This recipe is not mine to give out as it belongs to the South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen BUT you should make these for your next drinks party …. delicious just got so much better!
These tomatoes are incredibly tasty and the balsamic toffee perfectly balances with the toasty sesame brittle on which it sits. Easy and quick to make EXCEPT on a rainy day! The moisture in the air prevents the toffee from “sitting” on the tomato…
You can find this recipe in Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s book The French Affair (Struik; 2013) (p. 19).
This is the perfect food as a light starter or simply as a canapé served with drinks on the patio. It can also double up as a light lunch when served with a salad.
2 large pears 30ml butter 30ml honey 1 lemon 500g ready-made pastry 200g goats cheese a handful of pecan nuts a handful of thyme leaves egg-wash: 1 egg + 15ml milk
Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Peel and core the pears and cut them into thin wedges lengthwise. Place in a bowl and squeeze the lemon juice over. Mix up the slices with your hands so that the pear is covered with lemon juice. Add the butter and honey to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pear slices and any lemon juice from the bowl and cook for 2-3 minutes a side, until the pear is caramelised. Remove the pear slices but reserve the honey caramel in the pan. Roll the pastry to a 28cm X 38cm rectangle and score a 2cm border all around the edges. Place the pastry on the lined baking sheet. Arrange the pear slices over the pastry within the border. Now break up the cheese and arrange it randomly between the pear. Scatter the pecan nuts and the thyme leaves over the pear and goats cheese. Drizzle the leftover caramel from the pan over the tart. Whisk the egg and milk together and brush the pastry border with it. Bake the tart for 20 minutes until the pastry is beautifully golden. Serve slightly warm.
My Whisk and I 