out into a rough rectangle 40x30cm on a floured surface, grease and line baking tray with parchment paper. Carefully wrap cracker dough round the rolling pin, then unwind dough over baking tray. Using your fingers poke bumps into the cracker dough surface to give texture. Bake cracker in oven preheated at 180oC for 15 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool completely.
For the dressing place a fry pan over medium/high heat and add the cumin and dried chilli broken into smaller pieces. Toast till the seeds and chilli become very fragrant and remove from heat. Put cumin and chilli in pestle and mortar and ground into a rough powder. Place all dressing ingredients into food processor and blend together for one minute.
Cut apricots in half and remove the stone, slice each half into 4 wedges. Trim spring onion and finely slice, cut chilli in half lengthways then thinly slice into semicircles.
To construct the salad you can either make 4 individual serves or one large platter. First lay down baby spinach followed by wedges of apricots. Sprinkle over desired amount of spring onion and chilli. Then break rye cracker into smaller bite sized chucks and scatter over salad, lastly drizzle over dressing and serve.

Spring Greens Poached in Cider

Sorry for the absence of recipes the last few day, I've been away from my computer and ridiculously busy. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with a few extra recipes this weekend.
Yesterday I went on a food foraging lesson kindly arranged by kaffeine's fruit and veg supplier 4DegreesC. A small group of us were guided through the Hackney marshes by foraging expert and author Miles Irving who really did blow my mind with just about every bit of weed, flower, shrub or insect he picked for us to eat. I ate ants that distinctly tasted of sherbet, a grass bud that had strong mushrooms flavours and bulrush which grows in swamps and dissolves on the tongue due to its starchiness.
I've now been exposed to a hole new way of life and cooking and there will a lot more to follow in the next couple of weeks. In the mean time here here's a simple little number I came up with last weeks and really quite tasty. Also I must thank Etienne for his fresh batch of photo's, seriously getting better and better with every photo session we have.

1kg spring greens
2 liters dry apple cider
100ml fish sauce
3 dried red chillies
70g peeled ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
50ml sesame oil

METHOD:
Place in a large pot cider, dried chillies, bay leaves, fish sauce, finely sliced ginger and garlic, dark soy, and salt, put over a high heat and bring to the boil. Break spring green leaves away from the stem and wash thoroughly. Slice the leaves into 1cm strips and once the cider stock is boiling poach greens in the liquid for 4-5minutes then strain. Finally toss spring greens in sesame oil and serve either hot or cold.