Tomato & Corn Tart

Thank you all for your favorite soup recipes. I can't wait to give them a try when the weather cools down a bit! As for the the (randomly selected) winner of the Better Than Bouillon contest... congrats to Cookie & Kate (who, by the way, has a GORGEOUS blog that you must check out).

Today I want to share you with one of my summer staples. This tart has made the rounds at numerous cookouts since my cousin first made it 3 years ago, and we haven't grown tired of it since. It is perfectly simple to whip up after a day in the sun, and most importantly it tastes like summer in every bite!

Tomato & Corn Tart
serves 4-6 . adapted from Yankee Magazine

3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 t salt
1/ 4 t black pepper
1 deep dish, pre-baked pie crust
1/2 c grated Cheddar cheese
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
3 scallions, chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions just begin to brown, 5-7 minutes. Add corn kernels and cook, 8 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Pour half of the corn mixture into pie crust. Scatter Cheddar cheese evenly on top. Add remaining corn mixture. Top with tomatoes, in an even layer, then Parmesan cheese and scallions.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and cream. Pour over tart.

Cover with foil and transfer to oven Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 20-30 minutes until tart is golden brown, and center is set.

Tomato Caper Pasta

I am happy to say, I have found my way back to the kitchen these past few weeks. At first I dipped my toes in lightly with tried and true favorites—beet salad, a favorite flat bread, zucchini enchiladas, and panzanellas of every variety. But I wanted more. I wanted to jump in head first and experiment with the abundance of summer (yes, finally summer!) vegis that are showing up weekly at my door thanks to my CSA. And luckily I have found the time to do so. In fact, I have four, yes four, recipes photographed and ready to share. But although photographed, the recipes are only written in my mind...So I cannot promise them tomorrow, or even this week in fact. Please bear with me, as these days, I am easily distracted.

Tomato Caper Pasta
serves 4

1 lb linguine
4 T olive oil
2 shallots, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 large plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 T capers
2 T caper juice
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add linguine. Cook 8-12 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, add 2 T olive oil and shallots, over medium heat. Cook 5-7 minutes, until light golden brown and add garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn shallots or garlic. Add tomatoes, capers, caper juice and lemon zest and juice. Cook 3-5 minutes, until tomatoes are warm, and are just beginning to break down.

Stir in linguine, adding remaining 2 T olive oil. Season generously, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Catalan Tomato Bread

My windowsill has been working hard this summer. It has the prestigious duty of housing pots of herbs, being a catchall for sunglasses or keys and most recently, keeping my precious tomatoes off the countertop. Last week, it worked overtime when we got fourteen pounds (yes, fourteen) of tomatoes from my CSA. And just when the sill thought it caught a break, this week’s bunch came. Right this minute there are fifteen tomatoes stacked neatly, ripening with time. After last year’s crop blight, I couldn’t be happier about tomato-palooza. In fact, even with pounds and pounds showing up weekly I am not at a loss of ideas. There is homemade sauce, jam, panzanella, tarts and this tasty treat straight from Barcelona—Catalan Tomato Bread. A lazy brushetta, it couldn’t be simpler…or more adaptable. Here, I topped it with a fried egg, salt, pepper, a little olive oil, oregano and grated parmesan. But it is perfect as an appetizer or torn into rustic croutons for salad and soup. See? Show me a tomato, and I’ll show you dinner.

Catalan Tomato Bread
makes 8 slices

1 loaf Ciabatta (or other hearty bread), cut into eight 1/2" slices
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 large tomatoes, cut in half
olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat broiler to high. Arrange slices on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Broil 2-3 minutes, on each side, until bread is well toasted and crunchy. Remove from oven and immediately rub garlic on the bread, using about a 1/4 clove for each slice. Then rub with cut side of a tomato, using 1 half for 2 slices of bread. Allow the tomato pulp to be absorbed into the bread and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.