This dish is from the town of St. Remy in Provence in the South of France. Here they have a tradition of producing one of the most delicious starters of all time- La Tranche St. Remy.
This combines a lot of the traditional foods from the French tradition but in far easier to consume portions which makes it an ideal starter at Christmas.
Most important of all is that with it being a cold dish, La Tranche St.Remy can be consumed as a supper dish from the night of Christmas Eve, which fulfills part of the French Christmas tradition.
Serves 6-8 | 80 mins prep
Ingredients
- 200 g Flour
- 100g Cold Butter diced into little cubes
- Good Pinch Salt
- 60ml Ice cold water.
- 250g Prawns cooked and peeled
- 1 Med Onion
- 250g Ripe Tomatoes
- Teaspoon Chopped Basil
- Teaspoon sugar
- Teaspoon Vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 250g Fresh (or canned) Tuna
- 8 Green Olives (stoned)
- 1 Teaspoon Capers
- 100 g Mayonnaise (make your own if possible )
- 200g Peeled Sliced Onions
- Olive oil
- 6 Anchovy Fillets
- 6 Stoned Black olives
Method
First make the shortcrust pastry either in a food processor, by crumbing the flour and butter together and then adding the water , or by rubbing in by hand: Chill in the fridge for 30 mts, roll into a piece about 35cm by 12cm and bake blind (cover and weigh ) at 175 C , 350F , Gas 4 for about 20 to 30 mts until brown and crisp.
Leave this cool on a rack.
Filling One Method
Cook the Onion in a little olive oil in a covered pan until soft .
Add the tomatoes, sliced , and continue cooking until these melt.
Liquidise these (or push through a sieve) and season with salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar and the chopped Basil.Put this into a pot with the prawns, bring to a simmer, take off the heat and cool in the fridge.
Filling Two Method
If using fresh tuna ;Take the tuna off the bone and skin. Cut into little dice .
Heat some oil in a hot pan and sear the tuna quickly on all sides. Cool in the fridge.
Mix these with the halved olives the capers and the mayonnaise. With tinned tuna just mix with the olives, capers and mayo.
Filling Three Method
Cook the sliced onions in some oil in a lidded pan on a gentle heat until very soft.
Now take off the lid and increase the heat until they go brown, do not let them burn.
Season these with salt and pepper and chill.
To assemble (about an hour before service.)
Lay the piece of pastry on a board
Down the middle of each strip put a line of the onion.
Criss-cross the anchovies down this line and put black olives in the spaces.
Spoon the prawn mixture on one side and the tuna mixture on the other.
Serve in slices .
