Category: Canapés/nibbles

A vegan New Year’s Eve menu

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I like to be challenged in the kitchen, and that is why I thought it was a good idea to cook for my friend Jenny and her boyfriend James on NYE before heading to a party. Last time I invited James I cooked a whole lot of mezze dishes inspired from my trip to Syria and Ottolenghi’s book Plenty.

I wanted the NYE menu to be quite traditional, nice and vegan and because it was just for the three of us I kept it quite simple.

~ The New Year’s Eve menu 2011 ~

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Crostini with bean spread

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Jerusalem artichoke soup with coconut milk and fried chestnut mushrooms

Rustic baguette, olive oil and balsamico

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Butternut squash risotto with spinach

Salad with romaine lettuce, romano peppers, avocado and pomegranate

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Vanilla pannacotta with soy cream and passionfruit

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We had champagne to start as well, and thanks to Waitrose I got a great bottle of bubbly half price. At the champagne tasting at Harrod’s I tried some champagnes from Duval-Leroy, but not thiis one; their regular Brut NV, but because I liked the others and it is a good quality champagne house I bought this bottle and it was really good.

Vega Jerusalem artichoke soup with coconut milk, serves 3 as a starter

1 shalot, finely chopped

1 tbsp oliv oil

500 g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled

water

2 tsp concentrated vegetable stock

50 ml coconut milk

salt, white pepper

Topping: fried, sliced chestnut mushrooms

Fry the onion until soft in the oil. Add the artichokes to the pan and fry for a minute or so, Add hot water to cover and add salt. Bring to the boil and cook until very soft. Remove half the water, but keep it on the side, and puré the rest with the artichokes. Add the coconut milk and then adjust the thickness with the left over water. Add concentrated stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil again and serve.

Vegan butternut squash risotto with spinach, serves 4

1/2 butternut squash

1/2-1 onion

olive oil

100 ml dry white wine

1 litre vegetable stock

400 g aborio rice

2 handfuls fresh spinach

salt, white pepper

Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Cut it into chunks and place them in a roasting tray, add oil, salt and pepper and mix. Place in 200C for 35 minutes or until soft.

Fry the onions in olive oil in a casserole dish or large saucepan but don’t let it brown. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two. Add the wine and watch most of it evaporate. Then add a ladle of the hot stock and continue to stir while it cooks in. Add another ladle and repeat the procedure until all the stock is used up and the rice is soft. it usually takes 18-20 minutes depending on the type of rice. Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted. Season with salt and pepper and add the butternut squash. Feel free to serve with parmesan if you’re not vegan.

Vegan vanilla pannacotta with soy cream and passionfruit, serves 3

400 ml soy cream

2-3 tbsp vanilla essence

50-75 ml jelly sugar, or the same amount of caser sugar + enough veggie set or agar flakes for the amount of liquid

3 passionfruits

I tried my way through when I cooked this, to get rid of the particular aftertaste soy products have, and I recommend you do the same.

Add the cream to a sauce pan and the smaller amount of sugar and vanilla and heat it up. Then add the sugar and vanilla little by little until you are satisfied with the taste. Add the jeling agent if not using jelly sugar. Bring to the boil and stir so the sugar melts. Pour into dessert coupes or ramekins and leave to cool. Place in the fridge for a minimum of four hours to set. 

Before serving, place the inside of the passionfruits in a bowl and place enough on each pannacotta to cover the top. Serve and enjoy.

Thursday’s canapés – the sweets

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We had some sweet canapés on Thursday as well, to finish off the evening. Th gingerbread spices, also known in Sweden as soft gingerbread. I made this in a rectangular roasting dish so I could cut it into squares, but you could also use a loaf tin and slice it up. You find the original recipe here.

I also made mini pannacotta in shot glasses, and since it is Christmas time I chose to flavour them with saffron. Original recipe here.

Lastly we had this gooey chocolate cake topped with a generous layer of chocolate frosting. I have used both recipes frequently here, but this is the first time I combined the two, but it is safe to say it is definitely not the last.

