Mother's Day treats

Although traditionally a day of celebrating the 'mother church' in much of the European Christian religions and their derivatives across the globe, I have to say I fall into the more modern practice of marking Mother's Day by celebrating motherhood and, more specifically, treating my Mum in some way.

This year, in an attempt to make the most of the good weather anticipated at the start of the day, we had a morning outing to one of our local National Trust properties. We got there soon after the grounds opened and swiftly headed away from the more commonly trod paths to areas we don't normally explore. Here we encountered very few others and enjoyed views through the leafless trees. The sun peered through the clouds far more than the weather forecast had led us to expect and was beautifully warm. It was great to get out and, in a more pagan fashion, enjoy Mother Nature.

After a couple of miles, we headed back to more familiar territory and a bench which my parents have claimed as their own. Here we broke out the flask of coffee and, as a special treat, some chocolate, beetroot and prune brownies. To the uninitiated, beetroot and prune may not sound very appealing but these additions just ensure that you have the gooiest and stickiest chocolate brownie you could wish for. Pretty simple to make, I can really recommend them.

Fresh from the oven

We eventually left at about 1pm, passing queues of cars streaming in, feeling a little smug that we had enjoyed much of the grounds in private before many others had arrived (they were clearly all too busy enjoying breakfast in bed). Back at my parents' place I pulled lunch out of a bag which consisted of a roasted tomato and cheese tart with a polenta crust, and a salad of watercress, lettuce, beetroot and walnuts.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, the polenta crust is a really easy alternative to pastry. In a food processor blitz together 170g instant polenta, 75g gluten-free flour, and 120g soft butter with 80ml water. Line a 24cm loose bottomed round tin with baking paper and then press the polenta dough evenly around the bottom and sides of the tin. Bake this in an oven (180C, 160C fan, gas 4) for around 25 minutes. Keep an eye on it so that the sides don't collapse inwards or slump down. You can just push them back into shape if it's not too late in the cooking process. Of course, you could line the base with baking paper and fill it with baking beans but I have mixed success with this (often with the paper sticking to the dough) so tend not to bother.

Anyway, you can fill this base with any filling of your choosing. I chose cheese and tomato. Firstly, I cut a load of baby plum tomatoes in half lengthwise, placed them skin side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper, sprinkled them with thyme and freshly ground black pepper and roasted them in the oven alongside the polenta crust until they were soft. This took about 20 minutes.

I then mixed 300g of lower fat cream cheese with 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, 25g of finely grated Parmesan and a handful of basil using a food processor. I tipped this into the polenta crust and then dotted the roasted tomatoes over the top. The whole lot was baked in the oven for 25 minutes until set. Cool it in the tin and serve it slightly warm or at room temperature.

Another one fresh from the oven

Having sown tomato seeds last weekend, I'm already looking forward to having some to pick to make this tart again, although I think I probably have about 4-5 months to wait until I'm lucky enough to have any homegrown fruit! However, the warmth of today's sun has got me feeling very positive about the year to come.

However you have spent Mother's Day, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.