Friday, August 19, 2011

Cherry Tomato Cobbler for Your Weekend


Are you loving tomato season right now? You know I am. I’ve been roasting tomatoes, saucing, slicing and tossing them into salads and veggie dishes wherever possible. I am hooked on eating open-faced sandwiches with thick, vibrant red slices of tomatoes paired with homemade aioli and sea salt. I’ll never tire of this combination (or the juices dripping down my arm)! I’m excited to share one of my favorite tomato recipes with you here.

Cherry tomatoes, those red, orange and yellow little beauties, are particularly sweet right now and when I’m not popping them in my mouth by the handful (alternating between pints of these and pints of blueberries) I am dreaming of new ways to enjoy them. Ah, the joys of letting my mind wander while feeding the chickens, watering the flowers or cutting butter into flour for pastry dough ...and pastry dough, of course, leads me to thoughts of cobbler. See how my mind works in the summer?

I love cobbler, plain and simple! While sweet fruit cobbler is glorious, I was inspired by a recipe I saw in Living Magazine years ago and created a savory cobbler with cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes are baked until bubbly with onions and basil under a cobbled crust rich with butter and ricotta salata. Serve this cobbler with corn on the cob and a green salad and you'll have a farmer's market dinner to savor this weekend. See you on Monday!


Cherry Tomato Cobbler
Inspired by Living Magazine
Serves 6

Cobbler crust:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 ounces ricotta salata, grated (reserve some for sprinkling on top)
2-3 tablespoons ice water

Tomato filling:
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds cherry tomatoes, rinsed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the cobbler crust, combine the flour, butter sugar, salt and about 3/4 of the cheese. Pulse together. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and pulse. If the dough does not stick together when squeezed, add more water, a few drops at at time. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat into a flat round. Wrap and place in the fridge.

For the filling, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they are soft. Remove from heat. In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with the flour, salt, basil and pepper. Add the onions and stir gently.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the tomato filling into a square 9x9 inch baking dish. Break off pieces (chunks and crumbles) of the cobbler crust and sprinkle over the entire top. Scatter the reserved cheese over the crust. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and top is golden. If top is browning too quickly you can place a piece of foil lightly over until filling is done. Let cool and serve room temperature. Enjoy!

12 comments:

  1. Oh that makes me look forward to our summer tomato glut! Looks wonderful.

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  2. SO good! Just made this with manchego I had on hand instead of the ricotta salata. Delish.

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  3. @Deborah
    I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Deborah! Love manchego...that's a marvelous cheese to use.

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you, Skinny Mommy! It's a summer favorite.

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  5. I am making this tonight, popping it into the oven and taking Ellie for a 40 minute walk.
    I was able to pull it up, remember it had cherry tomatoes and Voila!
    C'est happening!

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    1. Awesome, Pauline! I'm delighted you made the cobbler and hope you enjoyed it. I remember meeting Ellie on the beach!

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  6. I made a gluten free version of this for dinner tonight. Yum.

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    1. Hi Teresa! I'm delighted you made the tomato cobbler, especially a gluten free version. Thanks for letting me know. I'm happy you stopped by!

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