Gathering | Father's Day Picnic
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What better way to celebrate a loved one that with a thoughtfully packed picnic with all of their favourite things? That's exactly what we did for Father's Day a few weeks ago. After enjoying a delicious omelette for breakfast that my mother prepared (of course with a flat white on the side), we filled this picnic basket that belonged to my mothers great aunt and off we went to Kangaroo Valley. The South Coast is a lovely part of the world and there are so many little areas to explore. Kangaroo Valley is about an hour north of where we are and is a nice little town with a few lovely shops to explore full of treasures and lots of green fields filled with black and white cows.
For as long as I can remember, my dad has always spoken about how much he loves eating little bits and pieces with a loaf of crusty bread on the side and just picking at things for hours. Olives, dolmades and smoked trout are always a must for him. So this is what we packed for our picnic with a few little extras on the side. The tomato and goats cheese tart is something my mum has been making for years and is such a good combination of flavours. Unfortunately we managed to let it slip off the seat in the car - but what would a picnic be without some kind of food mishap...? The salad is a refreshing touch and is quick and easy to prepare.
There is something so nice about picnics, especially at this time of year in this part of Australia. And of course, it's always fun going on a bit of a road trip and exploring new places. We had a lovely day and I think a picnic is such a nice way to spend time with the people you love.
| Roast tomato and goats cheese tart For cheese pastry | 1 cup plain flour 1 tsp salt Pinch cayenne pepper 130g cold butter, chopped 100g grated tasty cheese For filling | 500g cherry tomato 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 2 tsp sugar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 50g crumbed goats cheese handful of torn fresh basil Roast beetroot, pear, blue cheese and walnut salad 4 baby beetroots, washed 1 William pear, sliced Fresh rocket 1/2 cup walnuts 50g blue cheese 1 tbsp balsamic vinger 1 tbsp honey 3 tbsp olive oil Sea salt |
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until the mixture comes together in a ball.
Roll out and chill for 20 - 30 minutes.
Roll out pastry to fit tin and put on a baking tray. Chill for a further 20 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes.
Cover tomatoes with oil, vinegar and sugar, season with salt and pepper.
Place in a large, shallow roasting fish and roast at 170C for about 40 minutes or until tomatoes are shrivelled.
Bake pastry at 200C for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 180C and baking a further 15 - 220 minutes until crisp and golden.
Allow to cool and slip out of tin, unless you want to serve it in the tin like we did.
Arrange roasted tomatoes in pastry shell and scatter over crumbed goats cheese as well as basil.
Toss whole baby beets in half of the olive oil and season with salt. Bake at 200C for 40 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a pan on medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes.
Place rocket, pear, baby beets, walnuts in portable container. Sprinkle with blue cheese.
Combine vinegar, honey and remaining oil and drizzle over salad.
Season with sea salt.
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Items to pack
An assortment of cheese, meats, olives and pickles
Fresh crusty bread and salty butter
Smoked trout or salmon
Fruit - we had strawberries
Something sweet - we picked up some beautiful shortbread from Flour Water Salt bakery in Milton on our way
Champagne or Rose
Plates, cutlery, serving utensils, chopping board, glasses
Picnic blanket
Happy picknicking!