Sponge with gingerbread spices / soft gingebread, about 25 pieces

2 eggs
200 ml caster sugar
100 g butter
150 ml sourcream
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking powder
300 ml plain flour

Melt the butter and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add them into the egg mixture. Add the melted butter and sourcream. Pour the batter into a rectangular dish, greased and covered with baking parchment. Bake for 45 mins in 175C. Leave to cool and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Saffron pannacotta, makes about 35 mini ones in shot glasses

1,5 l cream

1,5 g ground saffron

150 ml caster sugar

3 tsp gelatin powder

Defrosted raspberries to serve

Mix cream, sugar and saffron in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatine so it dissolves. Pour the mixture into a jug and pour the mixture into the shot glasses. Leave to cool and leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Decorate with raspberries just before serving.

Gooey chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, makes 40 small squares

300 ml caster sugar

150 ml plain flour

4,5 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

2 eggs

150 g melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt the butter and add it to the bowl. Add the eggs and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a rectangular dish, greased and lined with baking parchment. Bake in 200C for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before covering with frosting

Chocolate frosting

200 g icing sugar

75 g softened butter

30 g cocoa

150 g cream cheese, cold

Beat sugar, butter and cocoa with an electric whisk. Add the cream cheese and beat until you have a glossy and even frosting. Spread it onto the completely cooled cake and cut into squares.

 

Thursday’s canapés – the savoury

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In an attempt not to bore you too much with the nibbles we had at Thursday’s party I have divided the food into two posts. This one with all the savoury stuff and another with the sweets.

When the guests arrived we greeted them with some mulled cider and the tables were already prepped with some nibbles for hungry guests; gingerbread with blue cheese, crisps and pretzels.

The first appetizer was a shot of warming butternut squash soup flavoured with cumin, chilli and garlic.

Next was my mother’s fabulous meatballs. They are always really fluffy and moist and the way to achieve this is to use egg, breadcrumbs and water or cream to the mince – not milk, that makes them hard.

I put each meatball on a toothpick to make it easier to dip them into the feta sauce in the middle. A cream accompaniment to meatballs and burgers.

Above is a large quiche I made with only crust underneath to make it easier to cut into squares as they all look the same this way. It is quicker than mini quiches and feeds many. I had leeks and blue cheese in this one.

My favourite canapé of the evening was the polenta square with marinaded pork fillet on top. Something green on the top like pea shoots or parsley would be a great addition as they do look a bit dull, but I promise you that they are anything but dull when you put them in your mouth.

Butternut squash soup, makes 20 shots in shot glasses

1 butternut squash

1 onion

1/2 red chilli

chicken stock

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp cumin

100 ml cream

salt, white pepper

Peel the squash and take out the seeds. Cut into smaller pieces. Finely chop the onion and fry it in oil in a large saucepan for a few minutes without browning. Chop the chilli and add it to the pan. Then add the butternut squash too. Fry for a few minutes and add chicken stock to cover. Bring to the boil and cook until the squash is very soft. Then drain half the liquid and purée the rest.

Add more water if needed and bring to the boil. Add garlic, cumin and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into shot glasses and put some pumpkin seeds on top. Serve hot.

Meatballs, makes 50

500 g beef mince

500 g pork mince

2 eggs

200 ml plain breadcrumbs

1 large onion, finely chopped

salt, white pepper

Crack the eggs into a bowl and break them up, add salt (more than you think), pepper and breadcrumbs. Leave it for a couple of minutes to swell. If the mixture seems very firm, add 1-2 tbsp water and stir it in. Next add the chopped onion and the mince. Make sure you incorporate it well, the mince has to mix as well as mixing it with the breadcrumbs. This is easiest done with a wooden fork or spoon. When it is all incorporated, roll the mixture into balls. Dip your fingers into a bowl of cold water in between rolling each ball, it makes it easier to roll. Fry them in butter on medium-high heat at first, until they are nice and crisp and brown on the outside, then turn the heat down to medium-low and let them cook through. Roll them around a lot as not to burn and to brown evenly.

Feta dip

150 g Greek feta

200 ml creme fraiche

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp lemon juice

white pepper

Mush up the cheese with a fork in a bowl. Mix in the creme fraiche, then add the oil and lemon juice. Add thyme and pepper. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving to let the flavours develop.

