Tomato Season Begins

And of course, must be properly commemorated.  First was a fresh tomato pizza that I made after helping my parents clear two rooms in their house that are having carpeting replaced:

Simple crust with chopped herbs in the dough, topped with
slabs of fresh tomatoes and lots of fresh mozzarella cheese.

That's not the only moving-of-stuff I did; somebody posted on the neighborhood e-group that a friend needed a small chest of drawers, did anybody have one?  I bought and put together a couple of simple ones when I moved here and needed places for things.  Later I bought a nice cherry bureau from a neighbor who was downsizing, because it fits my aesthetic better than the plain one, although I'd gotten one that had a midcentury modern feel.

So I offered the plain chest, it was accepted, how soon could she get it?  I asked her to wait until end of my work day, and during a break did a quick emptying of the plain chest, then moved it to the garage and brought the cherry one into the house.  Where it remained in the middle of the livingroom until the next day, because I was too busy Friday to finish.

On Saturday I wiped down the chest, and used a few nails from my toolkit to attach the backing securely on one side where it had come loose.  Then I moved it into place and put the things from the plain chest into it.  The bureau is enough deeper, although about the same height, that everything from the plain chest fit into it with room to spare. 

Today I had my first fresh tomato sandwich of the season:

Plain bread, toasted.  Mayonnaise.
Slabs of tomato.  Freshly ground pepper.

And blackberries are definitely ripening in the thickets:

I did not plan to pick berries that morning as I still have a lot of very ripe peaches, but there were so many people and dogs on the route I planned to take that I made a sudden decision to find a less busy route.  Luckily it was a bit shady so I didn't mind using my hat to carry as I easily picked well more than my hands would hold.

Work is at quarter-end and I have some fiber projects on deadline and my part of an article due tomorrow, so it's been busy.  And HOT.

Time for ice-cream, with berries, of course!

Not Quite Done - Redesigned

I've been knitting.  And working.  And walking, when the weather is good in the mornings.  And doing other things like reading books and some secret non-knitting projects.

There are many containers of blueberries and peaches in the freezer, not as many of plums (a pain to prep) and blackberries (not available), and I've eaten a more-than-respectable share.  I made my first tomato tart of the season earlier this week:

Not spectacularly photogenic, but more than adequately delicious.

Do you remember how I redesigned the shawl shortly after I began?  I was close to finishing, then decided I didn't like the harsh change in yarn, and ripped out several bands.  So it's not quite done:

Day 6 - Not much knitting time.

Day 7 - Well into Colour 3.

 

Day 8 - More of the same.

Day 9 - Getting ready for Colour 4!

I realized that I didn't have enough of Colour 4 to do a proper finishing, since I had just one miniskein.  However, I'd purchased some very similar yarn at another shop, and despite that being in a completely other country it appears to match closely enough to be able to join the shawl:

 

Therefore, onward with confidence!  However, I soon decided I didn't like the abrupt changes to Colour 3 and then Colour 4, so I frogged extensively:

Days and days of knitting undone and rewound on Day 11.

Day 12 - progress again.

Day 13 - More frogging.  I didn't have enough
of Colour 2 to complete a band with the garter
stitch separation rows, so back to Colour 3.

Day 14.  Colour 2 finished with addition
of the scraps of tying yarn, now two
bands of Colour 3.

Day 15 - Finally back
to Colour 4.

Since that was the return-home day, I decided to not continue the daily photographs and post the finished item.  As I said, I haven't had as much knitting time as ideal, and of course the rows are much longer so they take more time.  I'm about to wind the hank from Julija's Shop and I think the end may finally be in sight.  Not what I'd planned for that yarn, but I am glad that I have it.

August Mini-Resolution

I feel like finishing things.  First, the Boneyard Shawl.  Then at least one of the other UFOs in my stash.  And one or two of the non-knitting, non-crocheting projects.  Plus at least one load to the thrift store.  I also need to do a yarn diet, and since I just purchased the latest Dolores kit I just have to stay away from the indie dyers for a month.

Pop-Up Purchases

I went to a pop-up market this evening.  Now that the show has opened and we are not rehearsing every night, I can get out occasionally.  There are free jazz concerts in Bushnell Park (with perfect weather for it tonight), and since there are two sets I could opt to hear one, then go to the market.

