Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Mozzarella

Tomato plants love dry heat, so ours have been thriving with this heat wave.  As Forrest doesn’t eat raw tomatoes, and there’s only so many Caprese salads that I can eat in a day, I started to plan other ways to use the bounty, which of course led me to tomato soup.  There’s something about roasting the tomatoes first that brings out the best flavors.  Don’t let that part scare you, it actually makes the soup easier, but it does take a bit longer. 

This recipe is easily adaptable based on the ingredients you have on hand.  I typically follow strict measurements, but in this case, it’s really just a work as you go kind of recipe.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Mozzarella

Ingredients: 6 lbs. fresh tomatoes- any variety will do vegetable oil salt fresh ground pepper 1 cup fresh basil leaves 32 oz. chicken broth 3 fresh bay leaves salt and pepper to taste 8 oz. shredded mozzarella Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut tomatoes into quarters or halves, depending on size.  Place tomatoes on foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about an hour, or until caramelized & browned. Pour tomatoes and juices into a blender, add basil leaves and puree.  I then poured them through a strainer to get out the seeds, but this isn’t necessary.  Pour puree into a medium pot, add about half of the chicken broth and bay leaves, stirring to combine.  Continue to add stock until desired thickness is reached.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Place handfuls of shredded cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure the cheese is piled, but not too high.  Place under broiler until browned, about 5 minutes.  Let cool slightly to become crispy. Garnish soup with mozzarella and enjoy!

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Caprese Salad

There’s something about the combination of fresh picked tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.  Add some salt, pepper, olive oil, and perhaps a drizzle of balsamic and you have heaven on a plate.  It’s a main dish, side dish, appetizer, maybe even a dessert for some.  Anyway you serve it, Caprese is easy, beautiful, and delicious. 

Caprese Salad

Ingredients: Fresh, ripe tomatoes (local or homegrown are best) Fresh basil leaves Fresh mozzarella Extra Virgin Olive Oil Balsamic Vinegar Salt Freshly Ground Pepper Directions: Judging by size & desired presentation, slice or chop the tomatoes.  Use either mozzarella balls, slices, or cubes.  Chop basil leaves if desired. Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil in a serving dish.  Drizzle evoo and balsamic evenly over dish.  Top with salt & freshly ground pepper.  Do your best not to lick the bowl.  Oh, go ahead, why the heck not?!

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Blackberry Oat Bars

Blackberry Oat Bars
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma: Essentials of Baking
1 3/4 cups all-purposed flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 cup blackberry jam

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon and pulse a few times until blended. Add the butter and pulse 8-10 times until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Remove 2 cups of the crumb mixture and set aside. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Drop teaspoons of the jam evenly over the crust, spreading gently with the back of the spoon to cover the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the jam layer.

Bake until the top is lightly browned, 50-55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool until firm, about 2 hours. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Salted Chocolate Ganache Raspberry Tart

This basic dessert recipe is super simple, though it does require that you prepare it ahead of time.  The silver lining is you can make it in advance and store it in the fridge!

Salted Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

8 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

pinch salt

4 tbsp butter, room temperature & cubed

2 tbsp spiced rum

Directions

1. Heat cream, chocolate and salt in a double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly.
2. Add butter, stirring until smooth and glossy.
3. Stir in rum.
4. Pour into prepared crust and let cool. 
5. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
6. Top with raspberries, fresh whipped cream, and chopped hazelnuts.

Shortbread Pastry Crust

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature & cubed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, pulse together 1 cup of all-purpose flour and sugar. Pulse in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press firmly into the bottom of prepared pan of choice.
2. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm and slightly golden. Set aside to cool.

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