Читать книгу Simple Beginnings: Beading - Aiden Byrne - Страница 18

SERVES 4

1 carrot

1 shallot

1 garlic clove

4 sprigs of thyme

4 baby gem lettuces, cut in to quarters lengthways

300 ml vegetable stock (see page 198)

1 packet ready-made puff pastry

2 quantities tomato confit (see page 210)

10 large torn basil leaves

1 kg courgettes

10 g butter

20 g grated Parmesan cheese

baby basil cress, to garnish

salt and pepper

PEEL AND ROUGHLY CHOP the carrot, shallot and garlic, put them in an ovenproof pan and cook to slightly caramelize. Add the thyme sprigs and place the lettuce on top. Cover with the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper and cover. Braise in a preheated oven at 140°C/275°F/gas 1 for about 1 hour or until the lettuce is soft.

MEANWHILE, roll out the pastry and cut 4 circles 4 cm across. Any unused pastry can be frozen for use later. Place the circles between two baking trays (see page 46) and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 20–25 minutes. Remove the top baking tray and cook for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

LINE FOUR SMALL blini pans with clingfilm and layer the tomato confit ‘petals’ in the bottom, leaving an overhang of tomato pieces to fold over later.

WHEN THE LETTUCE is cool chop it fairly coarsely, mix in the torn basil leaves and pack into the blini pans on top of the tomatoes. Once the tart is full, fold the petals back over to seal in the lettuce. Allow to sit for a couple of hours.

USE A SMALL knife to peel away the skins from the courgettes. Discard the flesh and finely chop the skins. Cook the skins in a warm, covered pan with the butter until they are soft. Season and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth, pass through your finest sieve and chill immediately over a bowl of iced water.

TO SERVE, reheat the tomato and lettuce in a steamer. Turn it out on the tart bases, sprinkle Parmesan over the tomato and put in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 10 minutes. The cheese will melt, the base will stay crisp and the tart should be piping hot. Warm the courgette purée through and spoon a little onto each plate and garnish with the baby basil cress.

The main ingredients in this recipe are at their best at roughly the same time of year. The creamy pine nuts, the sweetness from the ripe peaches, the pungent flavour from the basil and the acidity from the tomatoes make this a well-balanced summer starter. Look for peaches that have a yellow or creamy colour (these will be the sweetest) and avoid any that are too soft because they will spoil very quickly.