hugh's beet tarte tatin

Kendra & Hanne Signy, as fellow beetroot lovers you are going to love this one - I promise!

We've had some beetroot malingering in the salad tray for weeks, just sat there waiting for me to turn them into soup. I even bought some horseradish the other day to force the issue, but flicking through Saint Hugh's by-now-I-think-we-can-all-agree-it's-amazing Veg book I found something so audacious and bonkers, I had to try it - beetroot tarte tatin.

Okay, so I'm a good half bottle of medicinal rioja down by this point, but what the hell! Milo's asleep, Ana's out for dinner and I've got a salad drawer primarily made up of rapidly going out of date veg and salad. Has Hugh let me down yet?

It is totes. mcgrotes. amazeballs. and dead easy to make, with plenty of baking stages which let you tidy up the bathroom whilst the beetroots roast, sort out the lounge whilst the puff pastry puffs, and get your things ready for work whilst it all rests.

The beetroots come out sweet, with a little bite, and the dressing is to die for. In fact I've had half the 20cm tart by the time I get around writing this, and the third quarter is already on my plate. Even better, seeing how it's a salad, it doesn't count - genius! Another glass of vino all round!

sources
beet tarte tatin - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Veg Everyday!, p48

tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart with salad

For some reason today is a complete blank. I blame the bank holiday (and Pippa's dress), but what I do know is whilst having the full complement of ingredients for the tart, we've only got leaves for the salad, which leaves (ho ho!) me slightly non-plussed how to create a tasty salad.

As it turns out, the chance discovery of walnuts in the cupboard, and some walnut oil, inspires the creation of a sort of waldorf salad.

sources
tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart - Delicious, 2005 or 2006, now the Parsley Book

ottolenghi's roast chicken and three-rice salad, tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart & green salad

What do you do when you're unexpectedly inundated with an influx of foreigners?

With only Hannae Signy booked in, the surprise arrival of Ellie, Dr Robert Manwaring and Sandra Joy Pitcher forces a change of plan. Faced with three more guests the only answer is to cook our next two planned meals, in one night, viz Ottolenghi's chicken and three rice salad for everybody except Rob. And tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart for everybody including Rob.

Not a bad result given we had to make numerous runs to the shop for repeat top-ups of booze, and it's marvellously lovely to see everybody! The tart does push dinner back an hour or so though, so something to bear in mind there.

sources
yotam ottolenghi's roast chicken and three-rice salad - Delicious, July 2008, p64
tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart - Delicious, 2005 or 2006, now the Parsley Book

tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart

After four days living it up in Wales, we've come back to a demi-empty fridge, definitely empty bank accounts and sleep deprivation. Who said holidays were relaxing?

I know I've got enough in the freezer and fridge to make tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart, if I nip to the shops at lunchtime to get some creme fraiche and salad, so it's budget-friendly. I also know whilst a little bit labour-intensive, the fact it quite happily cooks for 40 minutes in the oven means we've got time potter around after the first day back at work.

However, I don't think I let it cook or rest enough so the end result is a little bit sloppy. Nothing disastrous, just a bit annoying. The apple, walnut, watercress and spinach salad was good though, and hopefully it'll firm up (steady!) in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.


Holiday-wise it was like the Brittany trip only on a smaller scale: Lots of day trips, one day of good weather and excellent evening drinking and cards.

Here's a picture of Ana and Milo enjoying the medieval weather at Pembroke Castle:



sources
tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart - Delicious, 2005 or 2006

mixed tomato puff tart & ratatouille

Despite the usual delaying tactics by milo, it's a double cooking night tonight as we're running out of fresh food for him, and certainly the freezer is looking a bit empty. If you discount the packet of oven chips left in there by kayosaurus and mikeplodocus that is.

So, whilst the mini ball of puff pastry (left-over from April's roasted cherry tomato tarte tatin), comes up to room temperature, we drink wine and knock together a monster St Hugh ratatouille.

It really is the best way to both use up veg kicking around the fridge - tonight's batch includes red and yellow peppers, celery and a variety of tomatoes on top of the usual ingredients - and it's an ace way of getting veg down the milos.

Ratatouille done, the pastry is ready for a swift(ish) puff tart, with a salad jazzed up with a version of the mustard, vinegar and olive oil dressing from the steak and white beans dish I cooked for Kiki recently. It worked pretty well despite not being warm, and lacking the garlic because I'd used it all up in the ratatouille.


Food of the Milos
Day Three of Operation No Dummy seems to be slightly more successful than the last two times. He didn't ask for it all day, not even when he went to bed tonight so fingers crossed. The downside is he's running on about 1000% energy, leaving no rest for concerned parents.

In an attempt to wear him down, the ana's run him hard. They go for his 2.5 year check up, before going to Isla, Steve, Claire & Phoebe's on the way home. No lunchtime sleep, instead it's straight out to Lara's house with Kiki and Finn for several hours scampering up and down their treehouse, around their garden and with their guniea pigs. Ahhh, the benefits of landed gentry for friends. He sparks out in bed after stories, although he does try a lot of stalling.

Food: Crumpet for breakfast, babyccino and biscuits out, pasta for lunch and a jacket spud and cheese for dinner. Plus the usual snacks of course.

sources
mixed tomato puff tart - Delicious, June 2008, p158
ratatouille - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Cookbook, p105

tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart

It's the final day of Operation Dr Manwaring (until we steal him back from the cultural vacuum that is Adelaide). In a vague attempt to knacker out the children, ana enlists the shock troops from the IoW, and the six of them meet Kiki and Finn at the Science Museum for the day.

I'm back from work in time to cook a farewell meal for our former-friend - it's the red onion tart, again:


We have a delightful evening plotting a return to Albion's shores, accompanied by loads of booze, and Mani provides the pudding care of Victoria's finest chocolatiers - Haigh's Chocolates. We hope to see him again soon...


Food of the Milos
There's toast for breakfast, Jelly Tots on the bus to the museum, and then a super-picnic at the museum: Ham sandwiches, and apple, jelly and the usual array of snacks. For dinner, Herr Doktor constructs a mushroom and tomato pasta sauce. He's zonked by the time I get home.

sources
tomato, red onion and creme fraiche tart - Delicious, 2005 or 2006