Inspired Living...: September 2012

As someone who loves to cook and entertain, end of summer tomatoes bursting with flavour, might be my favourite time of the year! We are anxiously awaiting the delivery of our crates of organic roma tomatoes to make this season's reserve of tomato sauce. We have selected 5 delicious looking recipes that allow tomatoes to take centre stage. Make them with love and joy in your hearts!

xoxo daniela & paulina

Please be sure to check out the beautiful and talented contributors for this weeks post here.

www.gourmandeinthekitchen.com

www.thefauxmartha.com

www.canellevanille.com

www.smittenkitchen.com

www.sundaysuppers.com

gourmandeinthekitchen.com

Tomato Fennel Gratin Recipe

INGREDIENTS

4 or 5 small Roma tomatoes
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, stalks removed
2oz/ 56g crème fraiche
2 TB/30g of black olive tapenade (store bought or homemade)
1⁄2 cup/56g finely grated Parmesan (divided)
A handful of fresh thyme leaves
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices. If your tomatoes are very juicy, layer the tomato slices into a colander, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and drain excess moisture from the tomatoes for 20 minutes.
Trim fennel bulbs and halve lengthwise through the core, and thinly slice each half.
Fit a pan with a steamer basket and several inches of water. Steam fennel for 8 to 10 minutes or until fennel is tender.
In a bowl, toss together steamed fennel, crème fraiche, olive tapenade, half of the thyme leaves and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.
Butter the bottom of a small baking or gratin dish.
Place fennel mixture at the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the tomato slices over the fennel in overlapping rows. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and thyme leaves.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered until the cheese starts to brown and the gratin is bubbling. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 35 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Diet tags: Gluten free, Grain free

Number of servings (yield): 4

www.thefauxmartha.com

Panzanella
recipe adapted from Ina Garten; serves 6-8

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (4 cups)
1 tsp. sea salt
2 large, ripe slave-free tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette1 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. stone ground Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Make the croutons. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan. Heat on medium-high heat and add cubed bread. Salt and cook until browned. Set aside.
2. Make vinaigrette. Add ingredients to a bowl and whisk until emulsified. Set aside.
3. Add vegetables and basil to a large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette, salt, and pepper. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Just before serving, toss in croutons reserving some for garnish. Panzanella is best served same day. (Croutons become soggy if they sit in the salad too long.)

cannellevanille.com

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Quinoa pate brisee
2 lbs heirloom tomatoes
1 oz goat cheese
Olive oil
salt
Freshly ground pepper
Egg wash

Roll the pate brisee to about 1/16"-1/8" thick, forming a circle. You can cut the edges to make a perfect circle or just leave it as for a rustic look.

Cut the tomatoes in slices that are about 1/4" thick. Place the tomato slices on paper towels to drain some of the excess water. Pat the top also. Place the tomato slices on the rolled pate brisee. Fold the edges over the tomatoes.

Dab some goat cheese on top. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. brush some egg wash on the edges for a golden brown crust.

Bake in a preheated 450F on the lower half of the oven for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 400F and finish baking for another 15 minutes until crust golden brown. Make sure the bottom crust is cooked. You can even bake it on a pizza stone if you have one.

Drizzle with more olive oil and serve with a green salad.

smittenkitchen.com

Mediterranean Baked Feta with Summer Heirloom Tomatoes

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup chopped, pitted Kalmata olives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (oops, I forgot this)
2 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 8- to 10-ounce block feta
Crackers, flatbread*, pita chips, or crostini, for dipping
In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, onion, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper.
On a grill: Heat your grill to medium-high. Set the feta block in the middle of a piece of foil. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Fold up the edges of the foil so that it will hold in any liquid as it cooks. Place the packet straight on a grill for 15 minutes to warm it through. Remove from grill and transfer to plate or serving dish.
In the oven: Heat oven to 400°F. Check to see that your dish is oven-proof. (I didn’t!) Place the block of feta in the middle of your dish. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15 minutes.
Both methods: The feta will not melt, just warm and soften. Serve with crackers; eat immediately. As it cools, the feta will firm up again. We found that the dish could be returned to the oven to soften it again. We did this with leftovers, too.

Late Summer: Roasted Eggplant, Tahini, Heirloom Tomato & Mint

Sunday-suppers.com

Sunday- suppers.com

For recipe please visit www.sundaysuppers.com

Endless Summer...see you next year.

From long summer days and even longer nights. To bike rides down the seaside. To Crashing waves and shooting stars. To campfires by the lake, short skirts and barefoot walks down long sandy white beaches...we bid this beautiful summer goodbye for now. We look forward to the sound of the crunch under our feet, warm wooly sweaters and long cool walks through the deep red and orange woods.

For now we leave with a couple of pics from our summer adventures and of course some eye candy to remind us that summer forever lives in our hearts!

xoxo daniela & paulina