These are essentially temporary flea markets, and while the Hartford Denim Company has a large enough indoor space to host one, this one was outside.  And unfortunately, a number of the merchants packed up before I could circle back and shop, due to lack of light, including one who does fun ornaments that have reflective eyes, or spots, depending upon the item.  I've purchased from him at a popup market in the past and thought about getting something this time, but he was gone by the time I circled back.  I did manage to purchase a few items, and chat a bit with some of the vendors as well.

First purchases were at the Vintanthromobile.  There were many tempting items but also a crowd, so I picked items I was sure would fit and I could integrate into my wardrobe:

I was very happy to find the shawl - I have wanted one of them for some time!  Yes, even with all the shawls I make (I had one with me tonight, in case it got cool), I covet ones I cannot make!  At right is a flirty skirt, yellow is not a colour of which I am fond, but with the orange flowers and trumpet styling, it's very cute.  The bag - well, of course I bought one.  This is like a basket with straps, and came in handy as I shopped more.

While I was paying, the owner saw the shawl I'd brought with me in case of chill (and never needed) and asked me about it, and whether I make things for sale.  No, I told her; for fun and gifts and the occasional commission, but I am afraid that if I set up a business, I'd promptly not have time to make enough items.

I love woven blankets like the one on the right:

I have purchased many over the years at various mercados in Texas, and this one is so soft I could not resist!  It's light enough to be a perfect summer blanket.  The vendor seems to specialize in vintage camping items, or maybe it was just the setup tonight.  The dress on the left is a vintage Hawai'ian dress, which I could tell by not just the fabric but the styling.  A key item is the sleeve:

That particular overlapping-petal style is typically Polynesian, and not found on similar garments that are made for mainland crowds.  Although I've always thought of these as something for older women, they are VERY comfortable to wear around the house, especially when it's warm.

There were food vendors, both the prepared kind (if you wanted to arrive hungry, or got hungry in the course of the evening) and farmstand:

Yes, I am part of a CSA, but some items we haven't gotten yet - or I ate what we did get, and the next delivery is on Thursday.  From one vendor came the potatoes (red and purple), onions, and one cucumber.  The bigger cucumber (which reminds me of the ones that grew in the little plot under our one window air conditioner, and so were constantly watered by the drip, when I lived in San Antonio as a child) and the cherry tomatoes (I seem to need more than my CSA is likely to give me because the tomato tarts I made for the green room at Sunday's show were very popular, especially the vegan one - I need to make at least two of those this week!) came from another vendor.  They are also the source of the bread.  Because of the heat I wasn't baking my own, but I didn't get any at the farmer's market on Sunday.  My starter is sulking from being banished to the back of the refrigerator and slow to slough off the hibernation.  So I was happy to buy a loaf, and can report it is very nice bread.

These went into the little inside pocket of my own bag, not with the others in the basket-bag:

The unmatched fused-glass earrings are more likely to be pins for me.  I love the one with the polka dots!  OK, I love polka dots.  Since I don't have pierced ears, I need to convert them to other uses, or to clips, and I just like the idea of using the one on the left as a lapel pin.

The other is a pendant from a glassblower who had many interesting items; I almost bought a spiderweblike suncatcher to hang in one of my office windows.  But that pendant attracted my eye because the inclusions look so much like lithops, which I like.

I browsed items from a third vendor, whose items come recommended, but all the rings I liked are too big for my fingers.  Ah, well, I was running out of cash.  I did get a bumper sticker from Hartford Prints! on the way to my car, but I won't put it on until daylight.  And I need to work up a cord to go with the pendant.

So glad to have had tonight off!

Tomato Tart

I love tomatoes.

In the summer, I mostly eat them raw - out of hand, chopped in salads, chopped with just a bit of herbs or salt to perk them up a bit.  I slice them into salads, sometimes with little more than the tomatoes involved:

This was my breakfast in mid-July:  A fresh heirloom tomato, not too thinly sliced, arranged between two slices of wholegrain bread lightly spread with a fresh chevre from my CSA.  It was FABULOUS.

Last year I read a recipe in Food and Wine magazine for a tart that was little more than tomatoes piled in a simple crust and slowly baked.  With my CSA's annual picnic coming, I made one to take and share:

For its simplicity, it is marvellously good, and surprisingly substantial.  Of course I have been tweaking it, using my own piecrust recipe instead of the magazine's, and every time I make one it comes out a little differently.  So here is a step-by-step summary, combining two different tarts because I get caught up in the cooking and don't always remember to take pictures.

