Tomato Tarts

There is nothing simpler than a tomato tart in the summer.  If you grow tomatoes and never know what to do with your leftovers, this is a great way to use them.

4 lbs of tomatoes

4 tbs of Dijon Mustard

2/3 cup of shredded swiss cheese

1 ts. garlic powder

1/4 cup of finely chopped herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)

1 pie crust (make your own or buy a Pillsbury pre-made)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

- Bake crust for 10 minutes, remove, and let cool

- While pie crust is cooling, slice tomatoes into slices and drain excess juice in a collander

- After crust is cool, then spread the mustard on the bottom. Evenly sprinkle the cheese top of mustard and then arrange the tomato slices in one layer (like dominos)

- Sprinkle garlic powder and herbs ontop of tomatoes and bake for 15-20 minutes

Easy Fruit Crumbles

When you’re cooking for a large group of people dessert can sometimes take a backseat. If you didnt bake a cake or make a pie the day before - you’re generally too tired to make something after your finished with the savories (unless you’re serving cheese and honey…which is one of the best desserts ever). This fruit crumble could NOT be simpler. Try it!

Fruit:

4 cups of seasonal fruit (i.e. a mix of blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and raspberries - Frozen Fruit can also work)3 tbs. of strawberry/raspberry jam

Crumble:

2/3 cup of sugar

7 tbs of butter

3/4 cup of flour

Pinch of salt

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

- Combine flour, sugar, and salt - mix in melted butter.

- In separate bowl combine fruit and jam

- Grease 8 small ramekins and arrange on a baking sheet. Divide fruit into ramekins and then sprinkle the flour mixture ontop. NOTE: you will need to put more crumble ontop of the ramekins than you might think. Flour mixture tends to seep into the fruit and can disappear into it completely

- Bake about 35 minutes and serve warm - with ice cream if you’d like.

(VARIATION: use diced apples for fruit and caramel sauce instead of jam. If using caramel sauce add an additional 2 tbs.)

 

 

 

No Pudge Low Cal Whoopie Pie Dessert Recipe

I love whoopie pies but they are always too fatty for me to consume. If I do eat one - I am mad at myself for the rest of the day. As a smart alternative, I made this whoopie pie dessert recipe during one of my couch potato moments and they are just delightful!

Ingredients:

1 box No Pudge

1 cup Fresh Ricotta (if you don’t have fresh in your area then Polly-O or Sargento will do…but try for fresh)

3 tsp whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean seeds (or a dash of vanilla extract if you don’t have beans)

1 ts. splenda

Make ‘No Pudge‘ recipe according to the box but lay them out in a big pan to mak them thin. While they are baking, whip rest of the ingredients together and put in the frig. After the brownies have cooled, cut into bars (or circles if you like) and sandwich together with ricotta filling.

Ok - so they don’t look exactly like Whoppie Pies but they are delicious. Let me know how you like it!

Fulton Stall Market Opens!

Of course I had to go to the opening day of the Fulton Stall Market at the South Street Seaport this year on May 22nd. It was a lovely 80-something degree day and I was parading around NYC with my sis-in-law Marianne. We decided to check out the market around lunch time  - figuring we’d get a bunch of stuff and eat lunch outside. We did the free taste test run throughout all the stands and then made our way backwards to purchase.

The Positives:

Sang Lee Farms had delicious veggies-to-go with ginger dipping sauces and garlic dipping sauces - note to all moms in the area: these are great snacks for young ones. The boys at the Valley Shepherd Creamery were more than generous with their samples (I’m almost positive one of them was hitting on Marianne ) and their cheese was delicious. Try the Manchego if they have it or the cheese with nettles. I had never tried nettle cheese before but it was actually pretty tasty! Bread Alone had excellent baguettes and also produced a yummy and smooth lemon/blueberry pie.

The Negatives:

Its just too small. It hardly feels like a market at all. With all the delicious food in the area, why such a small space? Plus its next to the seaport which I guess is a plus if you are a tourist but I always find it to be a bit of a drag. I’m not in LOVE with the seaport crowd and never have been. I was also a bit disappointed that Yummy Coffee only had beans to purchase. No samples. No drinks available. Its a hot Spring day in Manhattan and you can’t offer me iced coffee drink options? WHY? Maybe I’ll want to buy the beans after tasting how delicious your coffee is?! Heck - even local wineries give out taste samples…C’MON!

All in all it was a nice experience and if you are in the area - you should go….even if it’s just for the cheese boys.

http://www.fultonstallmarket.com/home.html