Beauty of Bath Tart

Sunday, September 02, 2012

IF YOU are one of those people who started to grow vegetables for the first time this year, don’t be despondent.

Up to recently your hopes will have been well and truly dashed. Well, let me cheer you up - in all the years we’ve been growing tomatoes (over 50) we don’t remember a year where they ripened so late and were so lacking in flavour - like all of us they need the sun to sweeten up. At this stage we’ve removed most of the leaves so that the remainder of the crop can ripen.

The soft fruit and berries have also been a nightmare to harvest this year, days pass when we can’t get out to pick any fruit, if the berries are picked wet they simply don’t keep, the flavour is diluted and jam goes mouldy within a short time, but we’ll just eat it up quickly.

Don’t be tempted to give up. It’s such a joy to have even a little home-grown produce - reckon to try again next year.

We’re fortunate to have a greenhouse that we use as a protected garden, so we have an abundance of produce for the cookery school, all be it much later than usual. The surplus is sold at the Farmers Market and at the Farm Shop on the farm.

A few weeks ago we had a Long Table Dinner in the midst of the tomatoes, scarlet runner beans and salad leaves in the greenhouse. We planted a lawn in one of the bays which provided a soft green carpet underfoot. It was so lovely to eat in the midst of the beautiful vegetables and herbs - the menu was a celebration of the work of the gardeners, farmers, local fishermen and artisan producers. Friends played music and the wine we enjoyed with every course was supplied by Mas de Daumas Gassac from Red Nose Wines. Altogether a memorable evening.

Beauty of Bath Tart

Despite the inclement weather we have a fantastic crop of Beauty of Bath Apples. They are one of the earliest to ripen and for many people of a certain age bring back memories of robbing orchards in their childhood. We’ve been enjoying them in myriad ways; just as they are, in apple muesli for breakfast, and we are loving the bittersweet pressed juice that we make in our brand new centrifuge. Try this caramelised apple tart, another of our favourites.

Makes approx. 12 tartlets or two open tarts 8 inch (20cm) diameter

½ lb (225g) Flaky, Puff, or Shortcrust pastry
4-6 dessert or cooking apples preferably Beauty of Bath
4-6 tablespoons granulated sugar, approx.
(Allow a well heaped teaspoon per tartlet)
2 x 8 inch (20.5cm) pie plates or 12 patty tins

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Line the tins with thinly rolled pastry. The pastry should be about as thick as a coin for tartlets, slightly thicker for tarts.

Thinly peel and quarter apples, then cut them into slices 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Arrange them on the pastry in overlapping slices. Sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes approx in the hot oven 220C/425F/gas mark 7. The juice of the apples will caramelise with the sugar. Serve with softly whipped cream, or better still Glenilen Crème Fraiche.

NOTE: It is essential to put enough sugar on these tarts or tartlets; otherwise they will not caramelise properly.

Italian pork stew with tomatoes Serves 4-6

A quick and easy nutritious stew which is a meal in itself. Serve with noodles, potatoes or rice and a good green salad.

90ml (6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil)
1 onions or 4 shallots, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
100gg (2 oz) pancetta or bacon, cut into lardons
1kg (2¼lb) stewing pork, cut into 5 – 6 cm
(1 – 1 ½ inch)
Seasoned flour
80ml (2 ½ fl oz) dry white wine
400g (14 oz) tinned tomatoes, chopped or
450g (1lb) ripe tomatoes peeled
150ml (5fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
125g (4 ½ oz) fresh or frozen peas
1 tablespoon annual marjoram chopped
2 tablespoons parsley coarsely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Add the shallots, carrot, celery and pancetta or bacon. Sweat on a medium heat for 4 – 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a little more extra virgin olive oil in wide frying pan on a high heat.

Dust the pieces of pork in seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Add the meat. Seal on all sides, you may need to do this in batches. Add a little more extra virgin olive oil to the casserole.

Add the white wine and allow to evaporate. Stir in the tomatoes and half the stock and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, add a sprig of thyme, and cover with a lid. Cook for 25 minutes on a gentle heat or transfer to a moderate oven 180°C/350°F/Mark 4 until the meat is cooked through. If you find the stew dries up, add a little more hot stock.

Add the potato chunks and cook for a further 15 minutes, add the peas and cook for a further 4 – 5 minutes on a low heat, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat, taste and correct seasoning. Scatter with parsley and serve.

Perfect French Beans Serves 4-6

The proportion of salt to water is vitally important for the flavour of the beans and all green vegetables — it sounds a lot but try it.

900g (2 lb) French beans
1.1 litres (2 pints) water
3 teaspoons sea salt
30-50g (1-2 oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Choose beans of a similar size. Top and tail the beans. If they are small and thin leave them whole, if they are larger cut them into 2.5-4cm (1-1 1/2 inch) pieces at a long angle. Bring the water to a fast rolling boil, add 3 teaspoons of salt then toss in the beans. Continue to boil very fast for 5-6 minutes, or until just cooked (they should still retain a little bite). Drain immediately.* Melt the butter or extra virgin olive oil in the saucepan, toss the beans in it, taste, season with freshly ground pepper and a little sea salt if necessary.

* The beans may be refreshed under cold water at this point and kept aside for several hours.

To reheat precooked beans: Just before serving, plunge into boiling salted water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, drain and toss in butter. Season and serve immediately.

Pan grilled mackerel, marsh samphire and sauce vierge

4 fresh mackerel, filleted
seasoned flour
175g (6oz) marsh samphire
Sauce Vierge
sprigs of parsley

First make the sauce. Bring saucepan of water to the boil, cook the samphire for 3 – 5 minutes, depending on size, drain and toss in a little butter.

Heat a pan grill on a high heat. Dip the dry fillets one at a time into well-seasoned flour, pat off excess, spread a little soft butter over the flesh side of the fish as though you were buttering a slice of bread rather meanly. When the grill is hot but not smoking, place the fish fillets, butter side down on the grill; the fish should sizzle as soon as they touch the pan. Turn down the heat slightly and let them cook for 4 or 5 minutes (time depends on the thickness of the fish). Turn over and cook on the other side until crisp and golden.

To serve put a little samphire on a hot plate, lay two fillets, one flesh, and one skin side at an angle on top. Sprinkle a little Sauce Vierge over the top or, alternatively, put three teaspoons around the side. Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley.

SAUCE VIERGE

450g (1lb) ripe, firm tomatoes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon chervil, chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon chopped
1 dessertspoon torn basil leaves
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
60ml (2¼fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

Peel the tomatoes, cut into quarters, remove the seeds and cut into neat 1cm (½ inch) dice.

Put the tomato into a bowl and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Add the herbs. Drizzle over the wine vinegar, stir to combine, then pour over the olive oil. The sauce is best served within 1-2 hours.

Hot tips

I have just eaten a finger of the most divine confection, which I spied in the window of Gwen’s French Café in the courtyard in Schull, three luscious layers — a genoise base, a layer of superb dark chocolate ganashe with crispy croccante, topped with a milk chocolate mousse drenched with unsweetened cocoa — believe me it’s worth driving to Schull. There is also the bonus of the café. www.schullcourtyard.com/gwens-chocolates.html

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A Taste of Clare in East Cork with winemaker, Dave Palmer, Skillogalee Wines, Clare Valley, South Australia, along with Birgitta Curtin, Burren Smokehouse, Co. Clare €18 (includes wine presentation & tasting, and food presentations & tasting). To book: 021-4652531 res@ballymaloe.ie — colm@ballymaloe.ie

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