Savory Tomato Tarte de Dijon

My French family comes from Burgundy, and specifically from Dijon--yes, where the mustard comes from! It's also a great place to taste fine wine, and there are lots of other wonderful reasons to visit. Anyway, this recipe comes from Dijon, and to make it all the more authentic, it calls for Dijon mustard. I know it sounds surprising to put mustard on a savory tomato tart (a lot like a pizza) but trust me, it is delicious. This recipe is so quick and easy--the longest part is slicing the tomatoes!

Unless you find a brand of puff pastry dough that is much larger than the Pillsbury brand I use, the resulting tart is pretty small. I'm including a picture with a magic marker for reference below. This is definitely not a big main course in a meal. Think of it as an appetizer, side, or light lunch for two. If you do find a larger piece of dough to work with, adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly.

You will need:

1 sheet of mostly defrosted puff pastry dough
a squirt bottle of Dijon mustard*
1 clove of garlic, sliced thinly
1 large tomato, sliced thinly (or 2 small ones)
thyme and pepper
3oz of grated Italian cheese mix, or grated parmesan, or grated swiss

cookie sheet
parchment paper (which is not the same as wax paper--you can bake parchment paper)
nonstick cooking spray
chef's knife
cutting board

A note about defrosting the dough: I defrost mine for 30 minutes. Beware. Overly defrosted dough will become a gooey, unmanageable mess. If you start defrosting it and your husband informs you he just had a protein shake and won't be hungry for at least another hour (as mine did last night), place pieces of parchment paper between the folds of the dough, as well as underneath it, so it can't get stuck to itself or the plate it's on. If you have room in your fridge and it is already defrosted enough, you could also unfold the dough. Just treat it like it's going to stick to itself and anything it touches, because it will.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the cookie sheet with nonstick spray and lay down a sheet of parchment paper. If you already have the dough on a sheet of parchment, just transfer that onto the cookie sheet. The spray keeps the parchment paper in place.

Squirt a spiral of mustard onto the dough. If you're spooning it out, about 3 tablespoons ought to do it. Use the back of a spoon to spread the mustard around. You want the mustard to cover most of the dough in a thin layer. You shouldn't see dough through the mustard, but you also don't want big gobs of it. Evenly space the slices of garlic over the mustard.

Slice the tomatoes as thinly as possible. This is a great recipe for tomatoes that are hard or somewhat unripe inside (you know those lovely red tomatoes that you cut into only to find they are whitish inside). Lay them out in overlapping rows on the tart.

Sprinkle thyme and pepper over everything. I don't add salt--the cheese is salty enough.

Note the marker. Not a big tart.

Cover everything with the grated cheese. Fold the edges of dough over and pinch the corners where the dough overlaps. As I said above, this dough gets very sticky, so it will stick to itself well enough once it's totally defrosted.

Bake for 20 minutes (check on it, though, your oven may be different from mine!). Enjoy!


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* You can, of course, use jarred mustard. The squirt bottle is just more fun.

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If you try this recipe, please post a comment and let me know how it turned out!

Couscous with Chicken, Red Bell Peppers & Yellow Squash

France has a history of imperialism, which, on the whole, I'm not so proud of since I like the idea of self-determination. However, one good thing to come of it is that some North African dishes, like couscous, have become standards in French cuisine. All this to say that the following recipe is far more French than Algerian or Tunisian.




You will need:

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4-6 chicken legs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 medium yellow or summer squash, sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 15oz can of  chick peas (AKA garbanzo beans), rinsed
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 heaping tbsp cumin powder
3 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
chicken broth (optional, 1-2 cups)

3 cups of couscous
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tsp salt
chicken broth (optional, 6 cups)


3-Quart Saucepan
Measuring Spoons
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Stockpot
Can Opener
Strainer for rinsing the chickpeas
Wooden Stirring Spoon
Ladle
Serving Spoon
Mixing Bowl with Lid

Put the onion, garlic, and chicken in the stockpot with the olive oil to brown for three or four minutes on high heat. I don't add salt because the crushed tomatoes and the chickpeas are both already salty, but it's a matter of taste. You may want to add a bit of salt--if so, do it now. Add the red bell pepper, carrots, and squash, stirring. Heat for another five minutes, continuing to stir to keep the ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Add the diced tomato, chick peas, and crushed tomatoes, stir and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the cumin, cayenne, and black pepper.

Once the mixture is bubbling, turn down low and allow to cook for at least 40 minutes, although this is the sort of recipe that can cook for as long as you like, and it just gets better. If you do decide to cook it for longer, make sure the liquid doesn't reduce too much. Add chicken broth if you think it's boiling down.

When you're about ten to fifteen minutes from finishing cooking the mixture, boil 6 cups of water (or chicken broth, but omit the salt) with the tablespoon of EVOO and the salt. Put the couscous in the mixing bowl. As soon as the water or broth is boiling pour it over the cous cous, give it a quick stir, and cover for five minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.

Plate the couscous with the chicken and squash mixture on top. Enjoy!

Serves four.

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Feta & Turkey Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa

The best part of the recipe is the tomato sauce for the quinoa! Although all of it is great. And you can pat yourself on the back for eating something healthy, too, since tomatoes are really good for you, as are turkey and quinoa (did you know that quinoa may help prevent migraines?). If you've never tried quinoa, I highly recommend it. It has a lovely nutty flavor but it's very mild. You can, of course, substitute rice or pasta if you're not sure about trying it--but I encourage you to take the leap!

You will need:

6 medium to large tomatoes
1 lb ground turkey breast
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
kosher salt
pepper
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tsp whole leaf thyme (dried or fresh)
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup quinoa

baking dish
nonstick cooking spray
mixing bowl
chef's knife
cutting board
3 quart saucepan
wooden mixing spoon
rice cooker
2 large serving spoons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out he insides just like you would a Halloween pumpkin. If the insides are still in large chunks, cut them into smaller ones and put them in the saucepan.

Mix the turkey, feta, sundried tomatoes, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, half the garlic, and 2 tsps of thyme in the mixing bowl. I use two forks to do this. Spoon the turkey mixture into the empty tomatoes, packing it in with just a bit over the top. Put the tops of the tomatoes back on like lids. Bake for 40 minutes or until the tops of the tomatoes and visible edges of the meat are dark brown--ovens can vary so it's important that you check that the tomatoes look done.

In the mean time, cook the insides of the tomatoes with the rest of the garlic and thyme, and a pinch of salt. I tend to start the heat a bit higher, get it cooking, and then turn it down to a low simmer. Near the end of the 40 minutes add the half and half to the tomato sauce and stir well, breaking down any clumps remaining with your wooden spoon.

At about 10 minutes in to the bake time, start the quinoa in the rice cooker. I always use a bit more than twice the water as quinoa--better that quinoa be a little over cooked than under, unless you like it crunchy.

At the end of the 40 or when tomatoes are well browned, use two serving spoons to carefully scoop a tomato out and plate it. The tomatoes will be easy to damage as the baking softens them. Serve quinoa with a generous helping of tomato sauce on top. Enjoy!

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If you try one of my recipes, please comment on it and tell me how it turned out!
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