Summer at Last

I love warm weather and the content feeling of relaxation that comes with the summertime, but to me, this satisfaction is never really complete until I have enjoyed a real tomato. The tomatoes I am referring to are juicy and flavorful at their best; hardly resembling the pale, pulpy specimens one might find languishing on a salad in the middle of winter.

When my coworkers decided to organize a pot luck office party last week, I saw this as a good opportunity to make my fist batch of tomato bruschetta of the season. Sean doesn't like tomatoes (the foods that Sean won't eat are a common theme in my writing, I know), so it always seems like a waste to make it just for myself. And so, like a number of my other favorite dishes, I often look for excuses to make this recipe. I foist it on practically everyone, so it was only a matter of time before I posted it on here. It's just that good.

Tomato Bruschetta

Serves six as a substantial first-course, or a good-sized group (twenty or thirty), when served with other snacks.

Adapted from Dining Out , by Mary Engelbreit

You may initially find it a bit odd that I have added a good amount of fresh mint to my bruschetta. However, please don't let that stop you from making it; read this article before you decide against it. And if the mint still seems like it isn't for you, try the recipe without. It's still very flavorful and delicious.

-Four or five small to medium-sized stem tomatoes, the riper the better
-One tablespoon kosher salt
-1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive-Oil
-Four tablespoons chopped, pitted Mediterranean olives, or a tapenade from your grocery store's olive bar
-Three tablespoons fresh, slivered basil, torn, not cut, to preserve green color
-Three tablespoons chopped, fresh mint leaves
-Two tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
-Two or three garlic cloves, chopped, plus two slightly crushed cloves for the bread
-Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
-Twelve 1/2 inch thick slices of bread (a baguette or some nice Italian bread works well), grilled, toasted, or broiled

Directions:

Peel, seed and finely dice the tomatoes. Ripe tomatoes are easiest to peel; however, this step may take a little time and patience. You will get better with practice!

In a large colander, season the tomatoes with the kosher salt. Stir and let drain in the sink for 45 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, chop the additional ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, olives, basil, mint,parsley and chopped garlic. Stir until well-mixed, then season with salt and pepper. When the tomatoes are ready, add them to this mixture and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Slice and toast/grill/broil the bread. Use the remaining crushed garlic to lightly flavor the bread, being careful with the hot bread. Serve immediately with the refrigerated tomato mixture. Is especially satisfying when enjoyed outside with a glass of white wine or Champagne.

The Feast

As promised, I am here to report on Easter dinner. Easter is one of my favorite holidays, because it is food and family (or friend) based, without much blatant commercialism and feelings of obligation. Thanksgiving is more food oriented, of course, but there is some dictation on what you will make, if you are something of a traditionalist, like me.

There is just so much more room for creativity on Easter. Sean and I went to my sister's house, where we feasted on red snapper, potatoes and asparagus. I made an appetizer of goat cheese truffles, which I found here on the lovely blog Chocolate and Zucchini.

Per Clotilde's suggestions, I used herbes de provence, fresh chives, fresh basil, chopped hazelnuts, and toasted sesame seeds. I also used a lemon-pepper flavored garlic salt that Sean found in the spice section of the local Giant Eagle (the major grocery store chain in Pittsburgh). These selections were all delicious, and I was able to mix and match. Personally, I found the herbes de provence a little too dry, but my brother-in-law liked it.

I also tried the paprika suggestion. My initial plan was to just use paprika, with nothing to cut the intensity of the flavor. There are some paprika covered truffles in Clotilde's picture, and they looked really nice, and added great color to the plate.

I after I had rolled my first paprika truffle, I began to have doubts. I don't even really like paprika! I tasted it, and it was very strong. It was so strong, in fact, that a chocolate-covered pretzel that I ate about ten minutes later tasted of paprika. So, I don't really recommend the paprika, unless you mixed it with something else, or you really, really like paprika.

Served with fresh bread and sesame wheat crackers, the truffles were a great success. But, in my opinion, the real show-stopper of the evening was the dessert that my sister, Rachel, prepared.

It was not the lemon tiramisu that I had thought she was going to serve, but an Italian lemon and nut cake from Vegetarian Times. Sean described it as a "soft biscotti." With fresh citrus flavor and an agreeable crunchiness, this is a satisfying, but light, dessert that makes a great end for a large meal.

Now that it's the end of a very long week, I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend of being outside and baking. It may be too ambitious, but there will be some baking and breakfast making in the lineup. Hopefully, at least one of my attempts will be something worth sharing with you!

**Photo credit to thedailygreen.com