High Summer Menu

Avocado & Tomato Salad
Serves 8
Preparation in less than 15 minutes

• 4 avocados, skin removed and halved
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 6 summer tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and diced finely
• 1 bunch shallots, sliced finely
• 2 cucumbers, halved lengthways, deseeded, diced finely
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch rocket leaves, rinsed
• 1 cup black olives

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well. Place the tomato, shallots, cucumber and basil in a bowl and then add the dressing. Mix together. Drizzle the lemon juice over the avocado halves.

Place the avocado halves on 8 serving plates. Divide the tomato salad equally, and garnish with rocket leaves and black olives.

Barbecued Mediterranean Vegetables
with Tomato, Lemon and Basil Dressing
Serves 8
Preparation in less than an hour

• 2 sticks rosemary, to brush barbeque
• Olive oil, to brush barbeque
• 2 red capsicum, cut into batons
• 2 yellow capsicum, cut into batons
• 3 courgettes, cut into batons
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut in half
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons seeded mustard
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 lemons cut into segments
• 1 large red onion, sliced thinly
• 4 ripe juicy tomatoes blanched, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded

Light or pre-heat the barbeque to a medium-high heat. Brush the barbecue with rosemary and olive oil. Now drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season them. Cook them on the barbeque until they are nicely marked and tender. As they are ready move them to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon segments, onion, tomato and basil. When all the vegetables are cooked, transfer to the serving plate. Spoon the dressing over them and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired.

Note: If the weather’s not quite right for a barbecue then grilling the vegetables is fine too.

Lemon & Mango Cheesecake
Serves 8

• 250g plain sweet biscuits, crushed finely
• 25g butter, melted
• 250g cream cheese, at room temperature, chopped
• 400g sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon rind
• 1/4 cup boiled water
• 3 teaspoons gelatine
• 1 cup whipped cream, plus extra to serve
• 400g canned mangoes, drained on paper towel
• Extra mangoes, to serve

Combine biscuit crumbs and butter in a medium bowl. Press firmly into a 20cm pan, using a flat-bottomed glass. Chill until firm (approximately 20 minutes). Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Now beat in the condensed milk, lemon juice and rind.

Now pour the water into a small jug. Briskly whisk in the gelatine with a fork until it’s dissolved. Cool it for 5 minutes. Now beat it into the cheese mixture (both should be at a similar temperature now, to prevent lumps). Fold the whipped cream and mangoes into it.

Finally, pour the mixture over the base and chill for 3 hours or overnight, until firm. Serve in wedges, topped with extra mangoes and the extra whipped cream.