Fresh Tomato Clafoutis and the Giveaway Winners

Much as I like recipes from Patricia Wells (our 11th Game Changer), this one was not exactly what I expected. I was all for trying a savory tomato claufoutis with some Roma tomatoes I had on hand but was surprised the clafoutis base ended up like a custard. Well, Mary from One Perfect Bite did mention the recipe resembled a frittata rather than a clafoutis and there's no flour, so I shouldn't have been surprised. The flavors are really good...all that Parmesan, thyme and lovely summery fresh Romas. For a light lunch, it can't be beat, but I don't think males in your family are going to like this much. Not enough substance.

The tomatoes MUST be dry...that is key. Which requires a lot of tomato preparation before you get to the simple recipe. After I drained them for an hour on paper towels, I wiped them dry, squeezing a bit. Once the tomatoes are prepared, the ingredient list is short. If you're having a friend or two over for lunch, this would be ideal served with some lightly dressed greens or a lovely fruit salad.


Tomato Clafoutis
From Patricia Wells via Mary at One Perfect Bite 

Ingredients:

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled, cored, quartered, seeded and juiced

Salt

2 whole eggs + 2 additional egg yolks

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10-inch round baking dish. Set aside.

Remove the skin from the tomatoes by dipping them in boiling water. Remove the seeds and as much juice as you can. Salt the tomatoes and drain on several thicknesses of paper toweling for 60 minutes. Wipe dry and sqeeze lightly to remove most of the juice.

Place eggs, cream, half of Parmesan cheese and half of thyme in in a small bowl. Whisk to

combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Layer tomatoes on bottom of baking dish. Pour batter over tomatoes. Sprinkle with remainder of cheese and thyme.
Bake until batter is set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

The winners of the Make It Now, Bake It Later cookbooks are:
1) Lisa from Lisa is Cooking and
2) Rocky Mountain Woman
Please contact me at bsmithw@gmail.com with your name and mailing address. 
Have fun with them!

White Rice Browned and a Retro Giveaway

If you raised a family in the 50's, you'll know all about this series of paperback cookbooks. I used them constantly when the kids were little, still have every single one and still make our favorites from them. If this series is new to you and you'd like some make ahead meals for your busy life, this will be a fun addition to your cookbook library.

Here's the skinny:

Homemaker Barbara Goodfellow was the wife of a Navy Admiral who didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen cooking when she could be with her guests in the living room. She put together a bunch of recipes that could be prepared ahead of time and cooked in an oven without further attention. She self-published her first Make it Now, Bake it Later cookbook in 1958. (Half of all proceeds devolving to Mrs. Goodfellow were donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.) 

The first book and its subsequent five sequels went on to sell 1.5 million copies. Barbara died a few years ago, but her family still receives numerous requests for recipes from the original books - even though they've been out of print for 20 years. However, you can buy them (used) at Amazon.

One of the retro giveaway prizes today will be the first three cookbooks, numbered 1-3, plus the last three which are combined in one book, so you'll get three smallish paperback books and one thicker one.

The second retro giveaway has all six of Barbara Goodfellow's cookbooks under one cover.

(You might be interested to note there is also a "next generation" book: Barbara's son, Scott, and his wife, Ann, revived the Make it Now, Bake it Later phenomenon. It includes more than 200 new recipes that have been updated for today's palate, as well as a few of the most-requested recipes from the original books.)
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To illustrate I made an easy peasy side dish: White Rice Browned. Because using browned butter is all the rage right now, perhaps this retro dish isn't quite as retro as one might have thought. Have you ever read shorter directions? And yes, I used salted butter....which I'm fairly certain was all that was available back then. It's even better warmed up the next day. 

White Rice Browned
From Barbara Goodfellow's Make It Now, Bake It Later

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups raw white rice (I used Uncle Ben's)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste as this is salted butter)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans beef consomme (Campbell's, undiluted)
2 cups water
1/2 cup slivered almonds ( I always add more 'cause I love the crunch)

Method:

Melt butter and brown the rice and almonds. Place in casserole and add seasonings and water and consomme. Bake 300 for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

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Two of you will win these fun, retro cookbooks. All you have to do is leave a comment. Sorry guys, but U.S. and Canada only please! And make certain I have your email address. I'll announce the winners July 29th, so you don't have much time. 

Peach Cake

The peaches in my market are perfect right now, but they never last long. I bought my first few warily, worried they'd be mealy, but not this batch. I've been eating them sliced for breakfast and for a mid afternoon snack, juices running down my arms as I stand over the sink. That's how good they are. So I took the opportunity to make Ina's peach cake the other day. Have you tried her recipe? Two lovely layers of peaches. Everyone in your family will like it...doesn't need anything on it either, which, if you make it in the correct pan, would make a perfect slice for tea. (I baked it in an 8" square glass pan and it called for a 9" square pan. Mine made for a rather tall piece of cake.)

Fresh Peach Cake
2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?, All Rights Reserved

Ingredients:

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided 

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced 

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. 

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans. 

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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