Quiche pieces with leek and blue cheese, makes 50 pieces

1 batch shortcrust

2 leeks, rinsed and sliced

200 g creamy blue cheese

5 eggs

500 ml cream

salt, pepper

Make the crust and press it into a rectangular dish with sides. Pre bake the crust for 10-15 minutes in 200C. Scatter the leek slices and crumble the cheese onto the base. Beat eggs and cream, season and pour it into the dish. Add some grated cheese if you like. Bake for 40 minutes in 200C. Leave to cool and cut into squares.

Polenta squares, makes about 40

750 ml vegetable stock

120 g polenta

40 g butter

120 g grated parmesan

salt, pepper

Bring the stock to the boil and whisk in the polenta. Cook for as long as it says on the packet. When it starts to thicken and is done add the butter and cheese and stir to melt. Season to taste. Pour the mixture into a greased rectangular dish and let it cool and set. Cut into squares before serving.

Marinaded pork fillet, makes 40 canapés

450-500 g pork fillet

200 ml olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 solo garlic, sliced

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and plenty of black pepper

Trim the fillet and brown it in butter on high heat in a frying pan. Place it in a 200C oven for about 15 minutes or until just cooked through, or until it has the inside temperature of 70C. Leave to cool. Mix the other ingredients. Slice the meat thinly and add to the marinade. Let it marinade for at least 2 hours. Place one slice of pork fillet on each polenta square and fasten it with a toothpick. Add something green or top or sprinkle with black pepper.

Anna’s baby shower

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My dear friend Anna is becoming a mother in January, and that is certainly worth celebrating don’t you think? After consulting her husband Ian we decided an all girls affair would be best (it could be his worst nightmare to sit in on a baby shower with lots of girls) and we wanted to surprise her if we could pull if off.

We most certainly did! When Anna walked throug the door with her mother after some shopping, she was very surprised to see that her friends had invaded the living room.

You see, Anna went shopping with her mother (who was in on the surprise) so Ian could let us girls into the house to prepare. Although some trains were cancelled, we all managed to be there before Anna and we had a lovely afternoon together.

Since I moved house the day before I asked my friend Jenny to help with the baking as well, and together we did manage to come up with a good spread of savoury and sweet.

Lots of photos and recipes below.

Sandwiches: Jenny’s with mozzarella, basil and tomato to the left and my plain smoked ham and wholegrain mustard to the right.
Mugs, plates and napkins – with a baby theme.
Salmon rolls with horseradish.
Chewy chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting (in Moomin cupcakes, perfect for a Finnish mother to be, don’t you think?!
Jenny’s vanilla cupcakes with blue and green frosting.
Chewy pear and pineapple cake with (store bought) custard.
Nilufar and Anna with a giant pressie.
We had a great time! Here Anna’s mother Olga (knitting a baby blanket) and her friend Jelena.
Jenny and Jelena

Salmon rolls with horseradish, about 40 pieces

ca 6 soft wheat tortillas

200 g cold smoked salmon

100 ml creme fraiche

grated fresh horseradig, as much or as little as you prefer

salt, white pepper

Mix creme friache with horseradish, salt and pepper. Spread onto the tortillas and top with salmon. Roll into tight rolls and leave in the fridge for a few hours. Slice into 1,5 cm broad pieces before serving and discard (i.e. eat) the ends.

Chewy chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, makes 8 American-sized cupcakes

300 ml caster sugar

150 ml plain flour vetemjöl

1 tsp vanilla

1 pinch salt

2 eggs

150 g milk chocolate

150 g melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Melt the chocolate and butter together. Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl as well as the eggs. Stir to combine. Fill the cupcase cases to 2/3 with the batter. Bake in 200V for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before covering them with frosting.

You find the recipe for the frosting here. 

Chewy pear and pineapple cake, serves 8

1 small tin of pears, sliced

1 small tin of pineapple rings, cut into four

2 eggs

300 ml caster sugar

200 ml plain flour

150 g melted and cooled down butter

Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy. Add the flour and then the butter. Pour the batter into a greased springform and press down the pineapple and pear pieces. Bake for 30 minutes in 175C. Serve with lightly whipped cream or custard.

Advent gathering

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The first Sunday of Advent is special to me, and I like to invite people over to celebrate it with Swedish glögg and plenty of nibbles.

