t o m a t o e s & t e q u i l a

This tart is just so darn pretty and so darn healthy. Plus, it's crazy flavorful, as this is the time of year for tomatoes and zucchini. Definitely do NOT make this in the winter. I can't say this enough - take the time to educate yourself on what produce is in season throughout each part of the year. Your food will be twice as good with zero additional effort.

Tomatoes are a late summer fruit (yes, it's a fruit). A lot of people assume that summer produce is the same throughout the summer. This is not true. Try a peach in June and then try one in mid-August and then tell me with a straight face that they taste the same (peaches, and all stone fruit, are in season during the late summer). They don't. Wait for the good stuff.

When you eat seasonlly, you naturally become more atuned to the flavors and smells of what you are eating. After a whole year without eating something, your senses say "WOW - what the heck was that!" after that first bite. This "shock-value" is key to continually enjoying your food. Boredom is a foodie's (and a health nut's) worst nightmare.

Plus, seasonal produce is crazy cheap. I know you know what I mean. It's like when you buy apples in the fall and they are like .89 cents a pound.  This is because they are in season. It's a winning situation. Better taste and cheaper.

CORNMEAL CRUST RATATOUILLE TART
( Ellie Krieger)

Crust: 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup whole-grain pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons water

Filling:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
Cooking spray
1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant) (I don't love eggplant, so I just didn't use any and used more zucchini instead)
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)
3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.

Eggs baked in tomatoes...how elegant does that sound? It makes me feel instantly more French and sophisticated just saying it, though I have no idea if the French or the sophisticated eat eggs baked in tomatoes. No matter though - it's still fun to say. I made these a couple of weeks ago while tomatoes were at their absolute most wonderful.

As you all know, I am deeply grounded in the belief that tomatoes are nothing short of divine - "tomatoes and tequila,"...duh. I love them and wait anxiously all year until that 3-4 week period in late summer when they are perfect.

This dish showcased them in a wonderful way - after a long, slow roast in the oven they became even more sweet than they are naturally during late summer.

I used large heirlooms (for those of us in the middle of the country, Whole Foods is really the only supermarket option for good tomatoes, so please do me a favor and don't go to King Soopers, it's blasphemy).

The only thing was that the roasting made them extremely soft, almost too soft and so I highly recommend bread with this dish to sop-up anything and everything. I ended up eating this more like tomato and eggs on toasts.

If you want to enjoy the last bit of summer, as fall will be here before we know it, try this dish - it screams summer.

EGGS BAKED IN TOMATOES RECIPE
(Martha Stewart)

4 large beefsteak tomatoes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (I did not use corn and went for more of a French flavor with additional chives, parsley and shallots)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1/4 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese (1/4 ounce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch baking dish or pie plate with parchment. With a serrated knife, cut off the top 1/2 inch from each tomato. With a spoon or a melon baller, gently remove seeds and inner membrane, being careful not to break through flesh of tomato. Place tomatoes in dish and season with salt and pepper.

Divide corn among tomatoes. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and chives and season with salt and pepper. Divide egg mixture among tomatoes and top with cheese. Bake until egg mixture is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.

There cannot be enough said about quiche. It's great cold or warm, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's elegant and casual at the same time. It can be modified to individual portions for appetizers.

This particular quiche embraces all the fresh lovely onions of spring. The onions are sauteed for a while so their flavor mellows out and becomes sweet.

I altered this recipe a bit by using non-fat half and half and low fat cheese - so really, it's not too bad for you. No really, I swear..about 300 calories per serving.

THREE ONION QUICHE
(adapted from Sunset Magazine)

1 sheet refrigerated pie dough for 9 inch pie pan
1 tbl. butter
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped thinly
2 bunches of green onions, chopped into large pieces
1/2 red onion, diced
1 c. half and half (I used fat-free)
1 tbl. flour
1 tsp. salt, divided
3 large eggs
2 c. sharp, white cheddar cheese (I used low fat, pre-shredded)

Preheat oven to 425°. Unroll pie dough into a 9-in. pie pan. Crimp edge. Line dough with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights.

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add leeks, green and red onions, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Sauté until very tender but not browned, about 20 minutes.

Whisk half-and-half gradually into flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and eggs until blended. Stir in cheese and three-quarters of onion mixture and pour into pie shell. Sprinkle remaining onions over quiche.

Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes; cover edges with foil if they begin to darken. Let sit 10 minutes, then cut into wedges.