Winding Down

This morning I'm enjoying what remains of the lovely warm weather by breakfasting al fresco and catching up on my magazine reading. How are you making the most of the last days of summer?

Summer Reading List

For the past eight years, I have been in the habit of making a reading list for myself each season (and keeping track of it in the same Clairefontaine pocket notebook that I have had since my freshman year of college). These lists are sometimes overly ambitious, and I rarely manage to check off every item, but I have been doing pretty well this summer (thanks to my current state of unemployment). With more than a month to go before fall arrives--and with it, a new reading list--I have made it through six of the nine books on my list, and I am currently working on #7. This summer, interspersed amongst the usual classic and contemporary novels, I have read a few books on my favorite subject--food:



David Kamp is a self-described humoriste, and it shows in his entertaining account of America's culinary revolution. From James Beard to Julia Child, Alice Waters to Wolfgang Puck, Kamp covers all of the major contributors to the American food landscape over the past seven decades without ever coming across as dull and encyclopedic. A very enjoyable and informative summer read! (Thanks for lending it to me, Chabes...you will get it back soon!)





Unlike David Kamp, Barbara Kingsolver is less interested in how Americans prepare their food than she is in where their raw ingredients come from. Increasingly concerned about the low quality and high overhead costs of industrially-produced food, Kingsolver and her family set out to live for an entire year off of what they can produce or procure in their immediate vicinity in Virginia. For anyone with even a slight interest in growing their own food, this book will definitely inspire.






Named a "must-read" by just about everyone since it was published in 2006, The Omnivore's Dilemma hardly needs my recommendation. All I can say is that if you haven't read it yet, please please do. You will never look at food the same way again. It is simply no longer ethical or wise to eat without thinking about where our food comes from, because as Pollan says, you are not only what you eat, but also "what what you eat eats".

Incredibly Easy Tomato Tart

I have decided that Thursdays will be "Tasty Thursdays" here on littlebits. Each week I will share a recipe, a restaurant recommendation, or perhaps simply a list of particularly delicious things I have eaten lately. This week, I give you a ridiculously simple recipe that makes good use of an ingredient that is abundant right now (unless you live in the Northeast...late blight is a drag)--the tomato.

This simple tomato tart requires little skill--and not much actual cooking, for that matter. I came up with it after I wrote the caption for the picture of the party invitation in yesterday's "Etsy Wednesday" post, wherein I suggest a simple summer dinner party menu of a tomato tart, fresh corn and basil salad, and lots of Prosecco :)

Ingredients:

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough (or make it from scratch, if you're feeling ambitious)
3-4 small ripe tomatoes of various colors, sliced 1/8" - 1/4" thick
3/4 cup Neufchâtel cheese (substitute cream cheese if you like)
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced fine
6-8 fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Place the folded sheet of puff pastry dough on a cookie sheet and leave it out on the counter to thaw for about 30 minutes. While the dough is thawing, heat oven to 400 degrees. When the dough is pliable, unfold the puff pastry and gently smooth it so that it lies flat. If the dough gets too soft and sticky, simply pop it into the fridge until it firms up enough that you can work with it.

Make a 1/2-inch border around by lightly scoring a line parallel to each edge (do not cut all the way through). Prick pastry inside border all over with a fork (this will allow the steam to escape while the tart is baking so it doesn't get too puffy in the middle). Bake the dough in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the tart crust from the oven and allow to cool.

While the tart crust is baking, prepare the cheese mixture by simply mixing the Neufchâtel and the sour cream with the garlic and adding a bit of salt and pepper until it tastes good to you. Pop it into the fridge so that it does not get too soft while you're waiting for the tart crust to cool. Once the crust is at room temperature, spread the cheese evenly within the border. Spread the tomato slices all over the top of the tart, sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil, and Parmesan (if desired) and eat immediately.

*****

I hope you will give this recipe a try! Zach and I just ate the tart pictured above for dinner, and I have to say, it was pretty damn tasty (even without the Prosecco) :)