A freezer stash of puff pastry is nice to have at your fingertips. It’s a canvas on which you’ll throw collectively elements to make quite a lot of meals with out an excessive amount of thought – ideally suited for utilizing up leftover veg, meats, or fruit. These are two of my most-used ways in which work served sizzling or chilly, however preheating the baking sheet is essential to getting a crisp backside.
Tomato galette with basil chilli drizzle (pictured prime)
That is my puff-pastry ode to a cheat’s pizza, and a superb method to make use of barely mushy tomatoes, or ones missing in flavour. I like the phrase “galette” – it makes it sound terribly fancy, however actually it’s only a free-form tart, so the extra rustic, the higher. The salting of the tomatoes is a crucial step to keep away from a soggy-bottomed pastry. You might, after all, use this as a base for different bits, reminiscent of leftover hen or ham, or antipasti.
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
500g ripe tomatoes
1 x 400g block puff pastry, rolled right into a tough 30cm circle on baking parchment
50g cheddar, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
1 egg, overwhelmed
For the basil chilli drizzle
1 small pack basil
50ml olive oil
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Warmth a baking sheet within the oven at 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6.
In a small saucepan, warmth the vegetable oil on medium-low and prepare dinner the onion with a pinch of salt till mushy and sticky – about 20 minutes.
Slice the tomatoes into skinny slices, pop on to a plate, salt generously and depart for 5 minutes or so, to permit the water to launch.
In the meantime, unfold the caramelised onion over the pastry circle, leaving a 5cm border, then pile the salted tomatoes on prime and sprinkle over the cheddar and oregano. Fold the border so it barely overlaps the tomatoes, then brush the pastry edges with overwhelmed egg. Pop on to the heated baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, till the tomatoes are softened and the pastry is golden.
For the drizzle, blitz collectively all of the elements and season. Slice and serve the galette instantly, coated generously with the drizzle.
Summer time berry turnovers
Profit from a glut of berries: Shivi Ramoutar’s summer season berry turnovers. {Photograph}: Yuki Sugiura/The Guardian. Meals styling: Rosie Reynolds. Prop styling: Louie Waller.
These are a good way to get youngsters concerned in cooking, and so they profit from a glut of summer season berries (be happy to combine up the berries to your style). A thick compote will assist the pastry to maintain its integrity and never turn into soggy. Whereas they’re nice as is simply out of the oven, or with the odd drizzle of cream, I additionally love mine chilly with a cup of tea.
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 50 min
Makes 6
10g butter
400g summer season berries (frozen or recent)
50g caster sugar
10g cornflour combined with 1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1 x 400g-500g block puff pastry (the scale doesn’t matter an excessive amount of so long as it’s rolled to the proper thickness), on baking parchment, rolled right into a rectangle about 5mm thick, then reduce into 6 squares
1 overwhelmed egg yolk
1 tbsp milk
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Warmth a baking sheet in an oven at 200C (180C fan)/fuel 6.
Soften the butter in a saucepan over a medium warmth, then add the berries, sugar, cornflour combination, vanilla and lemon zest. Enhance the warmth and prepare dinner, stirring every now and then, till the berries are thick and compote-like – about quarter-hour. Depart to chill utterly.
Put a tablespoon of the cooled berry compote in the course of every pastry sq.. Brush the pastry edges with water then carry one nook over to satisfy the opposite, and press the sides to seal. Make a small incision along with your knife within the prime of every turnover to permit steam to flee.
Pop the turnovers on to the preheated baking tray. Combine collectively the egg yolk and milk to make a glaze, and use to brush every turnover. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar and bake for about quarter-hour, till golden and hyped up. Take pleasure in sizzling or chilly.