Tomato Tart

Jenn and Martyn made this delectable delight for the 4th. I took pictures while waiting for the ride over to the party.

This is how Jenn described the process.

"Rolled out the dough and baked it and sprinkled parm as it came out of the oven. Then we mixed egg whites, ricotta cheese, thyme and spread it over the baked dough. Cut up farmer's market yellow and red tomatoes and spread over the tart and brushed it with olive oil and thyme, salt and pepper and baked until the tomotoes were roasted. Garnished with fresh basil. Yum!"



It was fantastic, even though I only got a few bites.

Putting the Roll in Nutroll...for the Fourth

Confounded about what to make for the 4th of July party scene, I turned to the freezer and the handy favorite, puff pastry.



And what goes really well with puff pastry, well everything. But this time I turned to nuts. Nutroll to be more exact. It's exactly as it sounds and despite being covered in flour and gooey-ness, I snapped a few photos.

So first the ingredients.

Almonds, check.


Cashews, check.

And of course rum and honey. I also used cinnamon, dark brown sugar, cardamom, clove, and everyone's favorite, butter. I know this is baking, technically, but I didn't measure a thing. And since the puff was pre-made (yes I cheated with good ol' Pepperidge Farms), I was well on my way.

First, I rolled out the puff on a floured cutting board.


I then brushed it with a liberal amount of the rum and honey mixture.

Next I added an equally liberal amount of the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove mixture.


Then the almonds and cashews, that I pulsed for about a minute in my food processor.


Then I put the "roll" in nutroll.


I made sure to butter the puff as I rolled to keep it all together, and to make it that much more buttery.


Then onto a lightly oiled sheet tray.


And into the oven at 400 degrees (F).


So I baked it at 400 for about 20 minutes. I checked after 15, and it needed sometime. In the meantime, I made a really simple icing. Powdered sugar and milk, with a splash of vanilla. Again, no measuring. But you only need a little bit of milk, like a few tablespoons to about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

This is the end result.



In retrospect, I would have used more butter on the outside of the roll to give it more of a sheen. But it was tasty.

He Said It Best

My brother-in-law, Martyn, really writes a wonderful piece about our friend, Jeff White. Every time I think of him, it's a good memory and isn't that striking. While I also have a host of doubts, fears, hatred that arises when death takes someone prematurely, I must remember that this is my one "wild and precious life" and I will live it to it's fullest (or at least try).
Martyn's Blog Post

Sliced Tomatoes and Smoked Mackerel

So being a bit tired and lacking both a plan and will to conjure up an amazing meal yesterday, I turned to a trusty stand by. Sliced tomatoes and smoked Mackerel on whole wheat toast. So just some salt and pepper on the tomatoes and the Mackerel and done. It's a simple dish that my sister and brother-in-law shared with me a while ago. I appreciate its taste, health and ease. And now tomatoes are starting to taste like, well, tomatoes.


Ah, fresh, ripe tomatoes with Salt and Pepper.


Smoked Mackerel, right out of the can.

So a no cooking meal that is simple, easy, and freaking delicious.

Father's Day Weekend

So once again I was traveling this past weekend. And saw my godson Ethan and we celebrated his little brother's (Grayson) 1st birthday on Saturday.

Ethan is eating breakfast (and stretching?).



Grayson is giving me a big laugh.



And then I got to spend some time with my dad and the family. We went to two different Brewery's in two days. I'm pretty sure that was up my dad's alley. But at both places, my sister ordered the sampler of beers. What a good idea and a ton of beer for a reasonable price.



So it was another fun weekend, with little rest, but lots of fun (and beer).

Kitchen/Cooking Must-haves

So I've been thinking about my ever growing collection of cooking gear. I made a pilgrimage to my favorite Restaurant Supply store in NYC a few months ago (CHEF Restaurant Supply on the corner of Bowery and Houston). I picked up one of my new favorite utensils that I can't stop using. It's a slotted fish spatula.



And I really love it. I don't just use it on fish. It has a thin blade and is flexible yet strong to hold items. It just makes me happy.

Everyone should also have a great knife. There are a lot of brands out there. I'm currently using Henckel's. German, trusty. I desperately need to get a sharpening stone for a couple of my knifes, but the edges have really held up nice. Global is also a good brand. A good chef's knife must feel good in your hand (I like heavier knives), and the sharper the better. I also don't technically have a chef's knife in my arsenal. I think that has to change. The Santoku is a good knife but it doesn't quite rock the right way on my cutting board. So to julienne and chiffonade are a little cumbersome. Maybe I'll rectify that this weekend.

Tongs are another absolute must. A good heavy cutting board too. Good towels also help in so many ways. So I use these along with my standard pots and pans all the time. The rest is gravy. Although I do enjoy the fun ones (i.e., the Mandoline or knuckle slicer).

More Photoshopping

The Cliffs of Moher


Cwikla at the castle in Dublin.