Summer is all about catching up with friends and keeping things simple, chef Bevan Smith writes.
I tend to like stuff I can knock up quickly without too much fuss so I can get back outside to bowl a few more bouncers at the children.
Light is the order of the day and bruschetta always hits the spot.
Topped with buffalo mozzarella, life seldom gets better. Pickled red cabbage is a revelation and is such a refreshing partner to seared venison.
I had never thought of myself as a pickle man before, but now I am happily hooked.
Apricots are just another one of summer's blessings and this apricot tart is a universal favourite with staff and customers alike.
Baking at its best and the result is stunning, so take your pick. Happy cooking.
• Bevan and Monique Smith own Riverstone Kitchen, runner-up Best Regional Restaurant in the 2014 Cuisine Good Food Awards.
Bruschetta of buffalo mozzarella, broad beans and herb oil
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 cups broad beans
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup Italian parsley, picked
1 cup mint, picked
2 large slices of rustic bread, preferably at least a day old
80ml extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 cup baby rocket
120g ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, drained and sliced into 6 pieces
Method
Preheat oven to 200degC. Bring a small pot of water to the boil and blanch broad beans for 30 seconds before draining and refreshing in cold water. Drain and reserve for later use.
Place salt in a mortar with parsley and mint and grind to a paste. Add 1 clove of garlic and grind it into the herbs before adding 60ml of extra virgin olive oil and muddle with the pestle until oil and herbs are combined. Place to one side until ready to use.
Place bread on a baking tray, drizzle with remaining olive oil and toast in the oven until lightly coloured around the edges. Remove from oven and rub well with remaining clove of garlic. Place toast on a plate, top with rocket, mozzarella, broad beans and generously spoon over the herb oil. Serve immediately.
Venison with sauteed new potatoes, pickled red cabbage, raisins and pinenuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup plump raisins
½ cup good-quality red wine vinegar
¼ red cabbage, finely sliced
½ cup Italian parsley, picked
⅓ cup pinenuts, lightly toasted
30ml extra virgin olive oil
4 150g pieces venison Denver leg
salt and pepper
50ml olive oil
16-20 small new potatoes boiled until tender and cooled
Method
Place raisins and red wine vinegar together in a small bowl or container and allow to soak overnight.
Place raisins and half the vinegar into a bowl with the red cabbage, parsley, pinenuts and extra virgin olive oil. Toss to combine and allow to sit for half an hour before serving.
Lightly season venison. Heat half of the olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. As oil begins to smoke, sear venison until nicely coloured on each side. Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes in a warm place. Meanwhile, saute the new potatoes in remaining olive oil until golden on all sides. Divide potatoes between four plates, return the pan to a high heat and warm the venison briefly on each side to bring back up to temperature. Place of the pickled cabbage on top of the potatoes. Carve venison and sit on top of cabbage. Finish dish with remaining cabbage and serve immediately.
Apricot tart
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry, blind baked
250g unsalted butter, softened
250g caster sugar
250g ground almonds
4 free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
50g plain flour
500g small ripe apricots
Sweet short crust pastry
Makes a 28cm pastry case
175g unsalted butter, room temperature
75g icing sugar
2 free-range egg yolks
250g plain flour
1 Tbsp cold water
Method
Preheat oven to 175degC.
Place butter, sugar, almonds, eggs, essence and flour in a mixing bowl and mix well until thoroughly combined. Spread frangipane mixture over cooked pastry base with a spatula. Halve the apricots, discarding the stones and place cut side up on top of the frangipane mixture.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and just set. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from tin. Dust with a little caster sugar and serve with whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.
Sweet short crust pastry
Place all ingredients in an electric mixing machine bowl and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the pastry comes together to form a dough. Knead lightly, roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. Pastry can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Preheat oven to 200degC. Line the base of a 28cm fluted tart tin with removable base with baking paper. Unwrap pastry, slice thinly and press into tart tin. Ensure pastry is evenly and thinly spread, about 2mm thick. Remove excess pastry from around edges.
Crumple a 40cm piece of baking paper into a ball before placing over pastry base and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove baking beans and paper and cook for a further 3-4 minutes so pastry is fully cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
