Tomato Basil Tart

The other day we were eating this for dinner and my sister, who often dines with us, asked why this recipe wasn't on my blog.  I was shocked.  Surely it was on my blog.  This is a go-to summertime recipe for me.  So I checked, and lo and behold, she was right.  So here it is.

This recipe is a great way to showcase your garden tomatoes, especially if you (like me) get about 20 ripe all at once.  It's prettier if you have tomatoes of varying size and color, but plain red ones will work just fine. 

The thing I love about this recipe is that it's unique.  The crust is made with pureed corn as well as cornmeal, and gives a great flavor to the crust, which in my opinion is usually the worst part of the pizza.  The fresh herbs and rustic look just add to the overall light and fresh feeling.  It really is my favorite thing to make in summertime. 

As a note, if you can't find fontina cheese you can substitute mozzarella, but it's really much better with the fontina.

Tomato Basil Tart
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs tomatoes
1 tsp salt, divided
1 cup corn kernels (you can use canned, fresh, or frozen)
1 T fresh lemon juice
3 T sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cold butter
1 T cornmeal
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (you can substitute dried, about 2 T)
4 oz shredded fontina cheese
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Slice tomatoes into 1/4"-thick circles and arrange in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and let stand about 20 minutes, while you make the rest of the tart.

Preheat oven to 400F. 
In blender or food processor combine corn, lemon juice, and sour cream, processing until mostly smooth.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Using the large holes in a box grater, grate the cold butter over the flour mixture.  Use hands to toss and rub the butter into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.  Add the corn mixture and mix into a soft dough.

Lay out two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Place the dough on the wrap and press into a circle.  Cover with two more overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Roll into a 14-inch circle, then place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the 1 T cornmeal on a baking sheet in a 12-inch circle.  Combine basil, fontina cheese, oregano, and ground black pepper in a small bowl.

Remove dough from freezer.  Removing plastic wrap, place dough on baking sheet.  Arrange cheese mixture on dough, leaving a 2" border around the edges.  Arrange tomato slices on the cheese, overlapping and creating more than one layer if you have that many tomatoes.  Fold edges of dough in towards the center, slightly overlapping the tomatoes, and crimping the edges to seal. 

Bake at 400F for 35 minutes or until the edges are browned.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Spoon Bread

I have to admit that I had never heard of spoon bread before making this recipe.  Apparently it's quite popular in the Southern US, and is served alongside meats for lunch or dinner, or with syrup for breakfast.  It's not a bread in the traditional sense, more like a cross between cornbread and a souffle.  It's quite delicious, and although this is the first recipe for it I've tried, I'm willing to bet that it's one of the better ones just because it comes from America's Test Kitchen.  I can imagine that it would be fantastic with a Pot Roast, or with Pulled Pork or BBQ Chicken.  Anything that has a bit of sauce or juices to soak up would be good.  Try it out.  And to my Southern friends, what do YOU serve spoon bread with? Leave a comment and let me know, because I want to make it again!

Spoon Bread
Recipe by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 cups half-and-half (no substitutions, or the texture and volume with suffer!)
1 tsp salt
1 cup white or yellow cornmeal (fine-ground is better if you have it)
2 Tbs butter
3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1-2 tsp water

Heat oven to 350F.  Butter or grease a 1 1/2 quart souffle dish, or an 8-inch high-sided cast iron skillet.

Bring half-and-half and salt to a simmer in a large heavy saucepan.  Reduce heat to low, then slowly whisk in the cornmeal.  Don't stop whisking or you'll end up with lumps.  Once cornmeal is all added, continue whisking for another 2 minutes or so, until it thickens and develops a satin sheen.  Turn off the heat and stir in the butter.  Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together egg yolks and 1-2 tsp water until lemon-colored and very frothy, about 2 minutes.  Stir them into the slightly cooled mush, a little at a time so the yolks don't set.  In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on high until they just form stiff peaks, but they still look wet.  Gently fold them into the mush.

Pour the mixture (or spread--it's rather thick) into the greased souffle dish.  Bake until the spoon bread is golden brown and has risen about the rim of the dish, about 45 minutes.  Serve immediately.  If you don't serve immediately, it will fall a bit, but will still taste delicious.  You can refrigerate leftovers and eat them with syrup for breakfast. 

You can also add in 1/2 cup grated cheese along with the butter if you'd like a cheesy variation.

Serves 6-8.

Fruit Crisp--A Basic Recipe

Peach-Blueberry Crisp

Fruit crisps (or crumbles if you're British) are very simple, and so delicious.  They're a great way to showcase an abundance of in-season fruit.  You can combine different varieties or pick just one.  You can add different spices to change the flavor, and whatever you do it will always be delicious.  Well, unless you add something crazy like cumin.  Then it probably won't be.  But you never know! 

