Friday, September 9, 2011

Barbara's Scalopped Tomatoes~

Ok...I am really early on this post..it should be next Thursday:)But these tomawtoes..tomatoes..well you just have to make them as soon as you can.. and tomatoes are IN now:)So without further ado..I present..my favorite tomato dish of the year..
It would actually be unkind of me to not share right away~



When I saw these tomatoes at Barbara's Beautiful Blog~ I thought..MMM I want to try those..bacon and tomatoes :) Yum..

The above photo shows them unbaked..even nicer baked..but by then it was darker..and we were so hungry..We had Cod..and rice and this as a side dish.Perfect.

I made only some modifications..I used Jacques' croutons that I had coarsely pulverized..and I used real bacon. chopped in little pieces...cooked them crisp and kept the fat and the bacon in the dish..If you knew how much fat I ate you would be happy I actually did this~
Jacque's croutons are sooo good..I added some fresh basil to the pulverization:)
And of course I mini'd the recipe for just J and I~
This dish is a keeper.Thank you so much Barbara..





La Recette~

Scalloped Tomatoes
From Cold-Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons bacon fat
2 cups (1/2-inch diced) French bread
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the bacon fat in a large (12 inch) saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and sugar to then pan and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the basil and remove from the heat.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

My notes..of course I made 2 small casseroles.. for J and I ..so I EYED the ingredient amounts..I added a smidgeon of crumbs on top..I used crumbs instead of whole cubes..We baked them for 10 mins.. ap at 400F..they were small.Until the cheese melted and the tomatoes were warmed..SO DELICIOUS..I could eat them for breakfast:)

The perfect season for this dish~



My friend grew Sunflowers..I did too.. not one in sight for me :(
At least she got 3..one was devastated..one was small..and one grew and grew into a beauty..she missed it..so I too photos for her..
That's the star in the collage.
She turned out to be a beauty~
My son-in laws..have grown great veggies.. One has spoiled us with his abundance.. cause he got abundance..he worked hard at it:)..My gazpachos have never tasted better,nor these baked tomatoes~
The other.. has spoiled me with the laissez-faire artistic quality he just HAS.

He tidied up his garden and put his tomatoes aside..but not just anywhere..
You must admit..you would have taken your camera out too:)
Table for one?
.

28 comments:

  1. It must be Barbara appreciation day, I made her fig cornmeal lemon tart...just back from sharing with Stella, along with your beautiful blog, so proud to tell her you are my nbf~

    If you say its good, i am in when I get home. Pretty pics and fun to see ca abundance.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you ever sea:) the movie Stella?

    I want to see your tart:)

    Stella is so lucky.
    There's a reason for everything.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVELY tomatoes au gratin and also wonderful sunflower and tomatoes photo too.......I love anything au gratin.....
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can't imagine a more fun lunch than one with you and Barbara... I think it would be beautiful, delicious and fun. Great tomato dish, isn't it? You shot it beautifully... made me awfully hungry!

    ReplyDelete
  5. mmmmmm . . . escalloped tomatoes. I can't think of anything more delicious! Your photos as usual are exemplar! I just adore Tomato Season!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks all so delicious...and your photos..sigh...exquisite as always...lucky mom-in-law with all that abundance...have a great weekend!
    Shel xxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would be spoiled with that crop of tomatoes too Monique. I'm so glad to see you made this dish. I too saw it on Barbara's site and fell in love right away. I make something similar, but not as rich and delicious with the bacon as this. And who wouldn't love Jacques' homemade croutons?
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
  8. IT really is tomato time; love that shot of the tomatoes. I have always wanted to make this type of recipe, but was not tto sure about it. Thank you for sharing this.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  9. C'est vraiment bon Rita:) Succulent!

    Sam..I know how you feel about tomatoes..we are twins!
    I am happy the photos are ok for you..the first is a bit ..no a lot overexposed etc..
    No better judge than Foodgawker.
    I must say I appreciate their constructive criticism..

    It's the only way to learn:)

    Have a great weekend everyone and Bon Voyage Marie:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. This could very well be on the menu for our dinner this weekend :) It sounds delicious! I'm so far behind I haven't even been to see Barbara's post yet! I grew San Marzano tomatoes this year and I just picked 6 ripe ones this morning and have a few others on the counter. They would be perfect for this. I'm also planning a trip to the farmer's market today in case I need more.

    I can't tell you how often I've used croutons pulverized with fresh basil since you talked about them for the fresh tomato pasta dish! Last week I tossed broccoli with the basil crouton crumbs and roasted them together in the oven - delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mmmmm! I meant to tell you I made a tomato quiche the other day, inspired by yours. I created a recipe of my own, and it was delicious!
    Monica xox

    ReplyDelete
  12. Those sunflowers are wonderful- glad you shared them!
    Monica xo

    ReplyDelete
  13. A wonderful tomato dish for the two of you..and Jacques' croutons sounds just delicious...I've missed them somewhere...wouldn't be surprised...my head is screwed on backwards most of the time. I bet (N?) will be so delighted with her sunflower!
    Ronelle

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yes N:)!!

    Monica I am sure yours was not only delicious..but beautiful too!

    Susan..so glad..there are many things here we eat because of you:)

    Glad these work for you!San Marzanos yum..

    Have a great weekend everyone..~

    ReplyDelete
  15. Delicious! Love Sarah Leah Chase :)
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  16. Monique, The tomato casserole has all the ingredients of a BLT sandwich but put together in a lovely way. I can't wait to give the casserole a try while I still have an abundance of tomatoes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I adore that cookbook...I need to pull it out again...
    Your pics...as always...amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh so wonderful, is there anything lovelier than a tomato from your own garden......yum!
    Hugs,
    Margaret B
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Just delicious. I love the combination of tomato and bacon, and even more so with fish. Wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I want to eat it again tonight:)

    Thanks everyone..
    It was my first initiation to Ms.Chase..
    Grateful:)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, this sounds so fabulous! I had to laugh because we often eat before we get the photos taken- I just have to make more - like today I made a French peach pie - all gone and not one photo, but we definitely want another before fresh peaches are gone!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Je te crois bien volontiers et prévois ces tomates pour ce soir !

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looks like a great recipe. To my great surprise, we had 3 small wild sunflowers that grew up in my garden this summer. They actually grew in a big pile of dirt that we made when digging out soil to plant a few trees. The sunflowers look so funny sitting on a pile of dirt! :)
    Maureen

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh my gosh this looks tasty! I'd never have thought of doing tomatoes in this way, but it seems like a perfect transition dish from summer to autumn.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I should have come here SOONER!
    instead of just roasting my CSA tomatos...NEXT WEEK!
    a la prochain!!
    merci carolg

    ReplyDelete
  26. Are you tired of being human, having talented brain turning to a vampire in a good posture in ten minutes, Do you want to have power and influence over others, To be charming and desirable, To have wealth, health, without delaying in a good human posture and becoming an immortal? If yes, these your chance. It's a world of vampire where life get easier,We have made so many persons vampires and have turned them rich, You will assured long life and prosperity, You shall be made to be very sensitive to mental alertness, Stronger and also very fast, You will not be restricted to walking at night only even at the very middle of broad day light you will be made to walk, This is an opportunity to have the human vampire virus to perform in a good posture. If you are interested contact us on Vampirelord7878@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete