Jamie Oliver has recently been spruiking the wonders of avocado as a replacement for butter or oil in pastry making. There’s been some slight alterations to Jamie’s pastry version for this tart shell. It’s also been home kitchen tested with Tuerong Farm’s spelt flour and Winter White. The whole dish is making the most of the end of season’s avocado, corn and tomatoes topped with a Torello Farm’s pesto. It’s best eaten and enjoyed on the day of making.

Serves 6-8

Pastry

200g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

Filling

5 small Roma or heirloom tomatoes, quartered (or 300g cherry tomatoes, halved)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

3 Yolky Dokey eggs size XL

200g Main Ridge goat curd (see note*)

90g (3/4 cup) grated tasty cheese

1 corn cob, cooked (steamed or grilled)

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, or chives

2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves

2 tablespoons Torello Farm pesto

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Have ready a 22-23 spring form cake tin. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Arrange the tomatoes cut side up over prepared baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and a grinding of pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.

To make the pastry, sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Ideally, you need 200g of avocado flesh, or if necessary, make up any extra weight needed with a tablespoon or two of olive to reach 200g. Rub the avocado (and any oil) and 4 tablespoons of cold water into the flour between the fingertips, and gradually bring the mixture together until a soft dough forms. Shape into a ball and leave in the bowl for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1/2cm thick circle, about 32cm diameter. Line the cake tin with the pastry, gently pressing into the sides. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C (150°C fan-forced).

Meanwhile prepare the filling. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, goat curd and tasty cheese to combine well. Cut away the kernels from the corn cob. Stir in the herbs and corn kernels. Season with salt and grinding of pepper. Pour the mixture into the blind-baked pastry shell. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up over the filling (save remaining tomato cooking juices for another use). Dollop small teaspoonful of pesto over the tomatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling mixture has set. If the pastry edges brown too quickly reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and bake a little longer. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and cool for about 15 minutes before serving, alternatively cool completely in the tin to eat at room temperature.

Cut into wedges, to serve with a green salad.

Note* Goat’s curd can be replaced with sour cream.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, April 2024.