Unfortunately I was too busy in the kitchen to have time to take pictures of everything, but at least a few things got caught by the camera.

For the first time ever, I made my own glögg, which is basically a sweeter version of mulled wine, served in little cups wit almonds and raisins.

I love it, and you can have white or red glögg although the red one is more common. I also made mulled cider which is a bit drier, although still sweet, so that was why I served mainly savoury nibbles this year.

We had mini potato bakes with anchovies (it is a lot nicer than it sounds, promise), meatballs and pickled beetroot on scewers, dates wrapped in bacon, ginger thins with Stilton (great combo), clementines and a soft gingerbread cake with frosting (recipe to follow). I also made a little spread with potato, hardboiled eggs, herring, dill, chives, mayonnaise and creme fraiche, knows as old man’s spread. A dollop of that on crisp bread is delicious.

Homemade glögg, 70 cl

Translated and adapted from this recipe.

1 bottle red wine

1 whole cinnamon stock

20 cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

4 cardamom kernels, crushed

300 ml caster sugar (start with 200 ml if you don’t want it too sweet)

1 tsp vanilla

some grated lemon zest

Pour the wine into a large sauce pan. Add the spices and leave it for at least an hour and a half. Before serving, add the sugar and vanilla and heat it up without boiling. Pour through a sieve to remove the spices. Serve in a small cup (espresso size) with almonds and raisins.

Mulled cider, 2 litres

2 litres dry cider

1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways

2 tbsp brown sugar

2-3 star anise

2 tsp ground cinnamon

orange or lemon peel

Place everything in a large saucepan and heat up. Serve without the spices.

Christmas meatballs, makes 50

500 g beef mince

500 g pork mince

2 eggs

150 ml breadcrumbs

100 ml cream

1 onion, finely chopped or 1 tbsp onion granules

2-3 tsp salt

white pepper

1,5 tsp allspice

Pour everything but the meat into a large bowl. Mix and let it sweel for a few minutes. Add the meat and mix it throughly with a wooden fork. Rinse your hands in cold water and roll into smallish meatballs. Fry in the oven or in a frying pan until cooked through Serve hot or cold. Place a meatball on a toothpick together with a wedge of pickled beetroot for a simple canapé.

Old man’s spread (Gubbröra), makes 30 canapées

2-3 medium potatoes, cooked, cold and chopped

1 jar matjes herring, chopped

2 hardboiled eggs, cold and chopped

4 tbsp mayonnaise

4 tbsp creme fraiche

1/2 bunch dill, finely chopped

1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped

Mix creme fraiche and mayo in a bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix. Break crispbread into small pieces and place a dollop of the spread on each. Serve straight away as the crispbread will soften from the moisture.

Bacon wrapped dates, makes 18

18 pitted dates

9 slices smoked streaky bacon

Cut the baconslices in half. Wrap a bacon piece around each date, fasten with a toothpick. Place in a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes in 200C until the bacon is crisp. Serve while hot.

A simple yet classy canapé

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If you want to make quick canapés, I know the perfect shortcut. These crustades you can get in Waitrose (by the crackers) and fill them with anything you want to create a gorgeous canapé. Only thing you need to think about is that if the filling is at all moist, you should fill them just before serving.

I filled these crustades with some ripe brie, but the tray in the oven and baked them for a few minutes, until the cheese has melted. Add a little green fig preserve and you have a delicious canapé. Perfect to munch on while preparring supper.

Briestuffed crustades with fig jam

creamy ripe brie

crustades (get them from Waitrose, savoury biscuit aisle)

fig jam, I used Tip Tree’s green fig preserve

Trim the cheese of the crust. Cut into small cubes. Place one cheese cube in each crustade. Place in 200C oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from oven and top with 1/2 tsp fig preserve. Serve immediately.

Here we go again – a Friday supper favourite

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Some foods I never get bored of. Blue steak and homemade bearnaise sauce is one thing, baked camembert another. And these two things are usually served on a Friday in my house, as they provide instant comfort after a work week.

Last Friday we served the baked camembert oozing from the oven, together with some nice bread, charkuteries (Hungarian chorizo; chorizo, saucisson; Milano salami), cream cheese stuffed pickled baby peppers it was a fabulous supper although quite modest.

