Fresh Tomatoes

Our friends Janet and Bob delivered a huge box filled with fresh tomatoes from their garden the other day. I love tomatoes, and we eat them all the time, but what am I going to do with ALL these delicious tomatoes? I was expecting a few tomatoes, NOT a huge box full.

In addition to these tomatoes, I had already purchased some as well. I found some at Sprouts that were ginormaous too. I have already used one of those, but I just had to buy those to show you their HUGE size. They were over 1 lb a piece.

Back to my gift box of tomatoes …. Some found other homes, but most will most definitely be used in many delicious recipes here at home.

The first thing I made with them was a tomato tart. When I make my tomato tarts, I love using a variety of different kinds of tomatoes. I used a few of the larger heirlooms as well as some of the smaller sweet 100’s from Janet and Bob, as well as some very tiny little orange and yellow tomatoes I already had.

I actually make tomato tarts quite often, especially in the summer. They go with everything and travel well. There are many different recipes but I usually stick to a real simple one, that is more like a margarita pizza. I only use a few ingredients for this simple, elegant tart.

My dough was my basic go-to dough that you have seen me use for many different recipes, although I also added some lemon pepper and black pepper to the dough. Asparagus and Pepper Tart Then I cut up a variety of tomatoes, as I mentioned above, added some mozzarella cheese, dried herbs and a drizzling of olive oil on top before putting it in the oven.

I baked the tart at 375* F or 180* C for about 45-55 minutes, or until the crust was lightly golden in color and started to pull away from the sides of my tart pan.

I let it cool slightly before cutting it. I also drizzled some of my delicious lemon balsamic vinegar on top right before serving it too. The little hints of lemon really paired well with the fresh tomatoes, making the flavors just pop out.

I served this alongside a quick and easy chicken Caesar salad and a cool, crisp chardonnay to make a light and refreshing dinner.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.