People often ask me for gluten-free recipes and this pastry is one that works very well. Always remember that you can make double quantities and freeze half for later use. This is a delicious savoury tart. There are a lot of excellent Irish goat’s cheeses available now that are creamy, rich and do not taste too strong. St Tola and Corleggy are well worth trying. These days, watercress might not be easy to come by so you could use wild rocket or baby spinach instead.
This torte is a delicious rich chocolate dessert. The key is to get good chocolate. I am a fan of Áine’s chocolate from Co Cavan, you can buy products from their online store. The apricot jam gives this a nice glaze. I like this served at room temperature with light whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Happy cooking.
Neven
Goat’s cheese &
watercress quiche
Serves four
For the pastry:
225g (8oz) of gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting
100g (4oz) of butter
1 large egg, beaten, plus extra beaten egg for brushing
For the filling:
1 tbsp of Donegal rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g (4oz) of watercress, roughly chopped
3 large eggs
225ml (8fl oz) of milk
150g (5oz) log of soft rindless goat’s cheese, broken up into small pieces
Pinch of lightly crushed pink peppercorns (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tomato salad, to serve
Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg and about one to two tablespoons of water. Mix gently to form a soft dough. Knead well, then wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark six). Lightly knead the pastry on a floured surface, then roll it out to line a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed flan tin, at least 2.5cm (1in) deep. The pastry won’t shrink, so there’s no need to chill it. Patch any holes and brush the base and sides with egg.To make the filling, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion until softened. Add the watercress and cook briefly until it’s just wilted. Remove from the heat. Beat the eggs and milk, then stir in the watercress mixture with the goat’s cheese. Season to taste and add the pink peppercorns, if using. Set aside until needed.Place the pastry-lined flan tin on a baking sheet and bake the pastry blind for five minutes. Pour in the filling and bake for another 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four) and cook for another 20-25 minutes until lightly set. Remove from the oven and leave to settle in the tin for five minutes before removing. Cut into slices and arrange on plates with the tomato salad.Chocolate torte with
vanilla ice cream
Serves six to eight
175g (6oz) of unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) of hazelnuts
175g (6oz) of plain chocolate, broken into pieces (at least 70% cocoa solids)
175g (6oz) of caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
2 tbsp of apricot jam
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four). Lightly grease a 23cm (9in) non-stick spring-form cake tin that is no more than 7.5cm (3in) deep and line the base with parchment paper. Place the hazelnuts in a roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes until toasted. Leave to cool, then tip them into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins. Transfer the nuts to a food processor and blend for 30 seconds, until finely ground.Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and allow it to melt. Then remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool. Place half of the sugar and the butter in a large bowl and, using a hand-held mixer, beat together until pale and creamy. Then beat in the egg yolks and melted chocolate.Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until you have achieved soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff. Gently fold the ground hazelnuts into the meringue, then gently fold that into the chocolate mixture in two batches. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.Melt the apricot jam and pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Remove the cake from the oven and brush the top liberally with the sieved apricot jam, then leave the cake cool in the tin. Cut into slices and arrange on plates with scoops of the vanilla ice cream to serve.
People often ask me for gluten-free recipes and this pastry is one that works very well. Always remember that you can make double quantities and freeze half for later use. This is a delicious savoury tart. There are a lot of excellent Irish goat’s cheeses available now that are creamy, rich and do not taste too strong. St Tola and Corleggy are well worth trying. These days, watercress might not be easy to come by so you could use wild rocket or baby spinach instead.
This torte is a delicious rich chocolate dessert. The key is to get good chocolate. I am a fan of Áine’s chocolate from Co Cavan, you can buy products from their online store. The apricot jam gives this a nice glaze. I like this served at room temperature with light whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Happy cooking.
Neven
Goat’s cheese &
watercress quiche
Serves four
For the pastry:
225g (8oz) of gluten-free flour, plus extra for dusting
100g (4oz) of butter
1 large egg, beaten, plus extra beaten egg for brushing
For the filling:
1 tbsp of Donegal rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g (4oz) of watercress, roughly chopped
3 large eggs
225ml (8fl oz) of milk
150g (5oz) log of soft rindless goat’s cheese, broken up into small pieces
Pinch of lightly crushed pink peppercorns (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tomato salad, to serve
Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg and about one to two tablespoons of water. Mix gently to form a soft dough. Knead well, then wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark six). Lightly knead the pastry on a floured surface, then roll it out to line a 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed flan tin, at least 2.5cm (1in) deep. The pastry won’t shrink, so there’s no need to chill it. Patch any holes and brush the base and sides with egg.To make the filling, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion until softened. Add the watercress and cook briefly until it’s just wilted. Remove from the heat. Beat the eggs and milk, then stir in the watercress mixture with the goat’s cheese. Season to taste and add the pink peppercorns, if using. Set aside until needed.Place the pastry-lined flan tin on a baking sheet and bake the pastry blind for five minutes. Pour in the filling and bake for another 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four) and cook for another 20-25 minutes until lightly set. Remove from the oven and leave to settle in the tin for five minutes before removing. Cut into slices and arrange on plates with the tomato salad.Chocolate torte with
vanilla ice cream
Serves six to eight
175g (6oz) of unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) of hazelnuts
175g (6oz) of plain chocolate, broken into pieces (at least 70% cocoa solids)
175g (6oz) of caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
2 tbsp of apricot jam
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, gas mark four). Lightly grease a 23cm (9in) non-stick spring-form cake tin that is no more than 7.5cm (3in) deep and line the base with parchment paper. Place the hazelnuts in a roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes until toasted. Leave to cool, then tip them into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins. Transfer the nuts to a food processor and blend for 30 seconds, until finely ground.Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and allow it to melt. Then remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool. Place half of the sugar and the butter in a large bowl and, using a hand-held mixer, beat together until pale and creamy. Then beat in the egg yolks and melted chocolate.Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until you have achieved soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff. Gently fold the ground hazelnuts into the meringue, then gently fold that into the chocolate mixture in two batches. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.Melt the apricot jam and pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Remove the cake from the oven and brush the top liberally with the sieved apricot jam, then leave the cake cool in the tin. Cut into slices and arrange on plates with scoops of the vanilla ice cream to serve. 
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