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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Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry with Cashews & Zucchini

My husband likes to eat vegetarian a lot, but he's also an athlete so he's not willing to skimp on protein. This dish goes the extra step to vegan (meaning there are no animal products in it at all) but the tofu keeps the protein count up. Many people avoid dishes with tofu, but unless you're allergic to soy, give this one a try. The trick to making good tofu is to marinate it first so it takes on flavor.

You will need:

One 18oz block of firm tofu (found in the produce or refrigerated sections of the grocery store), cubed
1/2 cup of soy sauce

Lemon juice from one whole lemon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt!)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups of white long grain jasmine rice
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
3/4 cup of roasted, salted cashews, chopped coarsely
2 zucchinis, sliced
3/4 cup of frozen green peas
4 green onions, chopped (I cut them with scissors)

small bowl with a flat bottom for marinating the tofu
chef's knife
cutting board
citrus juicer
rice cooker
measuring cups
measuring spoons
wok
wooden spoon

Put the cubed tofu in the small bowl. Pour the soy and lemon juice over the cubes, then sprinkle the ginger, garlic, and pepper on top. It's okay if the marinade doesn't cover all of the tofu. Set aside for at least ten minutes before starting the rest.

Cook the rice in the rice cooker. I use a ratio of about 1 part rice to 1.25 parts water when I cook white rice, but your rice cooker may not work the same as mine, so go by your own experience.

Put the chopped garlic, celery, cashews, and zucchini in the wok with the olive oil. Cook on high heat until the bits of garlic are translucent (2-3 minutes), then lower to medium. Stir frequently. Add the tofu and half the marinade (discarding the rest).

When the zucchini's seeds are more visible, somewhat translucent, but the skins are still dark green, add the peas and the green onions. Continue stirring frequently until the peas have warmed, about 3-4 minutes.

Plate the rice first and then the stir fry on top. Enjoy!

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