BLUEBERRY AND PLUM ROSEMARY GALETTES

Here’s my little treat for you guys, Blueberry and Plum Rosemary Galettes! These gorgeous French pies were our brunch this weekend and though they were super indulgent, making and eating them was a wonderful way to start the day. The sweet and crumbly crust was topped with flake almonds, which provided a perfect base for the tart and fruity filling. Fresh rosemary added that wonderful aromatic flavour to the Plums and blueberries filling. Had a couple leftover so we enjoyed it as dessert the next day with a scoop of fresh vanilla bean ice cream I made. Such a heavenly treat - you really gotta try this!

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PREP TIME: 20 minutes

PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

BAKING TIME: 30 minutes

MAKES: 6

INGREDIENTS

For pastry:

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 250g unsalted butter, cold and diced

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

• 6-7 tbsp chilled water

For filling:

• 2-3 red plums, cut into 1 cm thick slices

• 2 cups blueberries

• 2 tbsp cornflour

• 8 tbsp caster sugar

• 2 rosemary sprigs

• 1 medium lemon zested and juiced

For Brushing:

• 1 egg

• 1- 1/2 tbsp thick grain sugar

• 2-3 tbsp almond flakes

METHOD

1. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper and keep aside.

2. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, add flour, salt sugar and butter. On a medium speed blend them together until the butter remains pea sized. Add chilled water and blend for few seconds until the pastry dough combines.

3. Divide the dough in 6 equal parts. Shape them in balls, wrap individually in cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

4. Just before rolling the pastry, in a bowl, place blueberries and plum slice, add cornflour, sugar, rosemary blades, lime zest and juice and mix all filling ingredients. Do not mix them before as this will make the filling watery.

5. Roll a pastry ball in between 2 sheets of parchment paper or on and roll it into 6 inch circle. Place it on lined baking tray. Repeat with rest of the pastry dough balls.

6. Now pour the filling in the centre of the rolled pastry keeping a margin of about 1.5 inch. Lift up the edges and fold over the filling. Press the creases gently to seal. Repeat with the rest of pastry circles.

7. Stick the prepared pastry in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C.

9. Remove pastry after 30 minutes and lightly brush the egg wash on the folded pastry surface, sprinkle with sugar and almond flakes.

10. Bake it in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of ice-cream on top.

COOK'S NOTES

• The pastry can also be prepared by hand or in food processor.

• It is very important to use the chilled butter for making the pastry. Do not overwork or knead the pastry as overworking will make the pastry dense and heavy and the texture wont appear as light, crispy and flaky.

• It’s really important to use chilled water. Add only a tablespoon of water at a time. Just enough water needs to be added to hold the pastry dough.

• Adding all water at once might make the dough loose. So add the water gradually as needed to hold the dough together.

• Resting and chilling the pastry dough wrapped in cling film in the refrigerator before rolling is an important step. This helps pastry to relax which in turn helps to prevent it shrinking on baking.

• Rest the pastry again after the filling in the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes before baking as this process helps pastry to become more crusty and not greasy.

#blueberrygalettes #plumgalettes #rosemary #dessert #baked #frenchpastry #galettes #pie

BURRATA CHEESE PLATTER WITH ROASTED ROMA TOMATOES AND PESTO

Burrata cheese with fresh basil pesto and grilled Roma tomatoes was served with sourdough breads for breakfast yesterday.

Burrata is basically a ball of Mozzarella cheese stuffed with soft Stracciatella cheese which is typically a discard while making mozzarella cheese. It is originated in the region of Puglia in Italy.

It has become a routine for me to make a sourdough bread every week. I made my first sourdough couple of months back and since then I have just been maintaining the starter to have a regular weekly dose of our sourdough breads. I try my hands on different flavours...this time I made nigella seeds (onion seeds) and flax seeds sourdough bread along with sun-dried tomato and oregano baguette. Loved the pairing of these delicious crusty breads with soft and creamy burrata cheese.

Luscious creaminess of burrata was elevated with roasted baby Roma tomatoes and the pesto made from homegrown basil...still some more leaves are blooming in my basil plants, I’m gonna quickly make more pesto and freeze it before it all dies.

