Cherry Tomato, Ricotta and Olive Galettes

 

Cherry Tomato, Ricotta and Olive Galettes

Use up the last of the good summer tomatoes and your basil!! This recipe came last summer in my farmhouse delivery box and I didn't get around to making it until this summer. It's a great lunch or appetizer.

3 tablespoons olive tapenade (I just used store bought from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried and cut crosswise into thin strips

1/4 cup ricotta

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (use the good stuff!)

2 galette rounds, baked

1/2 pound small cherry tomatoes, halved

Galette Rounds

1/4 cup milk

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 large egg yolks

1 large whole egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

To prepare the Galette Rounds

In a bowl whisk together milk, butter, yolks and whole egg.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt and chives and stir into milk mixture just until combined.

On a lightly floured surface with floured hands, knead dough about 8 times or until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for one hour (I left mine overnight).

Preheat oven to 450 F

Divide dough into four pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece to an 8-inch round.

Transfer rounds to a baking sheet (or 2) and crimp edges decoratively

Chill dough 10 minutes and bake in the middle and lower thirds of the over for about 5 minutes (it took mine 7) or until golden brown.

Transfer galettes to a rack and cool.

For the Galette Filling

Preheat oven to 400

In a bowl, stir together the olive tapenade and basil. In another bowl, stir together ricotta, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. (Quick note - the olives are already pretty salty, so I personally don't think this recipe needs a ton of additional salt. It calls for adding salt several places, but I only added a bit. Cook's choice)

Spread olive mixture evenly onto galette rounds and spread cheese mixture over it.

Cover cheese mixture with tomatoes and season with salt and pepper (see...more salt)

Bake galettes on a baking sheet in the middle of the over for about 15 minutes.

Serve, cut into wedges at room temperature (I ate one of mine right out of the oven for lunch!)

Makes 2 galettes.



Macarons

I did not make these, but learning to make macarons is definitely on my list. I got these at a  gem of a bakery here in Austin called La Boite . Best French pastries I've had stateside. I think of them as my warm up for our trip back o France next summer.

MMMMM....

Kale Chips

Oh Kale, you and I have a complicated relationship. You provide more nutritional value for fewer calories than any food around. You are high in Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Fiber. You are one of the top cancer fighting foods. I want to love you and eat more of you, but you taste like Kale.

Here is a great recipe that the husband, the four year old and me loved. Despite the salt, I think this is a super healthy snack that I will be making again soon.  A note - you can substitute any spice you like. I loved the smokey flavor of the paprika, but that might not be your thing.

Kale Chips

One bunch of Kale, torn into pieces, washed and dried.
Olive Oil for drizzling
Paprika to taste
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees
After washing and drying the Kale, put it in a bowl with the Olive Oil drizzled over it.
Add spices and mix until coated

Arrange the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until at desired crispness.

Eat!

Easy Peasy Pasta Sauce

Super easy.

I adapted this from a Mark Bittman recipe in How to Cook Everything. As an aside, if you don't have that cookbook, you should get it. It's fantastic.

It is HOT here in Texas. It is no time for elaborate meals that need to be baked in the oven for hours. Too. Hot. This sauce takes about 10 minutes, is very light and while you're making it, you can boil the pasta of your choice. We had chicken and cheese ravioli (pre-bought at Whole Foods). Add a salad - DONE.

3 medium garlic cloves, diced
Olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)
1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes.
Tomato paste
A pinch of Parmesan cheese.
Any other fresh Italian herbs of your choice.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and saute the garlic for a few minutes.
Drain the tomatoes most of the way, but not all - you'll want a little bit of juice
Add the tomatoes to the pan and squish down a little bit.
Stir in tomato paste and Parmesan to thicken up the sauce to your liking. The tomato paste also adds a nice bit of flavor, I think.
Add more olive oil or salt if desired.

Serve over your favorite pasta. Yum!

Pizza with Figs, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola , Balsamic and Arugula

From Epicurious.com

Fresh, peppery greens add important vitamins and phytochemicals to a crisp homemade pizza.

Ingredients:
Cornmeal (for sprinkling)
1 packaged pizza dough

2 cups (about 8 ounces) crumbled Gorgonzola
6 small fresh figs, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar, divided
8 thin slices of prosciutto
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups arugula

Changes I made:
I used Whole Foods Gluten Free Frozen Pizza Crust - thawed and ready to cook.
I cut some of the Gorgonzola and subbed some Parmesan and some asiago (this was from the comments on the recipe and also because I had some on hand)
I used regular balsamic because 'fig balsamic?' Please Epicurious.
I also didn't have a lot of arugula, so I used some mixed greens including red leaf lettuce, spinach and arugula.

Method:
Preheat oven to 450. Sprinkle large rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured work surface to a 12x10 rectangle; transfer to prepared sheet. Sprinkle Gorgonzola over dough. Sprinkle with pepper. Place figs in a medium bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar over. Set aside.

Bake pizza crust until golden brown on bottom: 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately drape prosciutto slices over, covering pizza completely. Arrange fig slices atop prosciutto. Bake until figs are just heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Transfer pizza to cutting board. Whisk remaining vinegar and oil in large bowl; add arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Mound salad atop pizza.

Cut into slices and serve.

My Take:
Just get a frozen pizza crust - it takes so much less time and pizza should be easy right?

I really enjoyed this pizza. It has lots of my favorite flavors in it. It seemed fancy and slightly more healthy with the figs and the greens. It's also a really pretty dish that I think would be a great starter or dish to bring to a party.

I made this while the husband was away because he is not a fan of blue cheese - more leftovers for me! My four year old (who, granted, is a cheese snob - she loves all kinds of rich, stinky cheeses) ate this without question and asked for seconds.

Recommended!

Welcome to Food + Photos

Hello and welcome to my personal photo side project: Food + Photos.

I am an Austin, Texas Wedding and Portrait Photographer by day (and night and weekend). You can find my main websites HERE and HERE. However, I also love cooking and food photography. Austin has an amazing food culture and I'd like to document recipes I try plus my visits to restaurants and farmer's markets.

This is also a way for me to brush up on my food photography technique.

I'll be documenting meals I make (hopefully at least weekly) and I'll always include the recipe too. I promise you won't just get the good stuff. I'll show you the failures too.

Away we go!