Here's the basic recipe:

Fruit Crisp -- A Basic Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups fruit, sliced and pitted.  Skinned if it's not a skin you would normally eat.  You can also mix fruits, such as berries and peaches, or pears and apples, or cherries and apricots; just be sure you have 4 cups of fruit total. 
1/4 - 3/4 cup sugar, depending on the tartness of your fruit.  If you're using something really tart, like rhubarb, you should use 3/4 cup.  If you're using something really sweet, like very ripe pears, use 1/4 cup.  For everything else, use 1/2 cup.
1 tsp lemon juice, regardless of the fruit you are using.  It brings out the flavor and preserves the color.
1 Tbs cornstarch, to thicken the mixture. 
1 Tbs butter, because it makes everything taste better.
Spices, a little bit (1/4-1/2 tsp) of something is usually nice.  Cinnamon goes with everything, but try to put other things in as well.  Ginger goes well with apples, pears, apricots, and peaches.  Chinese Five Spice goes with peaches and plums.  Cloves go with plums and oranges.  Nutmeg goes with cherries, apples, pears, or berries.  Cardamom is great with berries.  Try something out and see how it goes. 

Topping Ingredients:
6 T all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup oats
6 T butter
Optional items: Chopped nuts, coconut, or other spices.

Preheat your oven to 400-degrees F. You can make either the topping or the filling first, it doesn't really matter.  If you make the topping first, keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.  If you make the filling first, keep it in the saucepan until the topping is made.

For the filling: If your fruit isn't very juicy, toss it with the sugar and lemon juice and let it sit until the juices are released (15-30 minutes).  If you're using something like peaches or pears, which are very juicy to begin with, you can skip the macerating (which is a fancy way of saying "Let it sit until the juices are released.").

Next throw the fruit and the rest of the topping ingredients EXCEPT the butter into a saucepan.  Heat it until it boils, then stir and keep it boiling for a minute or two, until it's a bit thicker.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

For the topping:  Mix everything but the butter together.  Grate the butter (using the big holes on a cheese grater) into the mixture, then use your hands to evenly distribute it. 

To assemble: Pour the filling into a square 8" or 9" pan, or into a similarly-sized casserole dish.  Alternatively, you can use 4-6 individual ramekins.  Top the filling with the topping.  Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is crispy.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Fresh Cherry-Almond Crumble

A few years back I developed a recipe for a cherry crisp that used coconut and almond in the topping.  It was delicious, but it used canned cherries, and since cherries are in season and I happened to have a whole bag of them sitting on my counter-top, I decided to alter the recipe to use the fresh cherries.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it was fantastic!  So here it is, for you to enjoy.  You could, of course, leave out the coconut and/or almonds if you prefer, but I think they add a bit of flavor and texture that really makes this dish unique.  We served it with homemade vanilla ice cream on top.

As a note, if you don't have a cherry pitter you can just slice the cherries in half and remove the pit.  It takes a little longer but will still get the job done.

Fresh Cherry-Almond Crumble

Cherry Filling Ingredients:
4 cups fresh cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs butter

Crumble Topping Ingredients:
6 T all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T shredded coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup chopped almonds
6 T butter

In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, and lemon juice.  Stir together and let sit for 15-30 minutes to release the juices. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F and make the topping. 

In a small bowl combine all the topping ingredients except the butter.  Using the largest holes on a cheese grater, grate the butter over the topping mixture.  After all the butter has been grated, mix it lightly with your hands until the butter is evenly distributed.  Refrigerate the topping until needed.

Once the cherries have released some juices, add water and cornstarch to the saucepan with the cherries and heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then stir constantly and continue to boil for at least one minute, or until the liquid thickens and the cherries are very soft.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter.

Pour cherry filling into an ungreased 8" or 9" square baking dish.  Spread topping evenly over cherry mixture.  Bake at 400-degrees F for 20 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6-8.

Barbecue Pork Ribs

There are few things in this world that I like more than Barbecue Pork Ribs.  Several years ago, when my husband and I were living abroad, some friends invited us to dinner and served ribs.  I was in heaven.  They were amazing.  And then I found out how they were made, and was astounded at how simple they were to prepare.  Yes, they take all day to cook, but that's hardly difficult.  Since then I've made these on all my special BBQ occasions, such as Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.  And sometimes I make them just because.  Because they're divine.  I'm often told by my guests that they're better than those you get at expensive restaurants. 

You can make as many racks of ribs as you want.  A rack usually has twelve rib bones in it and will serve 2 or 3 people, depending on how much they eat.  I don't recommend buying them without the bones, as you will lose some meat that way and definitely sacrifice on flavor.  By the time you're done cooking these the bones will be falling out of their own accord, so don't worry about them.  Generally when you buy ribs at the store they come packaged two racks together, though I've also seen them with three.  I buy some whenever they're on a good sale and throw them in the freezer until I'm ready for that special day.

