Tomato Basil Tart
Make the crust from scratch — you will be so glad that you did! The press-in crust is the secret – no rolling, dropping or sticking to the rolling pin, and it can be put together in about 5 minutes!
Crust
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
11/2 cups flour
Filling
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, preferably from the farmers market
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese
Freshly-picked basil
Make Crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large glass bowl, combine butter, oil, water and salt. Microwave the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes until mixture is boiling.
Very, very carefully remove bowl from microwave, add 1 cup flour quickly, and stir until it forms a ball. Keep adding flour, one spoonful at a time until the dough pulls off the sides of the bowl. Press the dough into a 9-inch quiche dish, pie plate or tart pan. Pierce with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until crust is light brown and shows fine cracks. Remove from oven. Lower oven to 375 degrees.
Make filling: Halve the tomatoes and sauté cut sides down in the olive oil over medium heat to release excess liquid. When the tart shell is ready, spread the goat cheese over the bottom of the pre-baked crust, then arrange the tomatoes evenly on the bottom over the cheese. Sprinkle on the basil. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with a green salad. Variation: Add three eggs stirred with a half cup of milk into the tart shell with the tomatoes and cheese to make a quiche. Bake at 375 degrees until the egg mixture is firm, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Crust recipe adapted from Promenades Gourmandes, Paris, France
Alice Waters’ Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Garlic
This is a quintessential use of summer’s bounty. California’s Alice Waters is the original locavore.
9 to 10 very ripe, garden-fresh tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Core the tomatoes and place in a baking dish sized so they fit closely together. Sprinkle with garlic, olive oil, basil and salt. Roast at 325 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove and cool. Variation: Roasted tomatoes make wonderful tomato sauce. Process briefly in batches, just a few pulses, in a food processor. The sauce should be chunky.
Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad
Freshly-squeezed lemon brightens almost any dish.
1 large lemon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 box cherry or grape tomatoes, preferably from the farmers’ market
2 teaspoons good-quality olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Trim ends from lemon and, standing on cut end, cut peel and white pith from lemon with a sharp paring knife. Discard peel. Cut segments into small pieces. Toss lemon pieces, juice and sugar gently in a bowl. Wash and halve the tomatoes lengthwise. Gently stir the tomatoes, lemon and remaining ingredients together, and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Variation: add some finely-peeled and chopped cucumber, or toss with fresh green beans that have been lightly steamed.
Adapted from gourmet.com
Eggs Baked in a Tomato Shell
This is a nice change for a light brunch or “Meatless Monday” supper. The vibrant colors — red, green, yellow and white — make it a pleasure to look at as well as to eat.
4 large ripe tomatoes
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 medium eggs
4 tablespoons feta cheese
8 ounces spinach (wash 3 times)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut off tomato tops, and set aside for garnish. Gently scoop out the insides with a spoon or small knife, creating a tomato shell. Sprinkle the insides with salt and pepper, and turn the tomatoes upside down drain out any excess liquids. In the meantime, put the spinach and with a very thin layer of water into a pot or large skillet, and heat over medium-high heat, stirring just until spinach wilts. Drain excess water, squeezing spinach tightly with a paper towel. Stand the tomatoes, right side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put a spoonful of spinach into the bottom of each tomato, and then add a spoon of feta cheese. Break an egg into the inside of each tomato shell, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until whites are opaque, but yolks are not too firm. Serve immediately on a bed of the remaining spinach and feta cheese with a slice of whole grain toast. Note: The whites of large eggs may overflow a smaller tomato; if you use large eggs, be sure to use large tomatoes.
Adapted from npr.org
P.S. I have a recipe for Tomato Foccacia for you bread makers out there; log onto aymag.com.
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