Ingredients

Method

• 2½ leaves gelatine
• 6 T white wine or muscadel
• 125 g goat’s-milk cheese
• 1 cup cream, lightly whipped
• Oven-baked puff-pastry wafers, for serving
• Fresh rocket, for serving
For the semi-dried tomatoes:
• 12 ripe Roma tomatoes
• 50 g sugar
• 1 litre olive oil
• 2 large sprigs rosemary or marjoram
For the pickled cherry tomatoes:
• 10 coriander seeds
• 10 fennel seeds
• 35 g white sugar
• 2 cloves
• 3 juniper berries
• 5 peppercorns
• 1½ cups white wine vinegar
• 1 litre water
• 1 x 150 g punnet cherry tomatoes
• 5 large sprigs basil
• ¾ cup olive oil

Method

Ingredients

Soak the gelatine in cold water to soften. In a saucepan, gently heat the wine or muscadel until reduced by two-thirds, then add the softened gelatine.

Blend the goat’s cheese until smooth. Add the warm wine mixture and blend a little more. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add a third of the lightly whipped cream and mix well, before gently folding in the remaining cream – the mousse should be light and smooth and is ready, at this stage, to be spooned into moulds, if desired.
Chill for 2 hours, then serve with the semi-dried and pickled tomatoes, crisp puff-pastry rounds and a scattering of rocket leaves.

To make the semi-dried tomatoes, preheat the oven to 90°C. Cut a very thin slice off the bottom of each tomato and slice a little cross into the top of each one. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and have a bowl of cold water next to your stove.
In three batches, plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, then remove and transfer to the cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove and peel from top to bottom.
Dry well and arrange on a baking tray. Dust lightly with sugar and bake for 6 to 8 hours or until shrivelled but not browned. Transfer to a jar and top up with olive oil. Add the fresh herbs and store chilled for 2 to 4 weeks.

To make the pickled cherry tomatoes, simmer the coriander and fennel seeds, white sugar, cloves, juniper berries, peppercorns and whitewine vinegar in the water for 10 to 15 minutes, or until reduced to a light syrup.
Blanch and peel the tomatoes using the method above, then add to the syrup and heat gently. Add the basil and olive oil and pour into a jar. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 days.