Upside Down Tomato Tart 

This tart tastes as good as it looks! Best to make the pastry first and leave it to rest while roasting the tomatoes.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

1 cup (120 g) cake flour
½ t (2,5 ml) salt
4 T (60 g) butter, fridge temperature
1 egg yolk
2 T (30 ml) cold water
1 T (15 ml)brandy or vodka (optional)

Sift the flour and salt twice and cut or rub in the butter to form coarse crumbs. Mix the egg yolk with cold water and brandy and add to the flour. Cut the liquid in with a small knife to form a lumpy mixture. Use your hands to gather and knead the mixture together until it forms a ball. Don't add more water, simply keep working the dough lightly.

Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in a cool place (in cooler weather, it is best not to put it in the fridge, as the pastry can become too hard and brittle). Roll out to 1 cm thickness. Fold into thirds and roll out again to 2 mm thickness on a well-floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. (This preliminary rolling makes the dough much easier to handle).

CHEF'S TIP:

The reason for the brandy! When adding too much water to pastry it becomes tough and shrinks a lot in the oven. Because of the alcohol in the brandy a large part of the liquid evaporates during baking - this keeps the pastry light and prevents shrinking.

8 very ripe red tomatoes, cut into quarters
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 red peppers, seeded and cut into eighths
4 medium-sized onions, sliced in half circles
3 T (45 ml) butter or olive oil
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Brown Onion Gravy Powder
Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
Short crust pastry
Fresh herbs for garnishing

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the tomato quarters with the Balsamic Vinaigrette and arrange skin-side down in a non-stick roasting pan. Toss the peppers in a little more Balsamic Vinaigrette and add to the tomatoes. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Sauté the onions in the butter or olive oil, then turn the heat right down. Cover the onions with greaseproof paper as well as a lid. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the onions are soft and mushy. Sprinkle with Brown Onion Gravy Powder to thicken the onion mixture a little. Season with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Leave to cool.

In a heavy based saucepan melt and caramelize the sugar over high heat, while shaking the pot all the time - do not stir.

Pour the caramel into a 25 cm (inside measurement) ovenproof porcelain flan dish. Tilt the dish to coat the bottom with caramel. Arrange the cooked tomatoes (skin side down) and the peppers in a pretty pattern to cover the base of the dish. Season with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Spoon the onions over the top and smooth with the back of a spoon. Season lightly with Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Leave to cool down completely.

Cover the top of the pie with short crust pastry. Push pastry down onto the filling and trim level with the edge of the dish. Bake at 200°C for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for about 10 minutes. Turn a large round plate upside down on top of the flan dish and invert the pie onto the plate. Garnish with fresh herbs, such as basil.

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A delicious summer salad.

1 punnet of mixed rocket leaves, watercress and baby spinach
3 slices of watermelon, cut into triangles
3 oranges cut into segments
¼ cup (60 ml) calamata olives
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's Balsamic Vinaigrette

Arrange the leaves on a round platter. Top with watermelon, orange segments and olives. Dress the salad just before serving.

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My absolute passion at the moment! I sneak a spoonful every time I pass the fridge. Delicious as a party snack or on toast for breakfast.

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 x 250 g tub smooth cottage cheese
125 g creamy blue cheese
¼ cup (60 ml) finely sliced chives
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning

Process all the ingredients for the egg and blue cheese mixture together in a food processor until rough textured. Spoon into small individual paté dishes. Serve with Bruchetta

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1 French-style loaf, cut into slices ± 1 cm thick
canola or olive oil
Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Brush the one side of the bread lightly with oil and then sprinkle lightly with Green Onion Seasoning. Bake for ± 10 minutes until golden. Serve straight away - or leave to cool down completely and then store in an airtight container.

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Almond and Orange Cake Drizzled with Lemon Icing 

A lovely cake to have available over Easter. Check video for tips on icing.

½ cup (125 g) butter
3 jumbo or extra large eggs
1 x 600 g Ina Paarman's Vanilla Cake Mix
2 T (30 ml) orange zest (grated rind)
1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (no more !)
¾ cup (180 ml) milk
½ cup (50 g) flaked almonds

LEMON ICING
1 cup (110 g) icing sugar
Finely grated zest of one lemon
2 T (30 ml) lemon juice
½ cup (50 g) flaked almonds

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Cream the butter until soft, add eggs one at a time and beat each egg in very well. Add ½ of the dry Vanilla Cake Mix. Fold in by hand with a spatula. Add the orange zest, orange juice, milk and flaked almonds. Stir to blend. Add the remaining Cake Mix and fold in until evenly blended.

Scrape the mixture into a well buttered and lined 23 cm round or square cake tin with a funnel fitting. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Turn out onto a cooling rack.

TO PREPARE THE ICING

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Mix in the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to make a slightly runny icing.

Toast the almonds lightly in a dry non-stick frying pan.

Spoon the icing into a small sandwich size plastic bag. Snip a tiny hole in one of the bottom corners and squeeze the icing over the cake in a criss-cross pattern. Scatter toasted almonds over the cake.

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