What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen - Tomato Season

A tomato is the perfect vegetable to illustrate the difference between produce grown industrially to feed the unceasing demand for year-round ingredients and produce grown seasonally at small acreage local farms. As Deborah Madison, restaurateur and “Queen of Greens,” puts it, "When it comes to taste and pleasure, the gap between a locally grown tomato in summer and a long-distance tomato the rest of the year is enormous."  

The tomato season tiptoes into farms and gardens in July, and the first to appear are the tiny tomatoes. In my garden (when I have one), I usually grow tiny tomatoes. They are so much more rewarding than a larger slicing variety; this is probably because I get impatient waiting for tomatoes to ripen on the vine, and a tiny tomato ripens much more quickly. Cherry (round shape) varieties tend towards a juicy sweetness that explodes with flavor when popped into your mouth, while grape varieties tend to be a bit more meaty and really shine when burst in hot oil or oven-roasted.

When we hit late summer in August, the full tomato season is upon us, with tomato harvests increasing daily. Generally, tomato varieties can be separated into a couple of different groups, either based on how they grow (indeterminate vs determinate) or how they came to be (hybrid vs heirloom). Hybrids have historically been created to answer some of the challenges and frustrations of heirlooms; they ripen faster, have thicker skins, produce more prolifically, etc. Heirlooms are still around because, while they might be lower-producing and finicky, they are uniquely delicious. New on the market are “Hybrid Heirlooms,” single crosses between two heirloom varieties like Brandywine + Big Dwarf = Big Brandy. These new hybrid heirlooms might be the best of both worlds as they retain much of the genetics from the parent varieties but have been selected through extensive plant trials to produce more consistently, to be more resistant to pests and disease, and have been selected for ideal flavor and texture.

The bottom line is that delicious tomatoes come from all types of plants and seeds, so long as they are grown in dirt, kissed by the sun, and preferably grown by someone you know.

Try preparing this delicious Tomato Tart, a great dish at any time of the day. Pair it with bacon for breakfast, an arugula salad for lunch, some grilled sausages for dinner, or just sliced up for a snack.

Tomato Tart

Ingredients

1 Round of store-bought pie dough - rolled into approximately 11” circles.
4-6 Medium tomatoes
½ cup Store-bought pesto
1 cup Shredded mozzarella 
¼ c Finely chopped fresh basil
¼ c Finely chopped fresh oregano
3 Large eggs
⅓ cup Heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°. Fit the rolled-out dough into a 9-inch tart pan, allowing the edges to rise about 1/4 inch above the rim of the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
2. Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes until it begins to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Increase the oven temperature to 375°.
   Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices and place them in a colander to drain excess liquid for 20 minutes.
   Spread pesto in an even layer over the parbaked crust. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the pesto. Sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the cheese.
3. Prepare the custard in a medium bowl: Whisk together eggs, cream, salt, and pepper until combined.
4. Place the sliced tomatoes evenly over the cheese and herbs in overlapping concentric circles.
5. Pour the custard evenly over the tomato slices. Swirl the pan to distribute the liquid evenly. Bake until the filling is set and won’t jiggle when shaken about 35 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature.