Quick Food Mart

Ingredients
3 large free-range eggs
100 g golden caster sugar
75 g plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
unsalted butter , for greasing
100 g shelled unsalted pistachios
500 g white marzipan
icing sugar , for dusting
FILLING
400 g quality ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon caster sugar
50 g whole hazelnuts
1 heaped tablespoon glacé fruit
20 g shelled unsalted pistachios
100 g quality dark chocolate , (70%)
3 tablespoons apricot jam
50 ml Vin Santo
15 glacé cherries

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/gas 4. For the sponge, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer, or by hand, until pale, fluffy and at least doubled in size. Sift in the flour, add the vanilla paste, then slowly fold through. Grease a baking tray (26cm x 36cm) with butter, then line it with greaseproof paper and grease that, too. Spoon the batter into the tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, blitz the pistachios in a food processor until fine. Break in the marzipan and blitz until it forms a dough, adding a splash of water to combine, if needed.

Take the sponge out of the oven and confidently flip it out on to a clean tea towel. Peel off the greaseproof, place it back on top, then roll up while the sponge is still warm and flexible. Leave to cool for around 20 minutes.

For the filling, whiz the ricotta with the sugar in a food processor until smooth. Toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan until golden, then finely chop with the glacé fruit, pistachios and chocolate. Mix into the ricotta.

Roll out most of the marzipan on a large sheet of greaseproof paper to 26cm x 46cm, and 2mm thick. Spread over the jam, unroll the sponge on top, drizzle over the Vin Santo and spread over the ricotta. Line up the cherries along the side nearest you, then, using the paper to help you, roll it up, pressing lightly to seal. Trim the ends, then roll out the remaining marzipan and stamp out shapes to decorate the top. Serve it after 30 minutes’ chilling in the fridge, or freeze for another day. If frozen, defrost in the fridge for 3 hours before serving. Dust with icing sugar to finish.

Ingredients
2 aubergines
50 g tahini paste , (1¾ oz)
50 ml ice-cold water , (1¾ fl oz)
2 egg yolks , from beautiful eggs
FOR THE LEMON, CHILLI & GARLIC DRESSING
1 red chilli , deseeded and finely chopped (about 10 g / ⅓ oz)
1 green chilli , deseeded and finely chopped (about 10 g / ⅓ oz
3 large garlic cloves , peeled and finely chopped (about 20 g / ¾ oz)
1-2 lemons , juice of (about 80 ml / 2¾ fl oz)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch of parsley , leaves picked and chopped (about 30 g / 1 oz)

Method
Place the whole aubergines on a very hot grill, or directly on the embers if you prefer. Let them scorch all over, turning occasionally, until the skin is charred and the flesh is so soft that it seems they are going to collapse.
While the aubergines are cooking, combine all the dressing ingredients apart from the chopped parsley. Separately mix the tahini paste with the water to form a thick whipped cream consistency.
Once the aubergines are fully blackened, remove from the grill onto serving plates and slit open to reveal the flesh.
Add the parsley to the dressing and mix well. Use half the dressing to douse the flesh of the slit aubergines, then top with the whipped tahini. Use the back of a spoon to create a little well in the tahini and place a raw egg yolk in the centre of each one. Using tongs, carefully remove a hot charcoal from the fire and lightly char the top of each yolk. Return the coal to the fire and drizzle the remaining dressing over the aubergines before serving.

Ingredients
250 g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
125 g cold unsalted butter
olive oil
800 g butternut squash or mixed mushrooms
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
6 large free-range eggs
100 ml single cream
100 g Cheddar cheese
50 g crumbly goat's cheese
2 sprigs of thyme

Method
This recipe works great as a stand-alone dish, but also as a component in Jamie’s Picnic Love from Together – see the full collection of menus here.

GET AHEAD You can make this all on the day, if you prefer. Equally, you can cook the whole thing the night before, and enjoy cold. Whatever works for you! Put the flour, butter and a pinch of sea salt into a food processor and pulse for 15 seconds, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse for a few more seconds until it comes together. Scoop on to a flour-dusted work surface and push and pat into a round – don’t be tempted to knead it. Wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Lightly oil a non-stick loose-bottomed tart tin (25cm diameter, 4cm deep). Roll out the pastry on a flour-dusted surface, turning it every so often, until it’s just under ½cm thick. Gently roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the oiled tin and ease it into the sides, letting the excess pastry overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork, place on a baking tray, then bake blind for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool, trim off the excess pastry, and store in an airtight container

Prep your chosen veg – peel, carefully halve and deseed the squash, then dice into 2cm chunks, or clean and slice the mushrooms. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic, then place in the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add your chosen veg and cook for 30 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelize, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water to prevent it sticking, if needed. Season to perfection, then leave to cool. Tip into a blender, crack in the eggs, add the cream and grate in the Cheddar, then blitz until smooth, cover and refrigerate overnight.

ON THE DAY Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Pour the filling into the pastry case, then crumble over the goat’s cheese. Rub the thyme sprigs with a little oil, then pick the tips and leaves over the tart. Bake for 40 minutes exactly, then remove and leave to cool, ready to wrap and go.