Tomato crostata with basil pesto, bean salad with pancetta and smoked paprika and crème Fraiche and white chocolate cheesecake with honey and thyme
As autumn is slowly setting in we start turning to delicious comfort food – we celebrate this new season with a roasted tomato and basil pesto crostata, a bean salad with roasted pancetta, smoked paprika, and sour cream and to end off one of the most delicious desserts that I have ever come across – a white chocolate cheesecake with thyme, and basil flavoured olive oil straight out of one of my favorite chef’s – Yotam Ottolenghi – cookbooks – you just can’t go wrong.

Chef Mynhardt
SERVINGS
4 people
PREP TIME
30 minutes
COOK TIME
30 minutes




Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Crostata
- 1 packet Magpie shortcrust pastry
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- Willow Creek basil flavoured olive oil
- 15ml Hinds potato spice
- 15ml Hinds black pepper
- 200g prepared herb pesto
Bean salad
- 1 tin Rhodes quality butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tin Rhodes quality sugar beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tin Rhodes quality black beans, drained and rinsed
- 30ml Pakco curried pickled chillies
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 15ml smoked paprika
- 200g pancetta or bacon, cooked and chopped
- 250g crème fraiche
- Salt and pepper to taste
White chocolate cheesecake
- 500g double cream plain yogurt
- 20ml fresh thyme leaves + extra for serving
- 400g crème fraiche
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 200g good quality white chocolate, melted
- 45ml honey for serving
- 100ml Willow Creek basil flavoured olive oil for serving
- 500g SASKO scone mix, prepared according to package instructions
- 50ml icing sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, potato spice, and pepper together and place on a prepared roasting tray.
- Roast in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes or until they start to burst open. Cool down.
- Roll out the pastry and lay it inside a deep oven dish.
- Place the roasted tomatoes in the middle and fold the edges to the middle so that the tomatoes stay on the inside.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
- Serve the crostata with the pest.
- Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with the crostata.
- Weigh-off about 150g of the prepared scone dough for the cheesecake. You can use the rest of the dough to bake scones for breakfast.
- Press the dough out inside a round loose bottom pan as thin as possible, going up the sides a little.
- Place in a 180-degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Press the dough with a fork to get rid of any air bubbles and sieve over the icing sugar.
- Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the icing sugar has melted and the dough is golden brown. Leave to cool completely.
- Mix the yogurt, thyme, crème fraiche, icing sugar, lemon zest, and juice together until combined.
- Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate and make sure it incorporates properly with the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour the mix on top of the cooled dough base and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to set.
- Serve slices of the cheesecake with fresh thyme leaves, honey, and olive oil.

Willow Creek Olive Estate
Basil Flavoured Olive Oil
R94.99
Our award-winning Basil Flavoured Olive Oil consists of 100% delicate extra virgin olive oil and natural basil flavouring. Boasting a full herbaceous profile, this amazing product is known for its delicious earthy aroma. You can use Willow Creek Olive Products’ Basil Flavoured Olive Oil to complement roasted tomato soup, tomato tartlets, leg of lamb, and pasta dishes like spaghetti bolognese.
WILLOW CREEK OLIVE PRODUCTS
Product Range
Willow Creek Olive Products strives to be the preferred South African extra virgin olive oil brand by developing a diversified range of quality, ethical and trusted products that promote a healthy lifestyle. Our versatile range of premium olive-based products is constantly evolving to accommodate the culinary and sensory demands of consumers and connoisseurs alike.