Sliders with lemon curd and goat’s cheese, basil and tomato jam

For the dough, add the water and crumbled yeast to the bowl of a food mixer. Use a spoon to break apart and dissolve the yeast in the water.

Add the flour to the bowl. Mix slowly with a dough hook until thoroughly blended. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover. Set aside at room temperature for 1 – 2 hours. When it has doubled in size you can begin the second dough.

To make the second dough, add the crumbled yeast and milk to a small bowl, stirring to dissolve.

Add 90g (¾ cup) of the flour, the sugar and salt to the bowl of a food mixer. Using the dough hook, mix on low speed.

Add the milk and yeast mixture, followed by the egg yolks and butter. Mix for 1 minute to combine.

Add the starter dough and the remaining 30g (¼ cup) plus 30ml (2 tbsp) flour. Continue to beat at low speed until combined. Increase the speed slightly and knead the dough until it has formed a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl, 4 – 5 minutes. If dough seems wet, it may be necessary to add an extra 15 – 30ml (1 – 2 tbsp) flour. Cover the bowl and let dough rise overnight in the fridge. The dough will be stickier than beignets after folding, but do not worry.

To shape the chilled dough, place on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to 2cm thickness. Cut out buns using a small cookie cutter. Place the buns onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. At this point, the buns can be frozen for several days, refrigerated, or allowed to rise at room temperature. If they're frozen, defrost and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 – 1½ hours. They can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, to rise slowly. When you remove them from the refrigerator, uncover them and let them finish proofing in a warm place for 20 – 30 minutes. If they have not been refrigerated or frozen, they should rise at room temperature in about 15 minutes. Once proofed, they will have risen to approximately 3cm.

To cook the buns, heat the canola oil to 150°C in a deep, heavy-based pot. Use a frying thermometer to check the temperature and bring the oil back to 150°C after frying each batch. Add the buns to the oil and cook for approximately 30 seconds on the first side. Flip the buns and fry for 1 minute on the second side, then turn back to the first side to cook to a deep golden brown, an additional 30 seconds. Remove, drain briefly on paper towel and place in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough.

For the jam, pulse the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and 45ml (3 tbsp) of the lemon juice until fruit is finely chopped but not completely puréed and sugar has dissolved, about 6 x 2-second pulses.

Pour into a 30cm non-stick skillet, add the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced noticeably, about 9 minutes.

Adjust heat to medium-high and simmer vigorously, stirring more often as the mixture reduces, until it is glossy and has a jammy consistency between a sauce and a paste, 10 – 18 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Discard the cinnamon stick and stir in the remaining lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 1 – 2 weeks.

For the curd, put the lemon zest and juice, castor sugar and butter into a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until the butter has melted.

Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir into the lemon mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well combined. Cook until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring every now and again, 10 – 13 minutes.

Remove the lemon curd from heat and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally as it cools.

When cooled, spoon the lemon curd into sterilised jars and seal. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Cut the sliders in half. Fill half of them with lemon curd and top with fresh mint. Fill the remaining half with tomato jam and serve with goat’s cheese.