3 complementary canapés with Jukes 8
Each month, Matthew Jukes gives you a simple but stunning starter or main course recipe to serve with either Jukes 1, 6 or 8.
This month is 3 canapés; Pissaladière, Jamón Serrano & Asparagus Tart, Burrata & Heirloom Tomato Tart (for 6 people)
As we start to entertain again and the weather warms up a little, my mind has turned to Jukes 8 and a few homemade canapés (or starters) which work so well with this ‘rosé’ drink.
All three of these tarts start with the same base, so it is easy to prepare and then each topping is delicious and intentionally contrasting to demonstrate a wide variety of flavours with which Jukes 8 loves to be partnered. Each tart takes a slightly different time to prepare, but the same time to cook, so they can all be prepared, in advance, and then put in the oven to suit when you want to serve them – either together or one after the other.
Pissaladière
Ingredients -
Vegetable oil for frying
15g Salted butter
500g Onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh Thyme leaves, chopped, keeping a few aside to scatter when you serve
1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled Puff pastry (a Jus-Rol Puff Pastry pack has two 320g sheets)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
100g Anchovy fillets, drained of oil
12 Black olives, pitted and chopped
Cracked black pepper
1 egg, beaten (this will be enough for all three tarts)
Method -
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and then add the sliced onions and cook gently for 30 minutes or until they are caramelised but not burnt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Dijon mustard, the olives and the chopped thyme leaves.
Preheat your oven to 200°C and unroll the puff pastry sheet lay it on a lightly oiled baking tray. Pierce the pastry all over with the tines of a fork leaving a 2cm border around the outside edge of the pastry sheet. Lightly brush the edge with the beaten egg, keeping the rest for the other two tarts. Spoon the onion mix onto the pastry leaving the un-pricked edges bare, like a picture in a frame. Scatter the anchovy fillets on top, either randomly or geometrically to suit you, and then bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is crisp. Serve on a wooden board, chopped into slices and scattered with extra thyme leaves and some twists of cracked black pepper.
Jamón Serrano & Asparagus Tart
Ingredients -
250g Asparagus spears – washed and trimmed
Sea salt & Cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 Lemon, zested
1 Clove garlic, finely chopped
1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled Puff pastry (a Jus-Rol Puff Pastry pack has two 320g sheets)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
200g Jamón Serrano
75g grated Parmesan cheese
Method -
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil as well as preheating your oven to 200°C (as above). Boil the asparagus spears for 2 minutes and then strain and rinse them in cold water so they do not overcook. Unroll the pastry and prick it with the tines of a fork, as above, and then cook it on a baking tray for 10 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and brush the edge with the beaten egg (left over from the recipe above). Then paint the centre of the tart with a mix of the lemon zest, chopped garlic, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper and then lay out the Jamón Serrano followed by the asparagus spears and then the grated Parmesan on top. Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, checking that the pastry is cooked and then serve sliced on a wooden board.
Burrata & Heirloom Tomato Tart
Ingredients -
1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled Puff pastry (a Jus-Rol Puff Pastry pack has two 320g sheets)
50g freshly-made pesto – A delicatessen will help if you don’t make your own
2 large, ripe Heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
1 large, fresh Burrata cheese
20g Fresh basil leaves, washed and torn
Sea salt & Cracked black pepper
Method -
Preheat your oven to 200°C and unroll the puff pastry sheet lay it on a lightly oiled baking tray. Pierce the pastry all over with the tines of a fork leaving a 2cm border around the outside edge of the pastry sheet. Brush the edges with any remaining beaten egg. Lightly paint the pastry with the pesto and lay the tomatoes on top covering the whole tart, but without overlapping too much. Add some cracked black pepper on top and then cook the tart for approximately 20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and the edges are golden. Take it out of the oven and then tear the burrata into finger-width pieces, drain off any excess moisture, and then arrange the pieces on top of the tomatoes and then sprinkle with torn basil leaves and more cracked black pepper and sea salt.