TWD: Cheese and Tomato Galette

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Flo Braker





This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe- so easy that you can make a few to serve at a gathering, each with a different filling. I made the recipe as instructed, though this is one of those recipes begging for optional fillings of unlimited possibilities. (I did add a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil before baking.)

The filling for this recipe is made up of Monterey Jack & mozzarella cheeses, basil, and tomatoes, a common flavor combination. You see it as caprese salad, margarita pizza, and caprese skewers to name a few, sans the Monterey Jack cheese.

At first bite I thought this tasted like your typical pizza, though bite after bite, I realized it was really great, fresh pizza. I am, however, undecided as to whether I like the crust or not. The dough is made with cornmeal which gives it a gritty bite, though it is soft and flaky at the same time. This is the same dough that was used for the berry galette the group made back in August; I used leftover pie dough I had in the freezer. I'm sure I would not have cared for this dough for the berry galette. I do still have half the dough in the freezer to give it another go to see if I truly like it or not. I'll let you know.

Other than being undecided about the crust, this was an easy, flavorful, light dinner. I served it alongside one of my favorite salads - Arugula Strawberry Salad.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Why is it for the life of me, I cannot roll out a circle of dough, except when I need to roll out a rectangular shape as I did here.

It did turn out round in the end, and if it didn't, that would be OK too, for galettes are supposed to be rustic looking.

I'm sure there will be many different versions of this galette made by the many talented bakers of this group. You can find the links for their delicious creations on the TWD site; look for the LYL: Cheese and Tomato Galette link.

Book Ninety-Eight: Celebrate!

by Sheila Lukins

Everywhere you turn, there seems to be some new version of a "chip". There is the old faithful potato chip, sweet potato chips, kale chips, banana chips, and this one (so I believed), the tomato chip.

I would not go as far as to call these chips. The only resemblance is maybe their shape and size - but I'm sure the term is used lightly, as with kale chips - at least they are crisp. 

I would have never thought to try and make a "chip" from tomatoes due to their high water content - and I was right. The book does states that these do not get crispy like a chip, but they have a "snap" and a chewy texture.

Out of the five tomatoes, only four slices could be considered chewy and with a "snap", and looked to be disintegrated; to be fair, they were the ones with the best flavor.

I do love anything roasted, and when these tomato "chips" were placed on a rosemary cracker, spread with some delicious goat cheese (as suggested in the book), they were pretty darn tasty.

So forget about the crisp, crackly, crunchy texture of a true chip, and enjoy these for what they are: simply roasted tomatoes.

Success meter (1-3): 2 (I rated this a two based on the "chip" factor - otherwise they did have great flavor and makes for a wonderful appetizer.)

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The tomato slices drizzled with olive oil and dusted with sugar and pepper. Next time, I'll omit the sugar and sprinkle them with salt.

 This is one of the best "disintegrated" tomato slices..

I was able to scrape the disintegrated tomatoes off the pan, and I have to say they had the best flavor. Think - sun-dried tomatoes.

TWD: [Tomato Basil] Semolina Bread

Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Recipe contributed by Nick Malgieri


                                     Tomato Basil Semolina Bread

I was hesitant to make this not only because it had been too warm to turn on the oven, but the six hours of rise time in two hour increments meant I would have to stay home literally all day. I lucked out: the day before this post was due the weather turned cooler and I had nothing planned other than getting some things done around the house.

My daughter and I had lunch the other day at Panera; I love their tomato basil bread they use for sandwiches. As I was devouring my Mediterranean veggie sandwich, I thought I should try and recreate the bread at home one day. Well, today was the day. I stepped out of my box and decided to add these flavors (found here) to the semolina bread.

The dough seemed rather wet even after adding the recommended amount of flour in the recipe. I'm sure it had extra moisture due to the add-ins I used. I did not want to use too much flour so I worked with the moist dough and without any problem.

The formed loaf looked beautiful. Once covered and left to rise for the last time I came back to find it pretty flattened so I skipped the slashing of the dough. I think the last rise should be done in a bread mold or sling like I did here or maybe I made it too long. The instructions say to make a "plump" loaf which I felt I did, but perhaps it meant to make a shorter "squat" shaped loaf.  Removing the loaf from the oven the bread felt rather hard and I was worried this was going to be another dud; however, after cooling, it softened up nicely and I think this will make for good sandwich bread.

We thought this bread had good flavor, though a bit on the salty side. I would reduce the salt by at least 1/2 teaspoon if not by half.

Success meter (1-3): 3

The sponge.

The sponge after a two hour rest.

Photo credit: Ash

Pecorino-Romano, basil, and sun dried tomatoes.

Ashley's idea to add the sun-dried tomatoes

in addition to the sun-dried tomato paste.

Good call Ash!

First rise done.

Photo credit: Ash

Now to shape the loaf.

Photo credit: Ash

Photo credit: Ash

Photo credit: Ash

Photo credit: Ash

Beautifully shaped loaf if I do say so myself.

Ready for the 2nd rise.

Hmmm..

..lost its beautiful form.

I had hoped it would regain some of its

rise during cooking - didn't happen.

Our hosts for this week are Anna of Keep it Luce and Renee of The Way to My Family’s Heart, you can find the original recipe on their blogs. And remember to visit all the other Tuesdays with Dorie baker's sites for their take in this bread; there are always interesting variations you wouldn't want to miss out on.

Book Forty-Six: The Trellis Cookbook ~ expanded edition

by Marcel DeSaulniers


               Marinated Chopped Tomatoes

I have three other books by Mr. De Saulniers (all on the baking spectrum) so when a friend asked if I wanted this book I jumped at the offer. I love how he has the book divided by course (salads, entrées, desserts, etc) and then each course by season.

I started making this at dinner time, and I cannot stress enough for you to read your recipe thoroughly before proceeding. I failed to read the last sentence: Cover with film and wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours! I'm sure this will be even better tomorrow.

The salsa has good flavor; however I would skip the skinning of the tomatoes, for submerging them in boiling water for the short 45 seconds seemed to diminish the firmness of the tomato and the overall look of the salsa. I do not mind the skin on personally and prefer fresh, raw tomatoes in my salsa.

Success meter (1-3): 2

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