Week 8: Summer Fruits

Week 8: Summer Fruits

Peach Tarte
Whether served with cream, ice cream or both, this peach tarte tatin looks extravagant while also being light on the wallet. With peaches in season, it’s even cheaper and fresher. Go on, treat yourself with this easy and delicious dessert.

(Serves: 6)

You’ll need:
1 packet ready-rolled puff pastry
6 peaches; halved and stones removed
75 g butter
75 g castor sugar
1 vanilla pod; halved and seeds scraped 
Vanilla ice cream; to serve

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 °C. 
2. Unroll puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and cut into a 26 cm circle. 
3. Place on a baking tray and let chill in the fridge.
4. Slice the peaches into 2 cm slices, then set aside. 
5. Melt butter in a 24 cm ovenproof pan, then add the sugar, vanilla pod and seeds. 
6. Leave to melt without stirring until sugar dissolves. 
7. Allow sugar to reach a light caramel stage, then arrange the peach slices over the caramel in a spiral pattern. 
8. Cover with the puff pastry and gently tuck the excess ends of the pastry into the pan. 
9. Bake in the oven for 30 min. until golden brown and puffed.
10. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 min. 
11. Loosen pastry from the edge of the pan with a butter knife, place a plate on top of the pan and carefully flip over. 
12. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tips: 
• If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, make the caramel in any pan that you have. Once done, transfer to a 24 cm round cake pan (not spring-form) and follow the rest of the steps.
• Puff pastry cooks best in a hot oven, so make sure that your oven is preheated before you bake, otherwise the pastry will not puff as desired and will look soggy and undercooked.

Mango Cheesecake
Full of fruity flavour and ever so delicate, this mango cheesecake is the perfect summer dessert. Visit your nearest Shoprite store to buy fresh, in-season mangoes at a low, low price.

(Serves: 8–10)
You’ll need:
150 g Tennis biscuits 
80 g butter; melted
500 g plain cream cheese
½ cup castor sugar
300 ml cream; whipped
1 tbsp. gelatine
¼ cup hot water
4 mangoes; peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
1 mango; peeled and diced
2 tbsp. lime juice

Method
1. Place biscuits in a food processor and blitz until finely crushed. 
2. Add butter and blitz to combine. 
3. Press into a greased 20 cm round spring-form cake pan and chill for 15 min.
4. In a bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. 
5. Fold in the cream. 
6. Soak gelatine in a tbsp. of cold water, then gently stir into the hot water until dissolved. 
7. Add gelatine into the cream cheese mix and stir to combine. 
8. Pour half the cream cheese mixture on top of the biscuit base. 
9. Smooth out with a butter knife, then top with half the mango slices and the remaining cream cheese mix. 
10. Refrigerate overnight or for 4¬–6 hrs until set.
11. Remove cheesecake from fridge 15 min. before serving. 
12. Make a mango coulis by placing diced mango and lime juice into a blender and blitzing until smooth.
13. Arrange remaining mango slices over the cheesecake and drizzle with the coulis. 
14. Serve, and enjoy!