Bowl Licker

I have struggled as to what to name this newest creation, beyond the obvious, “yummy cheese crust with seasoned tomatoes’, but that just didn’t sound flashy enough. I hope the above name will inspire you to take a chance on this French-esque vegetarian recipe. I’ll confess, there was a fleeting moment when I thought I should brand this creation in honor of the World Series Champions- The San Francisco Giants -but I am certain that they feel my support despite my lack of a dedicated recipe.

While the recipe reads rather long, it is because some of the ingredients are for the crust and the other ingredients are for the filling. I recommend you read over the full recipe once so that you know what to anticipate on each of the steps, none of which are very complicated (shhh, your guests will never know!). The perfect accompaniment to this dish is a salad with a light balsamic vinaigrette and a glass of crisp white wine.

Now for a brief PSA about Gruyère cheese: For those whom have not had the opportunity to work with Gruyère cheese, it is like Emmenthaler Swiss cheese, only slightly milder. So if you like Swiss cheese, you should like it. Depending on the age of the cheese, the flavor is sweet but slightly salty. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming with age more assertive, earthy, and complex.

Upside Down Gruyère Tartes Tomatee

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups and 2 TBS flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
1 cup (or two cubes) plus 1 TBS unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp ice cold water (no cubes)
1 1/2 large yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup basil, chopped
1 egg
dash of pepper

Directions

Shred Gruyère cheese and set aside.

In a food processor,combine and mix the following ingredients until crumbly and resembles a coarse meal:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup butter

With machine running, pour 1/4 cup water through the ingredient tube. Use the pulse setting until dough holds together without becoming too wet or sticky. Best not to process in the machine more than 30 seconds as butter will begin to melt and change consistency. An easy way to test for the correct consistency is to squeeze a small amount together: if it does not stick but crumbles, add more water at TBS at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each into the shape of a disc and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill for 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add:
1 TBS butter
onion
garlic

Stir occasionally, until onion is translucent in color, approximately 5-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add tomatoes and toss with:
1/4 cup PLUS 2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
basil
pepper

When onion mixture is cool, add to the above bowl of tomatoes. Using six individual 3-inch ceramic lipped round dishes, evenly divide tomatoes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll until 1/8 inch thickness. I like to roll the dough out in the plastic wrap as it helps the dough keep its form a bit easier and is also less of a mess to clean up. When it is nearly the size I want it, I replace the top layer of plastic wrap with parchment paper to keep it from sticking without having to supplement with additional flour which would make the dough too heavy.

Using a knife, or a pasta cutter, cut out square pieces of dough that are about the size of each dish when placed upside down on the dough. Each crust should be tucked in around the tomatoes to make a sealed pocket.

In a small bowl, mix egg with 1 tsp water. Bush egg glaze over the crust and then sprinkle crust with remaining shredded Gruyère cheese.

Bake approximately 35 minutes, until crust is golden brown and insides are bubbling. Resist temptation to eat this immediately and allow it to cool for 10 minutes so that the juices can properly set up – AND to ensure that no tongues are burnt when taking that first bite!

Notes:
1) Any remaining dough can be frozen up to one month.
2) This dough also makes good crackers if you want to roll them out into cute shapes and serve with a nice cheese spread.
3) I like to make the crust a day before, to cut down on actual time in the kitchen, if you do this then you will want to bring the discs of dough to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling out.
4) If you are pressed for time, you can make one large 9 1/2-10 inch pie but you will need to reduce the tomatoes down to 2 lbs total and increase the cooking time to 50-55 minutes.

With summer in full swing, tomatoes on the vine and cup cakes on the brain – I was craving a funky combo that I sampled last summer. It was not a culinary feat, but sometimes comfort food is the best way to scratch that itch, and today was THAT day. This simple, yet tasty recipe, Tomato Bisque Spiced Cup Cakes, may sound bizarre but this seemingly healthful recipe will impress your constituents and critics. (Just in case you don’t want to confess that your serving cup cakes with tomato in them, I’ve switched up the name to give it an Italian flair.)

Torte Piccolo Con Pomodoro

Cupcake Ingredients

1 box (18 oz) spice cake mix
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Bisque Soup
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
18 (2 1/2-inch) cupcake liners

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

1 cube butter, softened (not melted)
1 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 TBS vanilla
pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Cupcake Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place liners into 18 muffin-pan cups.

Combine the cake mix, soup, water and eggs in a large bowl and mix according to the package directions.

Spoon the batter into the muffin-pan cups, up to the rim of the liner.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool completely.

Frosting Directions

In a medium-size bowl, mix butter, cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar on high for 2 minutes.

After frosting, you can sprinkle the cupcakes with toasted chopped pecans or walnuts.

Yields: 18 cupcakes

My Valentine’s Day gift to you- an impressive and simple meal to show the one(s) you love that Valentine’s Day is not just a night out at some cozy restaurant where you snagged a reservation, or some over-priced flowers, it is more than just ONE day a year and goes well beyond the Hallmark card or cute text you sent. Serve this dish with some nice crusty bread and pass it off to your special guests as if you have worked in the kitchen like a true Olympian. If you are out to impress, hit the print button and take this list to the Super Marche (as they say in France).

Hearty Steak & Portobello Mushroom Stew

Ingredients

1 pound sirloin steak, fat trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup flour
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil (using one 1 TBS at a time)
1 medium-size Yukon Gold potato, skin removed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
6 cups portobello mushroom caps, (approx 6 medium), gills removed (optional)
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 cups frozen cut green beans, thawed
2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
2 tsps chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions

Place steak in a medium bowl mix with flour stir to coat. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the steak (reserving excess flour) and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on the outside but slightly pink on the inside (approximately 3 minutes). Transfer to a plate and and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the potato and cook until lightly browned. Then add mushrooms, onions and tomatoes to the same pot and cook, until the vegetables have released their juices, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the reserved flour over the green beans; stir to coat. Add green beans and stir. Then add broth, wine, thyme, salt and pepper; increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the broth has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes.