Darlings! La Diva has officially declared Mondays to be MEATLESS! Why? For a variety of reasons, darlings, and one of them is because I find weekend eating to be a bit more, ahem, caloric....
On many weekends in sunny Miami, La Diva is going to friend's for barbeques, Sunday breakfast at the pancake house, experimenting on new recipes, participating in culinary throwdowns and of course imbibing in cocktails by the pool with her boys, all which contribute to La Diva taking in a lot of calories! So, come Monday, La Diva would like to kick start the week by lightening up dinner and preparing something vegetarian. Or meatless. (because I can't guarantee I won't use anchovies or fish sauce!)
Let La Diva be clear about a misconception: eating vegetarian does not guarantee lower calories. After all, an asparagus quiche loaded with cream, shortcrust pastry, eggs and cheese would certainly have more fat, calories and cholesterol than a lean cut of grilled meat and salad. But, for THIS Monday, I'm going to go with a dish that is light and fairly healthy and full of lycopene-filled tomatoes!
My Meatless Monday entry is: Heirloom Tomato Tart with Home-made Goat Cheese and Mint!
Colorful tomatoes From Donna Hay magazine Feb/Mar 2010
As summer was on it's last breath during my recent trip to Sydney, Australia, tomato season was in full swing and Australian food editor and best-selling cookbook author Donna Hay offered a wonderfully colorful spread about different tomato varieties in her summer magazine. The photos of this tart with the succulent and juicy looking heirloom tomatoes was just too enticing, so I had to try!
Clickety click to see the recipe, darlings!
I've been keeping South Florida goat farmer and cheese maker Hani Khoury's delicious goat cheese in my refrigerator for about a month now so it should have developed a stronger flavor which I think will pair nicely with the tomatoes. Hani's farm is in the Redland community and that's where he makes his flavorful and natural goat cheese along with traditional Lebanese dishes. His freshly made cheese has a slight, cinnamon taste and is quickly becoming a favorite local product among chefs like Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine. You can order Hani's cheese and other home-made Mediterannean delights from his website HERE.
RESULT: A very juicy and tasty dinner for a Meatless Monday. I really loved the thick shortcrust pastry and the parmesan cheese really came through in a delightfully pungent way. The tomatoes were very juicy and their flavor was further heightened by generous sprinklings of good quality sea salt.
La Diva's Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart with Mint.
To be honest, La Diva was looking forward to making this tart all week. Since the tomatoes were the main flavoring component to the dish, I was concerned about using regular vine tomatoes instead of organic heirloom ones and paid ENTIRELY TOO MUCH for five of them. (No, you DON'T want to know....) I ended up using only half of them anyway. As my quiche pan was four centimeters short of the the pan indicated, my crust went up the sides and was quite thick.
The recipe also said to "toss" the tomatoes in the dressing. I didn't think that was too practical considering they were very ripe and cut into delicate slices, so laid them in a bowl and seasoned each layer. The recipe then asked for a whopping 750 grams (almost 27 ounces or 1 3/4 cups) of goat cheese, I used about half and it was just fine. Likewise, I only used half of the mint and did a quick chiffonade of it instead of leaving it whole.
Go ON and CLICK on the photo, darling, you won't be sorry!
RESULT: A very juicy and tasty dinner for a Meatless Monday. I really loved the thick shortcrust pastry and the parmesan cheese really came through in a delightfully pungent way. The tomatoes were very juicy and their flavor was further heightened by generous sprinklings of good quality sea salt.
I must admit, DJ Nevah L8 was none too thrilled to come home to a tomato tart for dinner but after witnessing the evil look I threw his way while sarcastically suggesting he go to MacDonalds if he didn't like it, he soon became a bit more open-minded to the dish and actually ate his whole piece! (He's still here watching TV, so has not sneaked out for a burger....yet.)
I think this would make a really lovely brunch dish in the late summer when local tomatoes are plentiful in most states, but obviously fresh and ripe tomatoes are the key. With the wetness of the fruit, I'm not sure how well this would keep until the next day, even with the thick crust. I guess La Diva will find out tomorrow!
Ciao, darlings, and HAPPY MEATLESS MONDAY!cooking class, cocktails, parties, cocktail party, Miami, coral gables, events, bartending class, cocktail class, Laura Lafata, Miami Beach, miami cooking classes, bachelorette parties, bachelorette party, personal chef, corporate events, catering, personal chef, party entertainment, www.ladivacucina.com, top chef
This does strike me as girl food, but I like the Meatless Monday idea.