Barbecue Pork Ribs
Recipe from Andrew Hill

Ingredients:
2 racks pork ribs, bone-in
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 T to 1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper

To begin with, wrap a large baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with foil.  You'll probably need two overlapping sheets.  Turn the oven to 215F.  It's not very hot, because you'll be cooking them all day long.

In a small bowl mix 1 cup of barbecue sauce with 2 T water.  You want the sauce to be thin enough that it's easy to brush thinly over the meat, but not so thin that it's watery.  If you need more water, add more, up to 1/4 cup.

Place the raw ribs on the pan, bone-side up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brush with the thinned-out barbecue sauce.  Flip the meat over and repeat. 

After both sides have been covered with the sauce, they'll look like this:

Cover the whole tray very tightly with foil and place in the oven.  Cook at 215 F for at least 6 hours or up to 8.

 

When they come out of the oven they'll look like this:

 

Next you need to glaze them.  Some people prefer to glaze them on a grill, and you're certainly welcome to do so.  I prefer to glaze them under the broiler because it's easier not to move them so much when they're that tender.  Either way, you need to brush full-thickness barbecue sauce over the top of the ribs.  Be generous.  Then, if you're using the broiler, place the whole tray under the broiler (about 6 inches from the element) and let the sauce carmelize a bit, about 3-5 minutes.  If you'd like to you can carefully turn them over with tongs and do the other side, but I have to say that I usually just do the meaty side.

If you want to glaze on a grill, then apply the barbecue sauce to both sides of the cooked ribs (use tongs to turn), and then carefully lift the ribs AND the foil onto the preheated grill.  Let them carmelize for about 3 minutes, then carefully turn them over and do the other side. They should look like this:

Serve these babies immediately.  Serves 4-6.

Short version of the recipe:

Barbecue Pork Ribs
Recipe from Andrew Hill


Ingredients:
2 racks pork ribs, bone-in
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 T to 1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper


To begin with, wrap a large baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with foil.  You'll probably need two overlapping sheets.  Turn the oven to 215F.  It's not very hot, because you'll be cooking them all day long.


In a small bowl mix 1 cup of barbecue sauce with 2 T water.  You want the sauce to be thin enough that it's easy to brush thinly over the meat, but not so thin that it's watery.  If you need more water, add more, up to 1/4 cup.

Place the raw ribs on the pan, bone-side up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brush with the thinned-out barbecue sauce.  Flip the meat over and repeat.  Cover the whole tray very tightly with foil and place in the oven.  Cook at 215 F for at least 6 hours or up to 8.

Next you need to glaze them.  Some people prefer to glaze them on a grill, and you're certainly welcome to do so.  I prefer to glaze them under the broiler because it's easier not to move them so much when they're that tender.  Either way, you need to brush full-thickness barbecue sauce over the top of the ribs.  Be generous.  Then, if you're using the broiler, place the whole tray under the broiler (about 6 inches from the element) and let the sauce carmelize a bit, about 3-5 minutes.  If you'd like to you can carefully turn them over with tongs and do the other side, but I have to say that I usually just do the meaty side.


If you want to glaze on a grill, then apply the barbecue sauce to both sides of the cooked ribs (use tongs to turn), and then carefully lift the ribs AND the foil onto the preheated grill.  Let them carmelize for about 3 minutes, then carefully turn them over and do the other side. 


Serve these babies immediately.  Serves 4-6.

Pork Tenderloin with Plum Barbecue Sauce

I love pork tenderloin, but I only know a few ways to prepare it.  So when I saw this recipe online the other day I knew I had to try it.  I was richly rewarded for the effort!  The sauce is like a sweeter barbecue sauce, with chunks of tender and juicy plum and the subtle bite of the pepper and spices.  It didn't take long to make and was so worth the effort!

As a note, if you don't have whole cloves or star anise, you can substitute 1/4 tsp of ground Chinese Five Spice, which is a spice you can get in your local grocery store right next to the cumin and chili powder.  

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Plum Barbecue Sauce
Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients
For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion 

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons dry mustard 

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 whole cloves
1 star anise

1 1/2 pounds black plums, quartered and pitted 


For the pork:

2 tablespoons canola oil 

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed 
(these usually come together when you buy a whole pork tenderloin)
1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the Sauce:
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add sugar and the remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until plums break down and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Discard cloves and anise.


To make the Pork:
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add pork to pan; sauté 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.

Transfer pork to a foil-lined baking sheet or 9"-x-13" pan; coat with 1/2-1 cup plum sauce. Roast pork at 450°F for 15 minutes. Remove pork from oven. Turn pork over; coat with an additional 1/2-1 cup plum sauce. Roast an additional 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of pork registers 155°. Remove from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Slice crosswise. Serve with remaining plum sauce.

Serves 6.