Tomato Tart

Tomato Tart

I love tomato pie. It is one of my all time favorites. One day for brunch I had a tomato tart with mustard. It was yummy. I decided to create my own tomato tart. It took a couple of tries and several mistakes but the result was great.  But you have to love mustard. I love mustard- I have all types of mustard.
I have made this tart with homemade pastry, phyllo, and store-bought pastry. I like all three -- in  time pinch I use store-bought dough. The important thing is to use a tart pan- not a pie pan. I tried using a pie pan (I could find my tart pan and was in a time crunch). It wasn't as good. So I recommend using a tart pan. For the herbs, I like basil, chives, oregano, and thyme.

9 or 10 Inch (20 or 25 cm) Pie Crust
1-2 Tbsp of Coarse Mustard
2-3 Tomatoes, Sliced
1-2 Tbsp of Chopped Herbs
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
6-8 oz (170g - 225g) of Goat Cheese, Sliced
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425F/218C/Gas Mark 7. Place pastry dough in a 9 or 10 inch (20 to 25 cm) tart pan. Spread mustard on the pastry dough and allow to dry (about 5 minutes).

Mustard yummy mustard

Meanwhile sliced tomatoes, herbs, and goat cheese. Place tomatoes on mustard and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Adding sliced tomatoes

Drizzle with oil. Top with goat cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ready for the oven!

Bake for 20-30 minutes (watch closely because you don't want to over bake).

Finished tomato tart

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- incredible. I don't know which one I like better the tomato pie or the tomato tart.

Rum Glazed Pan Sautéed Shrimp

Rum glazed shrimp on a bed of lettuce with nectarines

I have no idea why I decided that I had to have rum glazed shrimp. I know why it was pan sauteed and not grilled-- it is unbelievably hot outside. I probably could have cooked dinner on the sidewalk. Grilling was out of the question. I think I will grill this winter in the snow (truly-- be ready for the grilling recipes this winter when I am whining about the lack of summer tomatoes).  Note: You could use the same amount of glaze for a pound (.45 kg) of shrimp. Also the sugar is important- it helps the shrimp caramelize.

Rum Glaze

1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Rum (I used dark rum)
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Lime Juice
2 Tbsp of Honey
1/2 Tsp of Ancho Chile, Chipotle, or Cayenne Pepper

Whisk the rum glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Shrimp

2 Tbsp of Oil
1/2 Tsp of Sugar
Salt and Pepper, to Taste
1/2 lb (225 g) of Shrimp (Peeled)

Everything is ready to go

In the largest skillet you have, heat oil over high heat. Toss the shrimp with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the shrimp (you may have to make this in batches because if you crowd the shrimp they will steam). Saute the shrimp for one minute.

Sauteing shrimp

Remove from the heat and turn and saute for one more minute. If you are making in batches remove shrimp from pan and saute next batch. Return shrimp to pan and add rum glaze. Cover and cook until done (a couple of minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.

Almost ready for the glaze

Oh! I served them on a bed of lettuce with nectarine slices. Excellent!

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- I am ready to make this again the next night. This winter, I will try grilling the shrimp while basting with the glaze.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Strawberries, beautiful strawberries

This is the real stuff. So good and so rich. It is also really really easy. It is not a cooked ice cream so I use egg substitute when I can't find pasteurized eggs. This is an amazing ice cream. I don't have pictures of the process because my camera battery died. I did not want to delay posting because you need to make this. Trust me.


2 Large Eggs (I used egg substitute 1/2 cup (120 ml))
3/4 Cup (150 g) of Sugar
2 Cups (480 ml) of Whipping Cream
1 Cup (240 ml) of Milk
4 oz (113 g) of Cream Cheese
1 Cup (170 g) of Strawberries, Diced

Place eggs or eggs substitute in a mixing bowl. Mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar and beat until it is dissolved. Add the cream and milk and blend until combined. Break off pieces of cream cheese and beat in. Add diced strawberries and mix until combined. Add to a ice cream machine. (Mine overfilled so we ate/drank the mixture just like an incredibly rich smoothie).

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes. I just need to scale back the sugar and cream next time so my ice cream maker doesn't overfill.