Caramelised Onion Puff Pastry Tart with Wigmore
A fantastic starter made with Wigmore cheese, caramelised onion & thyme tartlets. The recipe was created by Klee at Village Maid.
What you’ll need:
2 sheets of puff pastry⠀
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of milk⠀
1/2 red onion, sliced⠀
8-10tsp red onion relish⠀
200g Wigmore cheese, cut into 1cm thick slices
8-10 fresh thyme sprigs⠀
Sea salt⠀
Balsamic glaze, to drizzle⠀
How to do it:⠀
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Put the sliced red onions onto a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and set aside to cool while you assemble the tarts.⠀
3. Take your puff pastry from the fridge and roll it out onto a floured surface until it is evenly 1cm in thickness. Using a 12cm round pastry cutter, cut as many rounds as you can get out of it. Place on a non-stick baking tray. Score a 2cm border around the edges of your pastry rounds, careful not to cut all the way through. Prick the bases of your rounds with a fork, avoiding the borders. Then brush the tops with your eggy milk wash, ensuring it doesn’t drip down the sides (or your pastry won’t rise evenly).⠀
4. Keeping inside the pastry border, spread 1 heaped teaspoon of the onion relish on each pastry base, then add a couple of the roasted red onion slices. Scatter a few of thyme leaves over the top, and top the onion relish mixture with a 1cm thick slice of Wigmore cheese. Sprinkle a couple more thyme leaves, sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper over the top of the cheese.⠀
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden and has risen. Serve the tartlets warm, drizzled with the balsamic glaze and topped with a sprig of thyme.
Baked Camembert with Tunworth or Baron Bigod
The perfect Winter warmer, it’s rich and indulgent and has plenty of flavour.
What you’ll need:
250g Tunworth Camembert or Baron Bigod Brie
1 tbsp vermouth or kirsch
2 thyme sprigs
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Crackers or toasted bread, to serve
How to do it:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Unwrap the cheese's packaging removing the paper, then place the Camembert or Brie back into its box. Slash the cheese a few times and top with 1 tbsp vermouth or kirsch, the thyme sprigs and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
3. Bake on a baking tray for 20 mins until gooey. Then, dive in with your toasted bread or crackers.
Halloumi Fries
One of the favourite bar snacks, this is how you can recreate these delicious halloumi bites at home with ease.
What you’ll need:
75g plain flour⠀
2 tsp smoked paprika⠀
2 x 225g packs halloumi, cut into chips⠀
Sunflower oil, for frying⠀
2 tbsp chopped coriander⠀
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped⠀
1 x 150g pot fat-free natural yogurt⠀
1 x lime⠀⠀
How to do it:⠀
1. In a bowl mix the flour and paprika, then lightly coat the halloumi in it.⠀
2. Add the oil to a wide, deep, heavy-based pan, so that it fills to a depth of about 1 1/2cm, and heat until sizzling. Add a few pieces of halloumi at a time and fry for 1-2 mins, turning with tongs until golden and crispy. Transfer to a piece of kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining halloumi.⠀
3. Sprinkle the fries with salt, toss to coat, then divide. Stir coriander into the yogurt and season. Scatter the chilli over the fries and serve with the yogurt and a wedge of lime.
Broad Bean & Mint Panzanella with Burrata
A light, refreshing summer salad topped with a wonderfully rich and creamy burrata.
What you'll need:
Olive oil
2 slices rough textured bread
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 handfuls of broad beans
1 stick celery, finely sliced
½ cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
2 anchovies, finely chopped
2 tbsp baby capers, drained
A bunch of mint
4 burrata
How to do it:⠀
1. Pull the bread into bite-sized pieces and put it into the bottom of a large bowl. Sprinkle on 1 tbsp cold water, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 2 tbsp olive oil and leave it to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Add the broad beans, celery and cucumber, then mix the anchovies with the remaining vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, and add plenty of pepper. Pour this over the salad, add the capers and toss. Leave to sit for 15 minutes, then finely chop the mint and add to the salad at the last minute.
3. Serve the salad on four plates with a whole burrata each and drizzle with olive oil.
Aubergine & Driftwood Goat's Cheese Pizza
With a rich, tomato and aubergine topping, this delicious pizza is topped with Driftwood’s creamy goat's cheese.
What you'll need:
500ml tomato passata
1 medium aubergine
Olive oil
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
300g prepared pizza dough or a ready-made pizza base
Flour, for dusting
50g Drifwood goat's cheese
How to do it:⠀
1. Preheat the oven to 250˚C, or as high as it will go. Use a pizza tray with holes in it that allows steam to escape, so the base becomes really crisp.
2. Put the passata in a small pan and simmer until it is as thick as Greek yoghurt. Slice the aubergine to 1/2cm thick and drizzle with olive oil. Mix the spring onions in a bowl with 3 tbsp olive oil.
3. Roll and stretch the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a circle about 35cm across. Lay it (or the ready-made base) on the pizza tray. Spread the tomato sauce to within 2cm of the edge. Arrange the aubergine slices on top, crumble the goat's cheese and sprinkle with salt.
4. Bake for 10-15 mins until the aubergine is starting to brown. Remove from the oven and spread the onions and olive oil on top. Transfer the pizza directly on to the oven shelf. Turn the heat down to 200˚C and bake for a further 10 mins or until lightly golden.