To make camembert is oh so simple, but just in case you have forgotten, let’s take it again!

Baked camembert, serves 2-4 depending on the spread

1 whole camembert, I normally buy the brand Le Rustique

bread for serving

also cornichons, pear wedges etc. works well with the cheese

Heat up the oven to 200C. Remove the packaging from the cheese. If it comes in a wooden case however, place it back in it. Otherwise place the whole cheese in a small ovenproof dish. Cut some wholes on the top of the cheese before placing in the oven. Bake until warmed through and runny, 20 mins approx. Serve immediately with bread and dip into the cheese like a fondue.

Cannellini bean spread

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Another crostini topping is this cannellini spread with sage. It is the Italian cousin of hummus but tastes very different.

I added sage, garlic and lemon juice to make it fresh and add to the Italian feel of it. Mix it together the day before and leave in fridge overnight for the flavours to really develop.

Just like the chicken liver mousse, we served this in a mini copper pan and the crostinis on the side so each guest could help themselves.

Cannellini bean paste, serves 4

400 g canned cannellini beans

1/2 lemon, the juice

5 sage leaves

1 small garlic clove, pressed

salt, white pepper

mild olive oil

Rinse the beans and drain. Mix together with the lemon juice, garlic and sage, add olive oil until desired consistency. Season. Refridgerate overnight.

Italian chicken liver mousse

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I had almost my first encounter with chicken liver (cooking it I mean) just a little while ago when I used this recipe to make a paté with cognac and porcini mushrooms. The only reason I didn’t post it on here is because I didn’t get a decent photo of it. But it was fabulous!

I am a huge fan of chicken livers since then. It is really tasty, and has less of a liver flavour than say pig’s livers or calf’s livers. On top of that it is very versatile to add different flavours to, and it is cheap.

Last week we had Chris and Jess over for dinner, and we had an Italian theme for the evening, with both food and wine. The most typical Italian starter to me is chicken liver crostini, so that’s what I made. This one is flavoured with white wine, sage and anchovies, very Italian flavours to me.

Since liver might not be for everyone I also made a bean spread (that I will post tomorrow) and classic bruschetta with tomato and garlic. We served the mousse and the bean paste in mini copper pans (my boyfriend’s idea) on a rustic cutting board and piles of crostini on the side. A nice and laid back start to the evening.

Italiensk kycklinglevermousse

400 g fresh chicken liver

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped

100 ml dry white wine

4 anchovies

100 ml homemade chicken stock

50-100 ml mild olive oil

Remove all tendons and chop the liver coarsely. Fry the onion until soft in butter and oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and sage, make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the wine and watch some of it disappear. Add the anchovies and let it melt together with the other ingredients. Turn up the heat and add the liver, cook until cooked through. Add the stock and let it bubble away a bit.

Mix it all in a food processor. Add mild olive oil bit by bit until it has the moussy texture you’re after. I used almost 100 ml, but start off with a lot less. Leave to cool, then refridgerate.


A nice get together in the summer house

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Our summer house has survived many dinner parties and parties through the years, but the one we had during this holiday in Sweden was probably the best one so far. The weather was good, it was a nice group of friends and the perfect amount of people, and even the food seemed to be appreciated. 🙂

And it is so nice to have a party among old friends sometimes. Friends who without even asking just start helping you. All of a sudden Carina was doing the washing up, Linus carved the meat, Maria made coffee and Claes took charge of the camera. Thanks, guys!

I also had both Malin and Emma to help me in the kitchen with the canapés (and the gossip) and they did a great job (followed orders, I mean).

We started off with two canapés, both found on a lovely Swedish foodblog: Pyttes. We had fried halloumi with grilled peppers and crustades with girolles. Both adorable and extremely tasty!

As a starter I chose a dish I have made before and love; the salmon tartar with cream cheese topping. It is a great summery dish that looks more difficult to make than it is, plus you can prepare it in advance.

For the mains we had barbecued chicken with lemon and rosemary and barbecued leg of lamb marinated in red wine, garlic and rosemary. With this we served celeriac gratin, tomatoes provencale and small carrots.

