Tag Archives: #foodlover

Tomato Tart Recipe – Mostly Based on Cook’s Country Recipe

I just got my Cook’s Country Magazine and they had a recipe for a rustic tomato tart. I made many changes to the recipe for many different reasons listed here…..But I wanted to give Cook’s Country the credit that they deserve because my tart would not have came out as delicious if I didn’t use some of their ideas. I wanted to make the tart but I didn’t want to make their crust recipe because it had a lot of butter in it and the style was rustic with a thick crust that I don’t like. It also requires a food processor that I don’t have so I just used my empanada crust that is easy to make and comes out well. I thought the tomato filling sounded great and only minor changes were made! I never heard of brushing the crust with dijon mustard….I thought what a great idea!!!!!! Those Cook’s Country people come out with some wonderful ideas. I also changed the cheese only because I wanted to use what I had in the house…The tart came out tasting great….I don’t really taste the mustard much but I guess it adds something interesting. I guess this is perfect to serve as an appetizer. I got lots of raves on this one…It came out FORKING DELICIOUS! (I used an eleven inch pie pan to make the tart)

Ingredients for about 7 servings

1 3/4 cup flour – plus slightly extra for rolling

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon course sea salt

1/3 cup water

1 1/2 lb tomatoes – (it is necessary to use a heirloom ripe tomato for a good taste) – sliced on the thin side or cut in half if using tiny sweet tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt (to salt the tomatoes to lose their extra liquid)

1 shallot – sliced thin

5 sprigs fresh thyme (remove leaves from stems)

2 garlic cloves – microplane or ground to paste

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

4 oz Swiss cheese – shredded

1 oz Parmesan – shredded

fresh ground black pepper to taste

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

neutral non stick spray

3 fresh basil leaves torn

Directions set oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray an 11 inch pie pan with non stick spray and set it to the side.

Make the dough first. In a large bowl combine flour, olive oil (1/2 C.), vinegar, 1 t. sea salt and 1/3 cup water and mix well and knead into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and set to the side.

Now get out a colander with a bowl to catch water. Put the sliced tomatoes in the colander and mix them with salt. They need to sit out around 30 minutes to drain.

In another bowl add the sliced shallots, thyme and garlic and mix well and set to the side.

Get the shredded Swiss and Parmesan cheese mixed together and set to the side.

By the time you did all this the dough is ready to be rolled out. Sprinkle a rolling mat lightly with flour and add your dough ball and top your dough ball with some flour. Roll out the dough into a circle shape that is around a 14 inch circle. Roll the dough around the rolling pin so you can roll the dough into and on the pie pan.

Break off the extra dough hanging off the pan with your hands or a knife.

Lightly spread the dijon all inside the crust.

Add the cheese

Shake the tomatoes to get the last of the draining liquid out of them and add the tomatoes to the bowl with the shallots and mix together well and add them on top of the cheese.

This goes in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes or until done.

Tomato Tart

EVERYONE will Forking enjoy this tart!

The Forking Truth

Miso Glazed Eggplant with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms, Bonito Flakes and Peanuts Recipe

I was inspired to make eggplant this way after dining from Confluence Restaurant in Carefree. I thought “OH” I can add miso, peanuts, sesame seeds and chili to eggplant. This plate is similar but I added the mushrooms. This recipe made a little more miso sauce than I needed but if your eggplant is bigger you might need it all. This comes out very impressive and delicious. The crunchy peanuts really add a lot of interest here.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 medium eggplant – cut in four long slices (or you can use any eggplant you happen to get. There are Japanese, a bunch of other eggplants or my favorite the white eggplants) (If your eggplant is shaped different cut however you think is best.) I lightly salted the eggplant and let them sweat in a colander and over a bowl for a 1/2 hour. I then rinsed them so the eggplant wouldn’t be too salty because it always gets too salty if I don’t.

1/2 cup low sodium miso (Asiana Market sells it)

2 garlic cloves – either ground to paste or microplane

2 Tablespoons date syrup

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

8 squirts of extra virgin olive oil (I’m guessing maybe 2 teaspoons)

4 jarred sweet/hot cherry peppers – cut in slices (Confluence used Fresno peppers here)

4 Tablespoons peanuts

4 teaspoons scallions – sliced thin

4 pinches sesame seeds

1 – 3.5 package enoki mushrooms – cut bottom with dirt off but try to leave part of where the mushrooms are attached to a base

2 oz unsalted butter

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 pinches bonito flakes

piment d espelette – for finishing

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Eggplant depending on what you are doing with it usually comes out better if you salt it and let it sweat for at least 30 minutes…But I find that it always makes the eggplant too salty for me so I rinse it off…(I KNOW that you are not suppose to rinse the eggplant…..but I hate too much salt so I do anyway). You can do that if you want or not…..Salting and sweating the eggplant helps it to reduce bitterness. I usually only salt a regular eggplant.

Now you make the miso glaze. In a small bowl combine the miso, garlic, date syrup and rice wine vinegar. Set to the side.

The eggplant pieces gets a light spray of olive oil on both sides and goes on a sheet pan in the oven for 30 on the first side.

While the eggplant is in the oven fry up the mushrooms. Get a frypan on medium high heat with the butter. When the butter is melted pinch off a clump of mushrooms and roll then in the cornstarch. Add the mushrooms to the fry pan and fry till golden and flip the mushrooms over. You should be able to fry three or four clumps at a time. Have a pan covered with paper towels for the mushrooms to drain on. Repeat till you are done with the mushrooms.

After 30 minutes the eggplant gets flipped over for 15 minutes on the other side. Then it gets flipped again and brushed with the miso mixture. Add cherry peppers peanuts and sesame seeds. The eggplants go back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Miso Glazed Eggplant with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms, Bonito Flakes and Peanuts

Finish with scallions, bonito flakes and a little bit of piment d espelette pepper.

Miso Glazed Eggplant with Crispy Enoki Mushrooms, Bonito Flakes and Peanuts

ENJOY! This one is impressive taste-wise and looks-wise.

The Forking Truth