The Houndstooth Gourmet

It’s hard to believe that all too soon, Labor Day will be upon us. Where does the time go? It seems like just last week I was geeking out over Bigg Riggs ramps, and spring onions were everywhere. The next think I knew, strawberries and cherries  had come and gone and now I am now enjoying corn and tomatoes like there’s no tommorow, savoring each kernal and slice. Heck, I’m not even complaining about the near constant flossing!

The wonderful thing about summer markets is how the food can dictate what you eat. Spring onions call out for me to grill them along with a flank steak. Peppers and zuchinni conjur up a healthy pasta dish. Berries make me think of sweet and savory sauces and sorbets. Cherries turn into a crostada. Corn beckons a chowder, or to be simply cooked and kissed with butter and salt. But the undisputable darling of summer has to be the field tomato-red, green, yellow, striped and heirloom. There is no canned or frozen product that could come close to the taste and texture of a fresh, deeply earthy tomato. Who among us foodies hasn’t felt the immense dissappointment  that comes with biting into a pale, tasteless wedge of something that should be ashamed to call itself a tomato? Talk about the winter blues!

 Eat field tomatoes while the eating is good–and that time is right now.

Even better, let’s celebrate the tomato with a book give away! Submit you favorite fresh  field(not canned or dried) tomato recipe/dish to me by Monday, September 22nd (by midnight, EST), the autumnal equinox and official end of summer. Your recipe can be a salad or entree, a hot dish or a cold dish.  It would great if you told your readers where you bought your lovely ‘maters, what type they are and what inspired you to make your dish. Be sure that the tomato is the star of the dish. I will post all entries with a summary, photo, your name and a link to your post, and use Random.org to pick a winner.

The lucky You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato winner will recieve a copy of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. 

From Amazon-

Bouchon, chef Thomas Keller’s bistro cookbook, offers 180-plus recipes from his eponymous restaurants–there are two. Readers perusing the near-prosciutto-size book will be dazzled, first, by its great looks (there are many beautiful photos), then, perhaps, wonder why so many of its typically homey bistro dishes are so fussy to prepare. Why, for example, must the onions for onion soup be caramelized for five hours, or the muscles of a leg of lamb separated so that each can be cooked to an exact, presumably optimal, temperature.

They should, however, trust this justly celebrated chef, whose sometimes-painstaking refinements reflect a better way. Apart from the excellence of the dishes, the reason to own Bouchon is to discover the richness of Keller’s technical understanding. Readers learn, for example, not to baste chicken while it roasts, which creates skin-softening moisture, and to allow the base for crème caramel to sit before baking, thus permitting its flavors to deepen. Keller’s sensitivity to ingredients and their composition is profound; and he and his collaborators have presented it so deftly that one finds oneself engrossed again and again. Whether Keller is talking about vinaigrettes (in their balance of fat, acid, and saltines, the perfect sauce) vegetable glazing, or the creation of brown butter, his insights are fascinating.

The dishes cover a wide range of courses, and include the traditional–poule au pot, veal roast, pommes frites, and so on–and the “new,” such as Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables, Skate with Fennel-Onion Confit and Tapenade Sauce, and Grandma Sheila’s Cheesecake Tart with Huckleberries. All are, as the French might say, impeccable–and can be accomplished by anyone willing to take the time to do so. Like his cooking, Bouchon is a sui generis treat.

–Arthur Boehm

I own this book and have learned a great deal about technique and flavor. Thomas Keller spared nothing in this book. There is great attention to detail, and the photography is breathtaking. Best of all, the recipes are approachable and will make you look like a superstar!

OK, here are the rules for YSTIST:

1.  All entries must have been posted and dated between Augst 26th and September 22nd (by midnight, EST) and be written specifically for this event.

2.  Entries must mention this roundup up and contain the words “You say tomato, I say tomahto”, with a link back to Ramona at The Houndstooth Gourmet.

3. Limit one entry per participant

4. Send an email to houndstoothgourmet@gmail.com and include the following:

•  Your name and the name of your blog
•  A link to your blog
•  Your country, region, state and/or city
•  The title of your entry and a permalink to the post on your website
•   Place YSTIST in the subject line of your email

I will announce the winner when I post the YSTIST round up, and request shipping information.

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Tags: You say tomato I say tomahto, tomatoes //