Rocket & Roses Creamy Tomato & Thyme Tart with Almond/Black Pepper Crust (vegan & gluten-free)

Rocket  Roses Kitchen Play List:

The Kinks ~ Sunny Afternoon
Tina Dico ~ Haunted
The Cranberries ~ Sunday
Foo Fighters ~ Statues
The Gossip ~ For Keeps
Lady Antebellum ~ Singing Me Home
Joan Jett ~ You Drive Me Wild 
Jack Johnson ~ Cookie Jar
Natalie Imbruglia ~ Perfectly
Chely Wright ~ Not As In Love
Queen ~ I'm Going Slightly Mad
Muse ~ Time Is Running Out
Clean And Mean Radio ~ I Don't Care, I Love it
Blackberry Smoke ~ Ain't Much Left Of Me

Today I made my first gluten-free pastry/crust. I've made many other offerings from other peoples kitchens but today I wanted to have a go at creating my own. And you know what? I am quite pleased with it even if I do say so myself. I wanted a crust that held together and had a great texture and taste. I didn't want it to be just the case the filling sat in. I already knew what kind of filling I was shooting for as I've been scribbling and re-scribbling about it for a couple of weeks. I'd picked up some beautiful little orange plum cherry tomatoes on Tuesday and knew I wanted them to be the star. And so I found myself stood at my kitchen counter with this little bag of tomatoes...and I got creative. lol. 

The crust came together quite easily as I am now used to the gluten-free making process. So much so when I made wheat flatbreads for Ann at the weekend, the gloopy sticky gluteness of the dough freaked me out. lol. I wanted the crust to have a richness that I've found only comes with adding ground nuts so I chose almonds and that was my real starting point. I didn't want the sweetness of cashews as I knew I would be using coconut oil and that would be all the sweetness I wanted. Once all the ingredients were in the bowl and I was mixing/kneading by hand it came together quite quickly. And pressing the dough out into my pie dish wasn't difficult although I was a little concerned at how dry it felt. But I really didn't need to worry as it pressed out well, baked well and cut well. You could even hold your slice of tart in your hand to eat it if desired. Yep..it held together that well. The baked crust had all the elements that I wanted. Rich without feeling heavy on the tum, it held together and had a great flavour which complemented the filling well. Phew! First attempt...a success! Can I breathe now? 

I wanted my filling to have a creaminess but I didn't want to use tofu today. I wanted that to come from a beany mix. I had a bag of small shallots so I put them to good use along with a clove of garlic and sauteed them until just soft and finished them off with a little steam from some veggie stock. I blitzed the chosen beans down in a processor and then added hot stock and blended until the beans were fluffed and..yep..creamy! lol. I folded the shallot mix into the beans and then spread it out over the crust. The texture of the shallots in amongst the bean mix worked well. Next up was the tomatoes and fresh thyme. 

The completed tart was delicious. I loved the rich crust with the creamy filling and enjoyed the burst of sweetness from the tomatoes in every bite. That combined with the fresh thyme which rounded out the flavours...tart heaven! OK so I wouldn't eat this every day but it would definitely be one of my High Days and Holidays dishes. A treat indeed...

Rocket & Roses Creamy Tomato & Thyme Tart with Almond Black Pepper Crust (vegan & gluten-free)

R&R Tomato & Thyme Tart with Almond/Black Pepper Crust    Makes 1 10" tart
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)

For the crust: 

3/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tbsp physillum husk
1 tbsp chia seeds 
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
very generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 
3-4 tbsp very cold water

For the filling: 

1st layer
1 14oz tin of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 
4 tbsp hot veggie stock
1 tsp coconut oil - optional
10 small shallots, peeled and finely sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled finely sliced
freshly grated black pepper
sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves

2nd layer
12 orange plum cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of fresh thyme leaves 

Pre-heat the oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4. Lightly grease a 9-10" pie dish with a little coconut oil. Set to one side. 

