Cottage cheese flan

Cottage cheese flan

serves 6

ingredients

250g/8oz butter, plus extra for greasing

175g/6oz plain flour salt

2 eggs, beaten, plus 4 extra, separated

175ml/6fl oz sour cream 900g/2lb cottage cheese 4 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

•Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Grease a 20cm/8in tart tin with a little butter.

•Put the flour and a pinch of salt on a work surface. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the 2 beaten eggs and 150ml/5fl oz of the sour cream. Add 175g/6oz of the butter, cut into pieces, and work into a smooth dough with your hands. Knead for 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a cloth, and leave in a cool place for 1 hour.

•Mix the cottage cheese with the remaining butter, egg yolks, dill and salt to taste. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cottage cheese mixture.

•Line the prepared tart tin with the pastry. Trim the edges, and spread the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the bottom of the pastry.

•Brush the top of the mixture with the remaining sour cream, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the filling is set. Serve hot.

Courgette flan

  serves 6

ingredients • Preheat the oven to 180°C/

olive oil for greasing 350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease a

6 courgettes, sliced baking dish with oil.

4 eggs, separated • Blanch the courgettes in boiling

175g/6oz Parmesan cheese, water for 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

freshly grated • Put the egg yolks, Parmesan and

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg nutmeg in a bowl. Add the

salt courgettes, and mix through.

  • Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold

  into the courgette mixture.

  • Fill the baking dish with the mixture

  and bake for 25 minutes until the

  flan is golden on top. Remove from

  the oven, and serve piping hot.

Leek tart

serves 6

ingredients  

6 large leeks, white part only pinch of grated nutmeg

100g/4oz raw ham, diced 300g/11oz olive oil other

200g/7oz veal or lamb, minced shortcrust pastry

200g/7oz lean pork, minced 25g/1oz Parmesan cheese,

200ml/7fl oz olive oil freshly grated

100ml/31⁄2fl oz dry red wine salt and freshly ground

pinch of saffron threads, soaked in black pepper

2 tablespoons boiling water  

•Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°C/Gas mark 5. Grease a 20cm/8in pie dish. Cut the leeks lengthways into 5cm/2in strips, soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain.

•Brown the ham and minced meat in a frying pan, using half the olive oil. Add the wine, saffron and its soaking liquid, and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring, until the wine has evaporated.

•Sweat the leeks for 3 minutes in a saucepan using the remainder of the oil, and season with salt.

•Line the pie dish with three-quarters of the pastry. Pour in the meat mixture and spread evenly over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the leeks on top of the meat, and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

•Cut the remaining pastry into strips, and arrange over the top of the pie in a lattice pattern. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the top of the filling is golden brown. Serve hot.

Cheese & courgette quiche

  serves 6

ingredients  

350g/12oz shortcrust pastry 2 eggs

1 onion, chopped 4 tablespoons crème fraîche

15g/1⁄2oz butter 25g/1oz Gruyère cheese, grated

450g/1lb courgettes, grated salt and ground black pepper

•Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Grease a 25cm/10in pie dish.

•Roll out the pastry and use to line the pie dish. Cover with greaseproof paper or baking parchment and line with baking beans. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes then remove the greaseproof paper and beans.

•Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.

•Sweat the onion in butter until soft, then add the courgettes and sweat for a further minute. Spoon the mixture into the pie dish. Mix together the crème fraîche and cheese. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over the courgettes. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until set. Serve hot.

Sorrel tart

  serves 6

ingredients  

225g/8oz shortcrust pastry 25g/1oz unsalted butter

225g/8oz sorrel leaves 3 egg yolks

75g/3oz granulated sugar 3 digestive biscuits, crumbled

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon lemon juice

•Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

•Roll out the pastry and use to line a greased 20–23cm/8–9in tart tin or pie dish. Bake blind for 15 minutes (see above).

•Using a mortar and pestle, grind the sorrel and pour the resulting juice into a saucepan. If little juice appears, then wrap the sorrel in cheesecloth and squeeze the juice out this way.

•Add the sugar, cinnamon, butter, egg yolks, biscuit crumbs and lemon juice to the pan. Cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens.

•Scoop the mixture into the pastry shell and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the filling has turned golden brown. Serve hot.

Chicken pie

serves 12

ingredients 125ml/4fl oz olive oil 900g/2lb skinless chicken breast

fillets, halved horizontally 6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 large onions, sliced 450g/1lb courgettes, sliced 450g/1lb aubergines, thinly sliced 675g/11⁄2lb puff pastry

3 beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, quartered and seeded

1 egg, beaten

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce 50g/2oz butter

2 teaspoons plain flour 450ml/3⁄4pt double cream 125ml/4fl oz horseradish sauce 125ml/4fl oz white wine

•Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7. Grease a large baking tray.

•Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan, add half the chicken and sprinkle with half the garlic and herbs. Season lightly. Sauté the chicken on both sides to seal and remove with a slotted spoon. Sauté the remaining chicken, garlic and herbs. Remove from the pan. Add the onions to the pan. Sauté gently for 5 minutes. Add the courgettes and aubergines, and sauté for a further 5 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Allow to cool.

•On a floured work surface, roll out a third of the pastry into a 40 x 20cm/16 x 8in rectangle. Place on the baking tray. Lay half the chicken to within 2.5cm/1in of the pastry edges, cover with half the vegetables, then arrange half the tomatoes over the top. Repeat the layering to use all the ingredients. Brush the pastry edges with some of the beaten egg.

•Thinly roll half the remaining pastry to a rectangle. Cut diagonally into strips and lay over the filling, leaving a gap between the strips. Press the ends to seal. Brush with beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry, cut strips and lay them over the pie in a lattice pattern. Press the edges of the pastry firmly together to seal; trim off the excess with a knife. Brush with beaten egg.

•Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and bake for a further 40 minutes until risen and golden.

•To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small pan and blend in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and horseradish. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until thickened, then add the wine. Serve hot with the pie.