Tomato & Basil tarts with a lemon "cream cheese" filling and a cold eggplant salad

International Workers' Day (also known as May Day) is a celebration of the international labour movement. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries and celebrated unofficially in many other countries.

 

I really like to have one more day off from work especially just in the middle of the week. The perfect break. The wheater forcast says it's going to be a nice day, well let's see..... As the last few days weren't really "spring"days, still cold and sometimes rainy. Hopefully we will have springtime this year!!! I really do love the spring when you can see everything growing in the garden, the birds singing in the morning - all that stuff.

 

After a short breakfast I made myself ready for doing some cooking. As most time I don't already really know what exactly to cook, but this time was different. I had some puff pastry I had to do before getting bad and I wanted to make those small tarts I really like. Only the filling would be different from the other times. I found the inspiration on the german web and I immediatly knew I wanted to try it. The result was great and so creamy and fresh!

Tomato & Basil Tarts with a Lemon "Cream Cheese" Filling

 

Servings: about 8 tarts

Ingredients
Lemon Cream Cheese Ingredients:

1 bulb garlic, (2 cloves used)
½ cup Vegan Cream Cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup or agave nectar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Remaining Ingredients:

4-6 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
1 organic tomato, large dice, plus dash sea salt and pepper
1 package vegan puff pastry (2 sheets used)

Instructions
Thaw the puff pastry sheets before using according to the package.
Pre-heat oven to 375°.

To roast garlic, place garlic bulb, with top sliced off, in a heat proof ramekin with a dash of high heat oil. Roast about 30-35 minutes until cloves are soft.

To create lemon cream cheese filling, in a medium bowl, combine 2 cloves smashed roasted garlic, cream cheese, lemon juice, brown rice syrup, sea salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until uniform. Set aside.

Turn oven up to 425°.

Finely chop the basil and set aside in a bowl. Place tomatoes in a separate bowl and season with sea salt and pepper.

Slice each sheet of puff pastry into 8 or 9 squares.

Fill each puff pastry square with 1 tablespoon cream cheese filling, a pinch of basil and piece tomato. Repeat for all squares. Fold corners to meet in middle.

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until tarts are golden.

When serving, garnish with fresh basil.

 

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Cold Eggplant Salad

 

Ingredients

450 g eggplants

SAUCE
1-1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp chili oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
3 Tbsp finely chopped spring onions (scallions)
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar (if you don't have take balsamic vinegar)

GARNISH
Handful of fresh coriander sprigs (optional)

Directions

Cut the aubergines into 2-inch squares. Do not peel them.
Next, set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok and fill it with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to the boil over a high heat. Put the aubergines onto a heatproof plate and carefully lower it into the steamer or onto the rack. Turn the heat to low and cover the wok tightly. Steam gently for 30-40 minutes or until the aubergines are very soft to the touch.

When they are cooked, remove from the wok, transfer to a platter and allow to cool thoroughly.

Now, make the sauce. Wipe the wok clean and reheat it. When it is hot, add the sesame and chili oils. When they are very hot and slightly smoking, add the garlic and stir-fry for 40 seconds.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove the wok from the heat and allow the sauce to cool.

When you are ready to serve, pour the sauce evenly over the aubergines and toss well. Garnish with the coriander if using and serve at once at room temperature.