The best market in town only rolls by once a month, and I’m a little ashamed to say, I hardly ever visit it. Something to do with never quite rising early enough to get to the stalls before they’ve either nearly sold out or completely packed up. Favourable Spring weather last weekend however, forced my hand (and my alarm clock).

My market bag filled up very quickly with farm eggs for a cake, strawberries to snack on, bunches of pungent herbs, baby tomatoes bright and colourful like little jewels, and a bundle of Easter egg radishes. The trip left me very inspired and I couldn’t wait to come home and start cooking with my purchases. Oh wait, did I say cook? Actually, I sliced up the tomatoes, made a quick dressing and in no time at all, was tucking into an early lunch.

Spring never tasted so good.

Tamarind dressing for a tomato salad :
(serves 4; recipe by Neil Perry)

25g tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons light palm sugar
15ml light soy sauce
60ml extra virgin olive oil

Combine the tamarind pulp and 1 tablespoon of hot water in a bowl. Stand for 10 minutes or until soft, then push through a fine sieve, discarding seeds and set aside.

Combine the sugar with 2 teaspoons of water in a saucepan and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat or until caramelised, add tamarind water and soy sauce. Cool to room temperature, then gradually add olive oil, whisking continuously until emulsified. Makes about ½ cup.

(To serve, slice tomatoes and toss through with plenty of salt, pepper, torn mint leaves and the tamarind dressing. Chilli addicts may want to throw in some sliced chillis into the mix as well.)

If there’s one thing this hot weather has going for it, it’s that you start to notice the garden suddenly springing to life. This is especially remarkable (and thrilling) as I’m not known for my gardening prowess. So far this season, our little balcony has supplied us with a selection of fresh herbs and a decent crop of tomatoes from two potted plants. I have been picking them only when required, to preserve their incredibly fresh and sweet taste from pot to plate. In fact, this crop has been so sweet that I decided I should also make a dessert out of them.

A batch of caramelised baby tomato and black olive tea cakes was the end result.

The inclusion of olives in these cakes stems from my renewed interest in the flavours of black olives and olive oil. Strangely enough, while I have often cooked with olive oil in the past, it’s only been recently that I’ve started to fully appreciate the beauty of a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The use of olives and olive oil in desserts aren’t a new thing either. I especially like black olives for their salty/briny flavour, which works well in tempering the sugar levels of a dish. Olives pair beautifully with citrus, pine nuts, tomatoes, strawberries, white chocolate, basil and fresh cheese.

This is exactly my kind of cake. Despite being slightly unusual, you could argue that it’s in keeping with classic flavours. Continuing with the Summer theme, I served the cakes with dollops of fresh thick yogurt but there’s no reason why these can’t also be served with ice-cream or whipped vanilla cream, especially if you tend towards the sweeter spectrum of things.

If the garden continues to prove fruitful, I certainly forsee more tomato-themed treats in the near future.