The Flavors of “Fresh”

Lemon, tomato and basil – some of my favorite flavors (and aromas) of summer come together in a great dinner menu … open a good white wine, set up dinner outside with a few candles, what a great night!

I am, without question, a summer girl. I love the sun, the rain, the flowers, the warmest weather, and certainly, the fresh gardens of flowers, herbs, and vegetables.

Around here, the season is just gearing up. But it’s never too soon to get a good start on summer in the kitchen. There is nothing better than the smell of a tomato picked fresh from the vine, or fresh, home grown basil or cilantro. The colors, the smells, I wish we could have this type of weather all year long. And when this season hits, my plants go in, my herbs come up, and the best of the season hits the plate!

Tonight was my first of the season for the summer foods. I resurrected a favorite recipe from last summer, and coupled with a Pinterest find from the winter. Coupled with some good wine and good friends, and it was a great kick-off to the season!

The Menu

Shaved Asparagus Salad with Parmesan

(slight adaptation from ACoupleCooks.com, but don’t mess with a good thing)

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Tart

(adapted from AnniesEats.com)

I learned some things from this meal … mainly that when you know you’re not a baker, do not substitute. I cut corners on the crust. I confess, I did it. As much as I love cooking, I hate baking equally. So I said to myself “Self, I bet the crust on this is a lot like on the cold veggie pizza appetizer (think biscuit dough, cream cheese, cold veggies, etc) people often make for potlucks. So you guessed it, I substituted biscuit dough instead of making my own. It wasn’t bad, in fact it was pretty good, it just wasn’t a tart shell by any means.

In any event, we all enjoyed, and I wished when it was done I’d made a bigger recipe. Must get larger tart pan… must get larger tart pan.

The original recipe for this dish comes from Annie’s Eats. But you know me, it’s not in my nature to not deviate a bit from a recipe and make it my own … I’m a rebel without a clue. And with this recipe, here was my approach:

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 can of biscuit dough
1 small jar of pesto sauce, brand of your choice – I would stick with the basil flavor

For the filling:
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
Ripe tomatoes – I used Roma
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese (I did not grate my own, but I did buy better quality)
1-2 tbsp. fresh basil, chiffonade

Directions:
To make the dough, spray a tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. remove biscuits from can, and press one at a time into the pan, working up the sides as well as across the bottom. Press/spread the dough out to be thin, similar to the thickness of a pie crust. Seal together all edges.

Using a spoon, add dollops of pesto sauce to the dough, spreading evenly.

When you are ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 425° F.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes (I put another round baking dish inside the tart pan to weigh down the dough and keep it from rising too much while it baked).  Remove from the oven  and lower the heat to 375° F.

The shell, baked and ready to fill.

Layer the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell with the sliced mozzarella.  Arrange the roma tomato slices on top of the cheese in a single even layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan and the fresh basil.

Ready for the oven!

Bake about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in places.  About halfway through baking, rotate the pan180° and wick off any excess moisture that has collected on top with a towel if necessary. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Watch your edges, cover with foil if needed to prevent burning.

On the side with this, I resurrected an old favorite recipe – well not too old, I found it last summer but I/we fell in love with it. It originates from A Couple Cooks, who adapted it from Bon Appetit. It is one of my favorite salads, and I make it over and over again throughout the summer – usually by request.  This is one of those rare recipes that to me, is perfect as is. I wouldn’t deviate from the ingredients, they’re just too perfect. The only thing I did is I didn’t measure anymore after the first time I made it. I toyed a little with the ingredient amounts till I got the flavor and consistency just how we wanted it. Other than that, if it ain’t broke …….

Here’s their recipe:
16 large asparagus spears (about 1 pound)
Parmesan cheese – I buy grated, but get good quality
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)

First, cut the woody ends off of the asparagus. Using a vegetable peeler, shave each spear from the from the bottom up.  Remove the tips, if desired (I left them in for texture). Place the shavings in a bowl, and pat them dry to remove extra water.

We’re shaving … we’re shaving….

For the dressing, if you don’t feel comfortable free-styling, use these measurements from the Couple Cooks version: 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper (I also added the Parmesan into mine). Whisk together, then toss the vinaigrette with the asparagus shavings. If you didn’t mix in the Parmesan already, top with it, as well as a few pinches of red pepper flakes (optional).

That’s it! Very light, very fresh flavors come together for a great summer meal. We all loved it, I just need to give real baking a whirl for the crust next time to see if it’s worth the effort. I have my doubts, but if you like to bake, you’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.

Yum … next time, make double of both!

Pair this one with a light, crisp white – a good Chardonnay or Sancerre. Yum!