The dessert was prepared in advance as well, the best way to do it for a large gathering I think. I had made an elderflower pannacotta with passionfruit on top, and it was really nice actually, made with mothers homemade elderflower cordial.

I poured the panna cotta into disposable plastic cups, not very sexy, but nice to skip the washing up, when there is 17 of you!

Thank you to all my great friends for coming!

Halloumi canapés with grilled peppers, serves 20 if combined with another canapé.

2 packets of halloumi

5 bell peppers

1 bunch of basil

crema di balsamico

olive oil for frying

cocktail sticks/small scewers

Cut the peppers into big chunks. Rinse and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Put the tray in the oven until the peppers are soft and has got some colour, about 25 minutes, 200C, this step you can do in advance.

Slice the hallomi and fry in olive oil until golden, just before serving. Place a piece of pepper and a piece of halloumi on a cocktail stick with a basil leaf in between. Place on platter and repeat until it is all used up. Drizzle crema di balsamico on the platter. Serve with napkins.

Crustades with girolles, serves 12-18 together with another canapé

2 packs (48 pieces) of crustades (you find them in Waitrose)

500 g girolles

butter for frying

150-200 g garlic and herb cream cheese

50 ml sourcream or creme fraiche

1 tsp honey

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt, white pepper

chives to decorate

Clean the mushrooms and chop them. Fry in butter on high heat. Remove from pan to a bowl and add the cream cheese, sour cream, mustard and honey. Season to taste. Fill the crustades with the mixture just before serving (otherwise the crustades go soggy). Cut the chives and sprinkle on top. Serve and enjoy!

Barbecued whole chicken with rosemary and lemon, 8-10 people at a buffet

2 medium chickens

50 g softened butter

rosmary

1 lemon

4 garlic cloves

Rinse the birds. Mix the butter with lemon peel and rosemary leaves. Season the birds and cut pockets in the skin above the breasts. Fill the pockets with butter and smear the rest of the butter around the birds. Cut the lemon in half and place each half the the bird’s cavarties. Place the chickens in a cooking bag each. Place 2 garlic cloves in each bag. Cut a small whole on the top of the bag (as a chimney) and place the chickens in the oven on 200C for about 45 minutes or until almost done. Remove from the bags and place on the barbecue and cook until done (clear juices at the joints).

Barbecued leg of lamb with red wine, rosemary and garlic, serves 12

2 legs of lamb

1 bottle red wine

1 bunch rosmary

garlic

Season the meat on all sides and place in a cooking bag each. Add rosemary sprigs and garlic to the bags and pour half the bottle in each bag. Let the meat marinate for 24 hours, make sure to turn the bag a few times so it marinated evenly. Cut a small whole on the top of the bags (as a chimney) and place the bags in the oven (200C) for about an hour. A meat thermometer is a great tool here, but unfortunately our old one in the summer house didn’t work. Take the meat out of the bags and barbecue at the end to get the crisp and sooty outside. Let the meat rest before carving.

Tomatoes provencale, serves 2-4

2 large tomatoes

3-4 tbsp grated parmesan

5 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove

chopped parsley

olive oil

Cut the tomatoes in half (nicest if you cut vertically). Place with the cut side up and brush with oliv oil. Bake in 200 C for 15 minutes. Mix parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley in a bowl. Add enough olive oil for the mixture to soak it up. Season the tomatoes and place a spoonful of the mixture on each halve. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Elderflower pannacotta, serves 6

700 ml cream (I mixed  single and double)

4 tbsp concentrated elderflower cordial (preferrably homemade)

40 g caster sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

3 gelatine leaves

Decoration: 2 passion fruits + 2 tsp icing sugar

It is best to make this dessert the day before serving so it has time to set properly. Cover the gelatine leaves with cold water in a bowl. Mix sugar, cream and vanilla in a non-stick saucepan. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the cream mixture. Stir so they dissolve evenly. Add the elderflower cordial and leave the mixture for 30 minutes to cool down. Pour into plastic cups or small bowls. Leave to cool completely before putting them into the fridge. Leave them overnight to set.

On the same day, scoop out the passionfruit and mix with the icing sugar. Divide the mixture between the pannacottas and spread it out over the top. Serve and realise with the first spoonful that you have gone to heaven.