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Salt-Cured Black Olives in a Bag

ingredients 2kg fresh black olives. 1/2kg coarse salt. 1 orange (optional). extra virgin olive oil. preparation Start by rinsing the olives well under cold water, then dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. This is important because any moisture will interfere with the curing process. Mix the olives with the salt in a large bowl, making sure they're evenly coated. Pour everything into a sturdy plastic bag and seal it tightly with a clip or tie. Lay the bag flat in a shallow tray or dish (it might release a bit of liquid as the olives cure), and tuck it away in a kitchen cupboard or pantry. Somewhere dark and cool works best. Every 3 or 4 days, flip the bag over without opening it. This helps the salt work its way around all the olives. Keep this up for 4 weeks from the day you started. After the month is up, your olives will look nicely wrinkled and feel firmer. Rinse them under fresh water and place them in a bowl. Cover them completely with clean wa...

Apple and Custard Bites


You won't even need a plate for these!


Ingredients

  • 1 rectangular sheet of puff pastry.
  • 2 Golden Delicious apples (or other varieties).
  • 250g pastry cream.
  • Peach jam.

For the pastry cream:

  • 1/4 liter whole milk.
  • 80g sugar.
  • 3 egg yolks.
  • 25g cornstarch.

Preparation

To make the custard, heat the milk with the sugar.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until completely smooth, making sure there are no lumps. When the milk is just about to boil, take out a ladleful and mix it into the yolks. Add this mixture back to the rest of the milk and, using a hand mixer, beat it vigorously. The cream thickens quickly, so don't let it boil — pull it off the heat just before and keep beating for another two minutes off the flame so you get a really silky custard. Let it cool down.

Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into portions roughly 4x3cm. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Using a pastry bag, pipe a bit of custard in the center of each piece, then add two or three chunks of apple on top. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pastry starts turning golden and is cooked through.
As soon as you take them out of the oven, brush the apple pieces with peach jam...

Tempting, aren't they?

Notes

Don't make these ahead of time — they're best enjoyed the same day you bake them.

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