In a large bowl combine the dry crust ingredients and mix well. Pour the melted coconut oil into the centre and work through the dry mix until a crumbly texture is achieved. Add in the cold water and using your hands bring the mix together until it hold a solid shape. It will still be slightly crumbly around the edges. Place the crust into the pie dish and slowly press the dough out evenly across the dish and up the sides. When it is an even layer go around the top edge and press into a firm line. Place in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. It won't go golden brown but you will smell that it's ready. (I hope? lol) Set to one side to cool.

In a skillet heat the oil and gently saute the shallots and garlic until soft. Towards the end spoon a tbsp of the hot stock into the shallots and cover and let them steam in the stock for a minute. Remove from the heat and set to one side.  

In a small processor or blender blend the beans down and add the remaining stock towards the end to make a creamy texture. Stir into the shallot mix and stir well the evenly distribute. Spread the shallot/bean mix over the base of the crust and then add more in layers and smooth over after the last dollop. Sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves over the mix and grate a little freshly cracked black pepper over the top. 

The freshly baked tart

Take the halved tomatoes and place them around the top of the tart in whatever design you fancy. Press them down slightly into the shallot/bean mix. Sprinkle over the remaining fresh thyme leaves. Place in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes...depending on how cooked you like your tomatoes. At the end of the baking time remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting into the tart for serving. 

Proof that the crust cuts well and holds its own...so happy! lol

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Thursday is a good one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is my creation. I am very happy for you to use it and share it. I simply ask that you give credit where it's due as I always try to..Many thank. Namaste ~R~ 
  

Beach Picnic: New Potato Salad with Olives & Capers and Tofu Stuffing Quiche (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Muse ~ play list on iPod

What a beautiful day I had yesterday and the best part of it was that I shared it with good friends. It was a belated birthday day out for Ann and everyone showed up to spend the day at Mappleton Beach. We arrived late morning and set up camp on the somewhat stoney sands. The surf was a spectacular sight and with every crash I felt refreshed. After a while some beach games were played and sadly I wasn't up to joining in but watching the gang throwing themselves about with great abandon made me laugh often. There was one injury when ML rugby tackled Ann to the ground...only problem they weren't playing rugby...they were playing cricket! lol There was blood and everything. We stayed on the beach for 7 hours and every second was a joy...healing waves, the 'friends family' and some of the four legged family...what was there not to like. 

We packed our own picnics and I took the chance to try out two recipes I have been wanting to try for a while. I had been craving a potato salad for the last couple of weeks...which is odd because in my vegetarian days I loathed the mayo laden cold potato offerings. Since going vegan and buying Joanne Stepaniak's great cookbook Vegan Deli I have learnt that not all potato salads have to be smothered in mayo...and the potatoes are not meant to be half cooked and crunchy. Since then I've made her Deli Potato Salad with a tofu deli dressing and celery seeds...it was an extremely interesting potato salad with many layers of flavour. Also I've tried her Potato Salad with Sesame-Tarragon Dressing which ML when nuts over..lol. Stepaniak's Vinaigrette Potato Salad blew my mind and introduced me to non-creamy potato salads. But the one recipe I have been coveting is the New Potato Salad with Olives and Capers. I wasn't disappointed although I didn't use all the dressing suggested...I halved it and it still left a beautiful dressing coating with a good zesty hit and when combined with the earthiness of the new potatoes, black olive and capers...I fell in foodie love. Sadly it's very much a High Days and Holidays dish because of the use of olive oil and white potatoes but what a delicious treat to look forward to on those days. I gave it a rating of 10/10. 

