Crazy For Fresh Tomatoes

Homemade Bloody Mary recipe plus peaches....

The best time to make a homemade fresh tomato Bloody Mary is now, when the tomatoes are very ripe. And they are so plentiful, why not do an all-tomatoes lunch/brunch, with other tomato dishes to follow?

To begin, here is my recipe for my fresh tomato Bloody Mary. As you can see from the picture above, it can become a whole meal with all sorts of fun garnishes. For my recipe, the only garnishes needed are lime and celery, but feel free to get creative…

My Recipe for Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary

You want to make this in the morning so everything is well-chilled by the time you want to use it.

Makes 4 glasses

4 very ripe large or beefsteak organic tomatoes, washed and dried

2 stalks parsley, leaves only

1 sprig thyme, leaves only

8 rosemary needles/leaves

14 fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups good vodka, well chilled

1 lemon, quartered

1 limes, quartered, for garnish

celery spears, with leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

Slice the tomatoes into quarters and toss in a food processor. Add the celery leaves, thyme leaves, rosemary needles, cilantro leaves, celery salt, sugar, pepper, horseradish, lemon juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and process until very smooth. I like it thick and where I can still chew on the horseradish, but if you would like you can pour this mixture through a sieve and press down with a spoon to create a thinner tomato juice. Either way, add the vodka, mix well and chill the mixture before making Bloody Marys. When you are ready, pour over ice, squeeze a quarter of a lemon over the top of each glass, garnish with a quarter of a lime and the celery spears, and enjoy!

To follow? Why not a rustic tomato galette? Super easy and quick and delicious. Buy a top quality pre-made pie dough, like Dufour, swipe it with a pesto or tapenade, layer on heirloom tomatoes, bake. Easy peasy summer cooking.

Fresh Tomato Galette

3 large ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 store-bought pre-made top quality pie dough

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons either store-bought pesto or olive tapenade

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, for garnish

1 egg, for egg wash

coarse sea salt to garnish

Directions:

Spread out the slices of tomato on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 10 minutes. Gently wipe off the salt and wipe the tomato slices dry of any liquid.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, roll out the dough into a circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and either the pesto or tapenade then spread it on the dough, leaving a 2-inch border clean. Layer on the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bring the edges of the dough up and over the tomatoes by about 1 -2 inches all the way around. Whisk together the egg and a bit of water and brush all over the dough. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the egg wash. Bake the galette for 40 minutes or until golden. Garnish the tomatoes with the 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves and serve.

Did you say tomato ice cream???? I tried it and I didn’t really like it?

So I am giving you a recipe to use up all those luscious ripe peaches that are in season now. Here’s another super easy recipe to make no-churn ice cream.

No-Churn Peach Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 fine sea salt

2 cups very ripe peaches, peeled and diced

Directions:

Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Whisk the condensed milk with the vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Gently fold this mixture into the whipped cream so as not to deflate the whipped cream.

Put the peaches in a bowl and mash with a fork or immersion blender, still leaving some small bits.

Fold the peaches, and any juice, into the ice cream mixture and pour into a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.