Heirloom Tomato Tart

Heirloom Tomato Tart



1 puff pastry sheet
2 Heirloom Tomatoes sliced ¼ in thick
¼ cup basil pesto (can be store bought)
Balsamic reduction
Parmesan cheese (whole)
Fresh basil (chiffinade cut)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a clean surface lay out puff pastry and smooth out with a rolling pin and cut into 6 rectangle pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place puff pastry on baking sheet and place 1 Tsp of pesto on each pastry and smooth to each corner. Place 2 slices of tomato on top of pesto and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until pastry is crisp and lightly browned. Remove from oven and plate by placing a ½ Tsp of pesto on each tomato and shave a little parmesan cheese on top and a little fresh basil. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and a good olive oil and a little fresh cracked pepper.

Hummus Dip with Seasoned Pita Chips

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed, plus more for garnish
1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin

12 to 15 grinds black pepper

1/4 cup water

Paprika, for garnish

In a blender combine all the ingredients except the parsley and paprika to be used for garnish. Blend on low speed until smooth. You'll have to stop the blender often to push down the ingredients. If the mixture is too dry and you're having trouble blending it, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to help things along.
Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Sprinkle the paprika over the top, drizzle lightly with olive oil, scatter some parsley on top, and serve. You can make the hummus up to a couple of hours before you serve it. Cover the top with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.

Serve with baked pita crisps.

4 - 5 whole pitas cut into 6ths

Olive Oil spray

3 Tbs Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut up a bag of pitas into 6 pieces for each individual pita. Split each piece in half.

Lay the pita pieces out on a cookie sheet and spay with an olive oil spray.

Sprinkle the pieces with Italian seasoning herbs, salt and pepper and bake until crisp.

Serve with Hummus.

All Day Event!

I was thinking about Thanksgiving day and what usually takes place during a normal holiday. Reflecting back over the years, I think of family and sometimes friends getting together to enjoy really good food, drinks and fellowship but I know of so many families that only gather at dinner time and then there may be a little relaxation and then it’s dessert and after only a few hours it’s time to go home.

To me it’s kind of a shame to put all that work into a great meal, only to be doing the dishes in a couple of hours and miss time with your family and guests, especially those that come from out of town. To me, this day should be an all day event.

If this sounds like your family why not try this to make it a nice day to enjoy family and friends. Try inviting them over early around noon to a nice spread of appetizers which can include a delicious cheese tray, fruit tray, bruchetta’s, maybe shrimp cocktail and crackers and dips. Have the family munch while you put in the turkey and sides etc. This will give you, the home chef, time to relax before dinner and actually have time to enjoy the company of your guests while the dinner is in the oven. Have the big dinner around 4or 5 in the evening.

Here are a couple of recipes for your pre-dinner party:
Sweet Cajun Shrimp

Ingredients
1 lb Large raw Shrimp (U-15's shelled and devined) rinsed and dried with paper towels
¼ C. Lemon infused olive oil
2 Ts. Cajun/Creole spice
2 Tbs. Honey
2 Ts. Soy Sauce
1 Clove Garlic (minced)
2 Tbs. Chopped Parsley
2 Tbs. Butter

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Combine oil, Cajun spice, honey, soy, garlic in oven proof dish (6x8 ceramic). Stir well
3. Add shrimp to mixture. Let marinade for 15 minutes.
4. Bake shrimp in marinade until opaque 8-10min. remove from oven.
5. remove shrimp from dish and reserve mixture and heat a sauté pan and melt the butter
6. Add the sauce mixture to melted butter and stir with a whisk and cook down to thicken. 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp to pan and toss in thickened sauce to coat.
7. Plate shrimp and drizzle with some of sauce and sprinkle fresh chopped parsley to garnish
Makes 2 servings

Simple and Quick Bruchetta

1 loaf Italian baguette sliced in ½ in thick pieces on the bias
3 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil – extra virgin from 1st cold press
Olive tapanade
Tomato tapanade (both can be bought at you local grocier)
Freshly graded parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sliced bread on a large sheet pan. Place in oven to crisp bread about 8 to 10 minutes. Take out bread from oven and let cool until able to handle with hands, only a minute or so. Slice a clove of garlic in half and rub cut end on 1 side of the bread slices. Top bread with each kind of Tapanade, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with freshly graded parmesan cheese. Place on a serving platter and serve. Enjoy!

The Home Chef