Step 1:  Make the Dough
Piecrust has a reputation for being tricky and difficult.  Many years ago a friend taught me to make it in the food processor, which takes out much of the intimidation, at least for me.  Just put the flour(s) into the machine, add a pinch of salt and the fat, and use bursts to combine until it is like grains of sand.  I generally start with a cup to a cup-and-a-half of flours and one-third as much butter, or butter and chevre, or whatever other fat(s) I am using:

You can also use oil, or vegetable fat, or lard, or whatever.  The key is to cut up a solid fat into smaller pieces, which are easier to combine, and to use bursts, not running the machine constantly.  If you do that and are using gluten-containing flours it gets gummy and tough.  I often add some cornmeal to my mixture because I like the texture it adds.  Sometimes I add some of the herbs to the dough - basil, thyme, savory, and sage are good choices.

Oh - I mentioned "if" and "gluten-containing flours"!  Yes, you can use almost any combination for this recipe.  So if you don't eat gluten, use other flours.  If you don't do dairy, use vegetable fat or nut oil or olive oil or whatever.  It's flexible.  Your dough might be a bit more crumbly, but since we're not doing a raised dough the flours don't matter as much as they might otherwise.

Then, with the machine running, add ice water through the feeding tube.  I put some ice and water into a measuring cup and dribble in from the spout.  Start with a couple of tablespoons and add more carefully.  If you put too much in, the dough gets gloppy.  If you think it's close, stop the machine and open it and pinch the dough.  When it's about the same feeling as your earlobe, it's right.

I am not more precise on the amount of ice water that you need because it depends upon the flours and the fat.  You will need less if you use oil.  You will need more with some flours than others, or if the weather has been very dry as your flour may be drier.  You can always add a spoonful or so of water if needed.  And if you do add too much?  Either add in some more flour (or grated dry cheese) or do a pat-in instead of trying to roll out the dough.  It will take a bit longer to bake.


Step 2:  Constructing the Tart
Roll out the dough to fit into your pan.  Sometimes I put a bit of cornmeal on the counter for the last roll, again to add texture.  Otherwise I just use lots of flour.  In the righthand picture the dough contains some basil and was rolled out with cornmeal mixed into the flour.

The leaves are purple basil that I couldn't resist
buying at the farmer's market because it is pretty.
I had eaten a lot of my tomatoes so this is a
rather small tart - make it as big as you like.

There is basil in this dough.  I learned last year that using a
tart pan with a removable bottom is a BIG help when serving.

 

Then you add the tomatoes.  Mostly I use tiny ones - grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes.  But earlier this summer I wanted to make one and I didn't have too many of the little ones.

My CSA also gave us eggplant and very
large heads of garlic.  The tomato in the
sandwich at the top is from this delivery.

However, my CSA had given us a number of what they call "paste tomatoes" which have more flesh and less moisture, and I thought they would be perfect to use as a bottom layer, in slices, as shown in the photo at the right:




When I just have the small ones, I will cut larger ones in half, as I did with the "black" tomatoes around the rim in this tart:

I added a sprinkle of chopped basil and kosher salt to the first layer.  You can sprinkle herbs in by layers or mix them in wherever you like, or leave them out.



As you can see, sometimes I make designs and sometimes I just pile in as many tomatoes as I can:

 

 

Step 3:  Baking the Tart

This can be tough, because it takes about two hours.  The recipe has 100 minutes, I sometimes do a bit more if I have piled the tomatoes in especially thickly.  Do NOT be tempted to "speed it up" with a higher temperature, you will just burn everything.  Keep the oven at 300-325(F) degrees and be patient.  In fact, unless you are making a small tart, don't even bother to look until 90 minutes have passed.

 

The goal is to have the tomatoes slowly roasting and carmelizing slightly.  The end result, as you can see from this photo, is to keep it juicy but to have the tomato flavours concetrated and richer:

 

Another good thing about this tart is that it can be served hot, warm, or cold.  It can be the vegetable side dish or the main course.  Add some salad, and it's a meal.

 

One guess what I'll be doing with these heirlooms from Urban Oaks Organic Farm?