The second of the two recipes I'm sharing with you today is one I found online at EdiblePerspective.com which is a blog that I have followed and enjoyed for some time now.  For Ashley's original posting with a great photo stage by stage recipe, please simply click here. This recipe caught my eye because it uses many of my favourite ingredients and perversely I wanted to make it because I hate 'stuffing'...always have. The smell of Paxo stuffing being made can leave me running from the house. I 'thought' I didn't like sage for years until I found out it's dried sage I can't eat but fresh sage..I just love. Paxo dried stuffing mix is horrid stuff in my humble opinion but Ashley's recipe coaxed me in and before I knew it I was printing off the recipe. I was lucky to have three of my regular taste testers with me yesterday so I knew it would be perfect to make and take to the beach. I made the recipe as suggested and didn't need to alter anything. I did however make one 7/8" quiche and one smaller one to freeze and enjoy later. Being the only one eating this, aside from my three testers there is only so much one person can eat of a full 9" quiche..no matter how delicious. lol. This recipe is extremely easy to make. The crust is simple to put together and smells divine once you add in the fresh herbs. The two filling recipes are a matter of blitzing the tofu mix...and sauteing the veggie mix and then combining the two, followed by 30 minutes of oven time. Simple. The results are a beautiful to the eye quiche. The flavours are delicate but not lacking in any way. The crust is ultimately comforting and slightly crumbly but I loved that as did the others. The filling is creamy, savoury and also a little sweet but all blend perfectly. I loved this quiche. As did the willing testers being Dev, Bev and Ann. I will make this often even if I alter the filling from time to time and it was so good to enjoy a gluten-free vegan crust without all the fuss that comes with GF baking. Thanks to Ashley from creating this quiche and sharing it with us all. 

My beach picnic worked perfectly for me...I enjoyed the potato salad and quiche. They worked well together and wasn't heavy on the tum at all. At the hottest part of the day I felt refreshed by the crunchy veggies with the spiced hummus. When I felt my energy dip later in the day I enjoyed a crisp red apple and tangerine...for me this is my perfect picnic food. Just lovely....

Vegan & Gluten Free Beach Picnic Perfection

New Potato Salad with Olives and Capers   Serves 6
(Recipe from Vegan Deli/Stepaniak)

1 lb new potatoes 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
20 pitted olives, chopped (I used black)
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and squeezed
4-6 spring onions, thinly sliced (I used 2 med-large)   

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Cut in half, if small, or quarters, if large.

Dress the potatoes with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve warm or thoroughly chilled. 

NB: I barely used half of the lemon/oil dressing and that was plenty but obviously the choice is yours folks. ~R~ 


Ashley's Tofu Stuffing Quiche  Makes one 9" quiche
(Recipe from EdiblePerspective.com)  

For the crust:

1 cup ground gluten-free rolled oats, ground nearly to flour consistency 
3/4 cup almond meal 
1/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 1/4 tsp finely chopped sage
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
3 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, softened
2 tbsp tahini, or natural almond butter
1-3 tbsp ice cold water

For the quiche:

1 cup sliced leeks, rinsed well
2/3 cup chopped celery, halve the stalk then chop
1/3 cup chopped carrot, halve the carrot then chop
2 tsp finely chopped sage
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 14oz block firm tofu, drained, pressed and patted dry
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8-1/4 tsp turmeric
3 cups baby spinach, chopped

Crust directions: Preheat the oven to 400'F/200'C/GM 6 and grease a 9" pie/tart tin. Mix the ground oats, almond meal, rolled oats, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add in the coconut oil, tahini and 1 tbsp of ice cold water. Mix thoroughly with both hands until the mixture starts to hold together when squeezed. Add 1-2 tbsp more of water if needed to help hold together. 

Press the mixture firmly into the pan starting at the centre and work your way out, pushing the dough about 1" up the side of the pan. Firmly pack the dough all the way around the sides and on the top edge. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just starting to brown. Let cool. 

Quiche directions: Turn down the oven to 375'F/190'C/GM 5. Lightly oil a saute pan and place over a medium heat. Once hot add the leeks and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and stir frequently for about 2 minutes. Add in the celery and carrot and stir frequently for another 6-8 minutes until just starting to soften. Stir in the sage, garlic, and thyme and let cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. 

