Summer Fruits Tart

It has been a wonderful summer so far, really dry with hardly any rainfall since end of May. Since then you'll notice people enjoying the BBQ summer. Being outdoor is essential during summer months, and what better way to spent nice time in one's garden enjoying lovely summer fruits tart and embracing every moment this season has to offer. Make the best of it.
Yes summer fruits are in abundance now, from strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, nectarines, peaches( best is the donut peaches), apricots and plums to follow. I love summer fruits especially those locally grown. I'm fortunate to stay close by to a PYO (pick your own) fruit farm. Therefore every summer, I will make sure I'll go for some soft fruits picking at this farm. I enjoyed the lovely taste of freshness, every mouthful of freshly picked fruit is heaven.
Yes, I also used those fruits to make the lovely fruit tarts, pleasing to the eyes, a must for an afternoon garden tea party, if you're being invited to mine. :-)
I also attached in the picture, a step by step guide to making the short crust pastry. Never did you realize how useful the cling film is, a real hassle and mess free process.

Short Crust Pastry (make about 6, 3 inches diameter tart cases)




For those who prefer to take shortcut, you're able to buy ready made pastry from supermarket.



For the filling

• 6 fresh strawberries-hulled
• 30 fresh raspberries
• 30 fresh blueberries
• 150 ml whip cream-chilled
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

1. Chill mixing bowl in the fridge. Once it's cold, pour the whip cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence into the bowl and use electric whisk to whip the cream (try to use low speed as too high speed may cause the liquid to splash). You'll see bubble initially, as you continue to whisk, you'll reach ribbon consistency. This will take about 4-5 minutes on low speed. Turn off the whisk. Chill the cream until you wanted to assemble the tart. For those who wanted to take short cut, buy the ready whipped cream fro supermarket.
2. Once the tart is cool, clean, drain and wipe dry the soft fruits. Pipe the whipped cream onto the tart until done. Then decorate the tart with one fresh strawberry each in the center and follow by other fruits.
3. Leave to chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

Oven baked cod with chopped parsley with white sauce

As summer at it's peak, decided to include this simple yet elegant dish as my main for Sunday luncheon over at mine. As my garden too is bursting with lots of flowers as well as herbs especially curl leaf parsley, which I'm using as a nice complement to this dish. The dish tasted light and yet tasty.

Oven baked cod with chopped parsley with white sauce
Ingredients ( for 4 persons)

• 4 cod fillets (around 120 gm each)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 6 tbsp chopped curl leaf parsley
• dash of lemon juice
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• Basil leaf, thyme and roasted pecan nut for garnishing (optional)
  

White sauce
I added some chopped parsley to the sauce to give it some herby flavor.

1. Clean the cod fillet, pat dry. Place on work surface and sprinkle with dash of salt and freshly grind black pepper. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
   
2. In a bowl, place the chopped parsley and olive oil and mixed well.
   
3. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
4. Line the baking tray with aluminium foil. Brush with some olive oil.
   
5. Rolled the fish fillet with ingredients (2). Then place the fish fillet on the lined tray. Repeat till done.
6. Bake at 200C for the first 5 minutes, then lower to 180C and continue baking for another 5-7 minutes. Removed from oven.
7. In a plate drizzle with white sauce. Place the cod fillet on it and garnish with basil leave and pecan nut. Drop a thyme leaf on the side to give a touch of elegance.

This dish goes well with nice Australian white wine.

Of course the blog will not be complete to show you some nice transformation in July :-)