The classic combo of fresh burrata, baby Roma tomatoes and basil pesto was one heck of a perfect Italian breaky served with some fresh watermelon juice...its a little twist from the usual breakfast ideas...give it a try and I’m sure your family will thank you for the new addition. Don't forget to check the recipe of onion seed(nigella seed) sourdough bread. Please do write the feedback and post comments in the comments section below the recipe. It means the whole world to me to know someone out there is trying out my recipes. You can tag me on my Instagram page: instagram.com/simranskitchenoman/

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PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 5 minutes SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 350g fresh burrata cheese

• 8-10 baby Roma tomatoes

• Few sun-dried tomatoes

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Pinch of kosher salt

• Black pepper

For pesto sauce:

• 2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed

• 100g parmigiano reggiano cheese, chopped

• 3 fat cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 tsp salt
  

For garnish:

• Few fresh basil leaves

• 2 tsp pine nuts

METHOD

For pesto sauce:

1. In an electric blender, put basil leaves, garlic, cheese, pine nuts, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blitz to a coarse or slightly smoother paste. Put pesto aside until used.

For burrata cheese platter:

1. In a medium shallow frying pan, heat oil. Add baby Roma tomatoes and let them roast on medium low fire until bit soft. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Place burrata in a serving plate. Scatter roasted tomatoes along with juices from the tomatoes.

3. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of pesto over the burrata and tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and pine nuts. Serve the burrata cheese platter with crusty sourdough onion seed (nigella seed) bread or sun-dried tomato and oregano sourdough baguette.

COOK'S NOTES:

• You can serve burrata cheese with sweet sides as well, such as mangoes, figs, berries and other nuts instead of savory additions of pesto and roasted tomatoes.

• Burrata can also be used for topping up the pastas and pizzas. Its a great addition to the caprice or carpaccio salad. This gorgeous creamy deliciousness can be pretty much added to anything that fancies your taste buds.

#burrata #sourdoughbread #burratacheese #breakfast #Italianfood #sourdough #roastedbabyromatomatoes #onionseedsourdough #pesto #basilpestosauce #roastedtomatoes

MEDITERRANEAN CHEESE FATAYER

The other day I asked my hubby to pick up some yeast from the grocers, and he picked up enough to last us years, I’ve been obsessed with making breads in all shapes and forms! This is my latest conquest - a Mediterranean Fatayer stuffed with Feta and Cheddar. Breaking into these warm and fluffy Nigella seed crusted pockets of bread, you find a creamy and sour filling with earthy thyme notes. My family really enjoyed this with Chilli-Infused Burnt Butter Labneh, which was sooo perfect for a family brunch, as honestly, our bellies were full for the day!

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PREP TIME: 40 minutes BAKE TIME: 20 minutes PASSIVE TIME: 40 minutes YIELDS: 16

INGREDIENTS

For Bread Dough:

• 2/3 cup warm water

• 1 cup warm milk

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 14g instant yeast

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup olive oil
  

For Filling:

• 250g creamy feta cheese, hand crumbled

• 100g cheddar cheese, grated

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped

• Dash of black pepper

For topping:

• 1 tbsp nigella seeds

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

METHOD

1. In a bowl, pour warm water and milk. Add yeast and sugar, mix and let it stand for 10 minutes until it’s foamy. Then pour oil and mix.

2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, gradually add flour to the yeast mix to make the dough. Transfer dough on benchtop, knead it for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form a dough ball and place it in the oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap or wet kitchen towel and leave it to rise double in size, at least 30 minutes.

3. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling by mixing the cheeses, thyme, parsley and pepper together in a bowl.

4. Once the dough has risen, uncover and punch to knock the air out. Gently bring the dough together, do not over work the dough.

5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Divide the dough in 16 equal balls (65g each)and place it on the lined tray, leaving gap of 2-3 inch in between.

6. Flatten a dough ball into a circle with your fingers, about four inches in diameter. Place a tablespoon of filling(about 22g) in the center. Then take the edge of the dough, fold it over and press down tightly with your finger tips, around the filling to secure it. Repeat with the rest of dough balls. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.

7. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 180°C. Uncover the rested fatayers, brush it lightly with egg wash, sprinkle nigella seeds on top and bake it in pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature with shakshuka.
   

COOK'S NOTES:

• I used feta and cheddar cheese for the filling but you can always use Greek cheese mixed with some mozzarella or even a meat or spinach stuffing.

• Any other dried herbs like thyme or mint can also be added to the filling for a variation.

• Top the bread with toasted sesame seeds if you don’t have nigella seeds, or top it with both.

• I served these with chilli infused burnt butter lebnah but it can be paired with hummus, shakshuka or warm soup.

#mediterraneancuisines #fatayer #baked #baking #breakfast #cheese #bread #cheesebread #Turkishbreakfast #nigellaseeds #mediterraneanbreakfast