ReplyDeleteIf only I were more of a fresh tomato lover ... I'm working on it.
... it would make a neat throwdown challenge.
DH knows how to throw down the food porn doesn't she. She and Martha make lovely food porn music.
ReplyDeleteHowever. Thank you LaDiva for cutting up that mint. There's just something wrong with those huge leaves of mint and even the top 3 or 4 leaves still attached to the stem. I can't imagine a lot of folks wanting to eat a mouthful of mint like that.
Yours looks amazing.
FloridaCracker? That is priceless! What a great name.
ReplyDeleteFantastic tart, great flavors at work there.
Good luck with your meatless Mondays.
Cheers!
That really looks good and being a fan of all things tomato I'm sure I'll love it.
ReplyDeleteThis might even make hubby happy - he's not a fan of meatless meals but this looks like something he'd be happy with.
Parmesan cheese and tomatoes?
ReplyDeleteHeavenly.
Florida Cracker, I get it, I used to hate raw tomatoes until only a few years ago. Then had some from a road stand in Michigan and over breaded steak, they were so good! I still can't eat them completely alone...keep working on it!
ReplyDeleteSham, agreed about Martha and Donna, love their magazines. Yes, good sense had to prevail in this simple recipe, the cheese and mint in the quantities suggested would have been too much.
Thanks so much for coming by again Lazaro! Nice to have locals come for a visit!
SCM, I really TRY to make meals without meat very satisfying but sometimes I have to satisfy ME too! This one I did for me.
MJ, the crust tasted like a lovely cheese cracker, sooo good!
Nice pics. I'm a big tomato lover but have never paired them with mint - always basil. The Mrs just planted some peppermint in the garden so I'll have to give it a try when we start to get tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteWord verification: Joints
Great photos and I applaud the idea of meatless monday.
ReplyDeleteMust also agree on the whole "vegetarian is low calorie" thing. I stopped eating all dairy (along with meat) for three months a few years ago and promptly gained 10 pounds.
Soy ice cream is loaded with fat. Who knew?
As for tomatoes... I also came late to the party, but now can appreciate how they add to any recipe.
Lastly.... fabulous photos!
You always make me hungry!!!
ReplyDeleteHow gorgeous! Can't wait for tomato season to try it. And doesn't goat cheese make everything better? That parmesan shortcrust has me particularly intrigued - I'll bet there are all sorts of ways you could use it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more Meatless Monday posts!
loved it,
ReplyDeletewould like to have a slice...
Happy Wednesday!
Hi Buzz, watch out for that mint, it can easily take over! I used to have to keep it contained in a pot. So, WV is "joints" as in "they are killing me" or "joints" as in "let's get ready for the Caribbean throwdown, mon?!"
ReplyDeleteThanks, Boxer, yes, vegetarian does not necessarily mean light and healthy, it's even more important for vegetarians to make good food choices to make up for the lack of protein from meat.
Hi Eggy, yes the crust was very nice. I was pleased to find out that the crust held up well the next day, it was soo thick! And yes, you could do a number of things with it as a base. Mine was just a tad too thick and chewy. The goat cheese, by the way, is very mild in flavor at this stage, like a goat cheese ricotta.
Thom, if i owe anyone a good meal, it's you. Dang.
Hi Jingle! Thanks for stopping by!
My tomatoes are still green...dammit. I love making tomato tarts. This one looks fabulous. Goat cheese is one of my all time favorites. I have a recipe for a tart with tomatoes and carmelized onions...it's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHappy Days, sweet cheeks!
Wow, what yummy pictures! Got to get some of Hani's cheese and give it a try! There's lots you can do for Meatless Mondays, keep up the good work. If you're concerned about getting enough protein, take a look at Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe.
ReplyDeleteDont forget friday is the smackdown. Come on by.
ReplyDeleteHappy Meatless Monday to you! I think it is a wonderful idea to establish at least one day a week, that meat is not the center of the meal.
ReplyDeleteThis tart made with local goat cheese and heirloom tomatoes looks awesome.
my heavens!
ReplyDeleteGORgeous tomatoes--amazin' heirlooms--wowowowowowowow! Elegant, la Diva C.
I will make this lovely tart--tonight, yes!
Meatless is a really good change of pace a couple of times a week.
Really enjoyed this post.
Meatless Monday? I'm a carnivore, but I can dig that, especially now that the days are warming up. I have a party next Monday night, but this tart is going on my list for dinner next week, and damn the husband. I've never done tomatoes with mint, either, although I'm terrified of growing it in the garden because it spreads like a virus out here.
ReplyDelete