Place the tofu, olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, and turmeric into your food processor. Turn on and process until smooth, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. Empty into a mixing bowl and stir in the leek mixture. Stir in the spinach and then scoop the mixture into the crust. Gently and evenly spread the mixture to the edges. Place in the oven uncovered for 32-38 minutes, until the tofu feels set and the crust is golden brown. Let cool 10-15 minutes then slice with a sharp knife and remove each slice with a thin spatula. 

Serve and enjoy folks....

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend was a great one...

When taking the photos, two of my favourite little ladies in the whole world was around to 'help' set everything up and then insist on being in one of the photos. So..Beach Picnic with little Noo and little Layla assisting...ahem!...lol 

Toothless cheeky grins..if only you could hear the giggles...lol

~Red~ aka proud Auntie of a bunch of crazy kids...beach addict...

NB: Neither of these recipes are mine and therefore I take no credit for them whatsoever. The Potato Salad is the hard work and creation of Joanne Stepaniak and hers alone. The tofu quiche is the hard work and creation of Ashley @ EdiblePerspective.com and hers alone. I do however thank them both for such great recipes...~R~ 

Tomato Tart (vegan & gluten free)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Ting Tings ~ Be The One
Joan Jett ~ You Can't Get Me
NIN ~ Closer
Becky Hill ~ You Will Want The Most
Jon Fratelli ~ She's My Shaker
Chris Cornell ~ Lost Cause
Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Tin Pan Alley
Black Stone Cherry ~ In My Blood
The Eagles ~ One Of These Nights
INXS ~ Shining Star
Jim Reeves ~ Four Walls
James Morrison ~ Better Man 
The Zutons ~ Hello Conscience
Pixie Lott ~ Cry Me Out

What do you do when you have a punnet of beautiful and ripe baby plum tomatoes to use up? Make a salsa...a chutney...a salad...a sauce...or even a soup? Yep..well you could but isn't it sometimes a shame to chop, dice or mush these resplendent jewels from mother nature? Which is why I decided to make this tart instead. The recipe is not mine as I found it posted by Anon on a recipe site. But I knew the moment I saw it that I wanted to make it. It uses the tomatoes as the star attraction and they are nestled by a base of almonds and oats. Perfect..

It's very simple to make and I confess I made mine whilst making my breakfast...yep that simple. I made two adaptions by using coconut oil in the base in place of the salted butter or olive oil option and by replacing fresh oregano with dried but that wasn't a choice, it was what I had available. I used my punnet of baby plum tomatoes with 2 deep red med vine tomatoes. The smell of it baking away in the oven was a pure delight...

Now this cannot be mistaken for a robust gluten crust because removing it from the baking tin was impossible so I had to leave mine to cool on the springform base. Yep..the almond/oaty base is definitely a little crumbly but it doesn't take away from it's beautiful flavours and when combined with the tomato filling...its taste matches its aroma in its pure pleasure. 

Tomato Tart

 
Tomato Tart  Makes 1 9" round tart

1 cup ground almonds
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 tbsp pysllium husks
3 tbsp cornmeal
1/2 tsp low sodium salt
4 tbsp coconut oil (or vegan marg or olive oil)
2 tbsp cold water

2 cups chopped assorted tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
1 red onion, halved, quartered and thinly sliced 
2 garlic cloves, sliced 
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano)
1 tbsp grainy mustard 
salt to season

Preheat your oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4 and line a 9" baking tin with parchment paper and set to one side. 

In a food processor pulse the almonds and oats until they resemble a coarse meal. Add in the pysllium, cornmeal, salt and oil and pulse until the mixture starts to come together. With the machine running add the cold water until the mixture comes together (although mine never quite balled up but did stay together when pressed) and then turn out into the prepared tin and press it down firmly into the base and allow a slightly little lip around the edge. Set to one side...

Gently toss the tomatoes, onion, oregano, mustard, garlic and salt together in a bowl. Pour the mixture onto the tart base and spread it out evenly over the crust. 

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes..and then serve. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Sunday has been a peaceful one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. I would be more than happy to give credit where it's due if you recognise this recipe as your own..simply just drop me an email at rocketandroses@aol.com. But whoever you are..thank you for a great recipe...~R~   

Dreena's Holiday Tart

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Eagles ~ Saturday Night
Bobby McFerrin ~ Circlesong 7
Airbourne ~ Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women
Blur ~ Song 2
Amy Grant ~ Every Road
Sting ~ Mad About You
Chopin: Nocturne #1 in B Blat Minor
Slash ft Rocco ~ Saint Is A Sinner Too
Jim Reeves ~ Distant Drums
Sarah McLachlan ~ Dirty Little Secret (Live)
Ocean Colour Scene ~ The Circle 
Maroon 5 ~ Fortune Teller
Train ~ 50 Ways To Say Goodbye
Melissa Etheridge ~ Yes I Am 

Welcome and Happy New Year folks...I hope your celebrations were lacking in drama but abundant with fun and laughter...mine was..despite a nasty fall. Cheeky!..it was before alcohol was had...but that did help with the pain later..lol. 

So...if you celebrated the recent holidays...what did you make for your main course? Nut roast? En Croute? Tofurky? lol. Well this year I wanted something a little different from the first two...and I never eat the latter. And I found a great recipe online...it was a tart and the filling was relatively simple to make and packed full of good ingredients. It was also a little old school...like a homage to the old days. I was a little exasperated to find that the recipe was by Anon..again. But after some searching I found it was originally the recipe of Dreena Burton...so thank you Dreena. Phew...I always prefer to give the credit where it's due. 

The pastry recipe I used was the old faithful...4oz wholemeal flour and 2oz vegan butter and a little cold water. This made the perfect amount for the tart base. Blind baked in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350'F/180'C/GM 4. And as I rarely eat pastry these days I thought it was the time for a treat...so I made it with no guilt. lol 

It's true that the filling does take a little work but it's enjoyable work. On a personal level I would use chopped frozen spinach next time as I found, even though I had chopped it myself, the frozen leaves a little stringy which was a shame. And as you coat the top of the tart and the pastry shell with a tamari/oil mix the pastry goes very brown, very quickly...and I admit I freaked out a little as I thought it had burnt. But that being said I would I cover the tart with tin foil for the first 20 minutes of baking and then uncover for the final 20 minutes. 

I've enjoyed this Tart hot and cold...with roasties and with simple steamed veggies on the side. Both have been enjoyable and a slice with a great salad would be perfect too. For me this tart really worked and provided everything I was hoping for in my main course. Intensely savoury..filled with fresh herbs, chickpeas and walnuts...what is there not to love? lol. 

Holiday Tart with festive stars...

Dreena's Holiday Tart     Serves 8
(Recipe from Dreena Burton)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced 
3/4 cup celery, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 14oz can chickpeas, rinsed and 1/4 cup reserved 
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp tamari 
1 1/4 cups of frozen spinach
3 1/2 tbsp dried cranberries 
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 9" prepared wholewheat pie shell
1/2 tbsp olive oil for brushing 
1 tsp tamari for brushing 
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped for garnish 
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 400'F/200'C/GM 6. 

In a skillet over a medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for 1o minutes until onions soften and begin to caramelise. Set aside. 

In a food processor, add chickpeas (except 1/4 reserved cup), walnuts, lemon juice and tamari, and pulse to lightly chop (do NOT puree). Remove half of the chopped mixture from processor and transfer to a large bowl. 

Transfer sauteed onions to remaining mixture in the processor. Puree until smooth, scrapping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer puree to bowl with lightly chopped chickpea and walnut mixture. Add spinach, cranberries, parsley, thyme and reserved chickpeas. Stir to combine and transfer to prepared pie shell, spreading evenly. 

Combine oil and tamari and brush on top of pie and crust. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 33 - 38 minutes until lightly browned (HA!). Garnish with parsley and serve.  

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that your Thursday has been incredible...

~Red~

NB: This recipe is not my creation and therefore I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creative talent of Dreena Burton and I thank her for it. ~R~