A SUMMER CHEESE PLATE.

Ahhh, it feels kind of nice to write a recipe without instructions. This is just to get you thinking beyond the usual, or maybe this is your usual with a few little additions. There is always a reason for a cheese plate, and I think one with a little extra thought goes a long way. We're going camping by the beach this weekend with family, and that's as good a place as any for a cheese plate, if you ask me.

I've catered a handful of dinner parties, and the selections below are some choices I've come to find popular by extremely close survey. We each have our favorites, and you should by all means include yours, but this combination is what makes sense to me for the end of summer. I like to keep the cheeses on the lighter side for warm weather, saving the cheddars, bries and bleus for the cooler months, this being an exception.

PARMIGIANO REGGIANO // RAW COW'S MILK

chisle off a few pieces, drizzle raw honey

CHEVRE // SOFT GOAT'S MILK CHEESE

rolled in finely chopped lemon thyme, chives, pinch of rosemary and ground pepper

MANCHEGO // AGED SHEEP'S MILK

with a bit of apricot jam

BABY MOZZARELLA // FRESH COW'S MILK

with slow roasted yellow tomatoes, basil and balsamic reduction

Here is a recipe for Heidi's tomatoes, mine were so juicy, I used half the oil suggested.

To make your own balsamic reduction, just simmer balsamic vinegar until it reduces to 1/3 of its original volume. Remember it will thicken even more as it cools. I suggest transferring it to some sort of glass vessel before it cools, as it is quite sticky.

Marcona Almonds

Fresh Grapes or Figs

Crostinis

Seeded Crackers

Let the cheese sit out a bit, don't serve it straight from the fridge.

And drink wine with it, because life's short and cheese and wine make all sorts of sense.

(update for those asking) Cheese forks are from Napa Style.

ROASTED EGGPLANT + ZA'ATAR PIZZA

I have three more months until my final manuscript is due for the cookbook, and to be honest with you, I've been a bit paralyzed in creativity. I know that process ebbs and flows, but when it comes to having a due date, I need a bit less ebb-ing and more flowing these days. I've kept a pretty good pace so far, a few bad calls (did you know that roasted pluots are, without question, too tart to eat? who knew?!), but I'm really happy with what we have so far. Now, about that last 30% of the content...

The thought of this combination had me quite excited yesterday, a little something different to throw on on your pizza. I would have hoarded this recipe for the book, but I have something similar in there already, so I can share the tastiness now as opposed to over a year from now ;)

I'm fairly new to using za'atar, and have come to love its unique acidity from the sumac, the ever familiar dried thyme and a bit of nutty crunch from the sesame seeds. You can buy it at spice shops, online, middle eastern grocery stores or Sarah at My New Roots has a recipe to make your own. It's great on top of hummus, used in a marinade, on grilled vegetables, etc.

ROASTED EGGPLANT + ZA'ATAR PIZZA // Serves 2-4

I give cheese measurements, but you can use your discretion depending on how you like your pizza, and how many vegetables you throw on there. The melty cheese is necessary in combination with the feta. The feta provides saltiness and flavor, but the mozzarella makes it a pizza.

I've given directions for baking, but you could just as easily do this on the grill if you don't want to turn on the oven. You can alternatively saute the eggplants, instead of roasting.

Tahini Spread

3 Tbsp. Tahini

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1 Clove Garlic, minced

Pinch of Salt + Pepper

1 Eggplant

2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Generous Pinch of Dried Oregano

1 Small Yellow Onion, halved and sliced

Whole Grain Pizza Crust (This recipe gives you two crusts. You can also buy a fresh dough ball from your local pizza place for convenience)

3/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

1 Tbsp. Za'atar

1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta

Fresh Thyme Leaves

Salt + Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 500'. Mix all of the tahini spread ingredients together in a bowl, set aside.

2. Peel the eggplant (doesn't have to be perfect) and cut it in to small pieces. Drizzle it with the olive oil, generous pinch of salt and dried oregano. Toss to coat. Spread it on a baking sheet and roast it for 15-20 minutes. Note, you could also throw the onions on there to streamline the recipes, but I like to do it in a cast iron to really char those babies.

3. To char the onions, heat a pan over medium high heat with a dash of oil (I like to use cast iron here), add the onions and char them for about 10-15 minutes, tossing them around occasionally . The point is to cook them on high heat, without a lot of moisture, to char the sides, as opposed to caramelizing them.

4. Roll out your crust and put it on a floured/cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet. Spread the tahini spread across the surface, sprinkle the mozzarella, the eggplant chunks and charred onions, the za'atar, and the crumbled feta. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, and baking the pizza for 12-15 minutes until the edges crisp up. Garnish the top with a generous sprinkle of the fresh thyme leaves.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

I find it funny that when you fall in love with someone, and even more so when you marry/live with them, you kind of morph into an unintentional, uni-person at times. The things you eat blend, the lingo or nicknames you have for things become everyday vernacular, you want what they want (for their sake), and circumstances that make them sad, cut you straight to the bone.

I'm the morning person who now consistently finds herself staying up late, and I swear to you we show up places in coordinating outfits that we don't notice until someone teases us. I sound like I've lost all sense of myself, but for serious, I really think it's crazy how much you're influenced when you don't even know it.

I've tried to make a point this year of spending time with people that are positive and encouraging to be around and trying to be the kind of person that someone wouldn't mind being influenced by. That's harder than you'd think, would you believe my language has gotten worse despite said intentions?

I started thinking about this, because both Hugh and I don't care for raw tomatoes. We both love salsa, marinara and roasted tomato soup, but please don't put tomatoes in my salad. But it wasn't always this way, I grew up on raw tomatoes, lots of them, the first half of my life, a 'salad' was routinely tomatoes and cucumbers with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (Mom! I'm so grateful and I love you). We grow up and somehow the way we think or what we eat and the company we keep changes, and I find it pretty phenomenal that we refine ourselves little by little, most of the time without even realizing it. It happens right under our noses. So here I am, some version of myself but mostly a composition of people who have loved and influenced me in one way or another.

So this soup, while easy in preparation and simple in ingredients, is only as good as the tomatoes you use (pay attention, did you catch the life metaphor there?). If you have a local farmer's market, roadside farm stand or grow your own, this is the time to use them. Regardless of them being roasted, the integrity of the tomato stands out. I thought it would be good with some homemade pesto croutons, or some smoked paprika if you want a bit of heat, but it's just as comforting with a slice of crusty bread.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP // Serve 2 as an entree, 4 as a side

Because it's summer and I prefer things lighter, I honestly did not add any cream. This is your choice. It will take an edge off of the acidity, but I thought a little cheese crostini balanced it out just fine.

1 1/4 lb. Ripe Tomatoes (about 4 Large Tomatoes)

1/2 Medium Yellow Onion

3 Garlic Cloves

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley

1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp. Organic Tomato Paste

1/4 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half, optional

Fresh Oregano + Basil for garnish

Fresh Grainy Bread

Mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350'. Cut the tomatoes and the half of an onion into wedges. Use your finger to push out some of the seedy parts of the tomatoes, but this is not a huge deal, just get out the big seedy parts, a bit intact is fine. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the chopped parsley and gently toss it with your hands. Tuck the garlic cloves somewhere in a tomato, so they don't burn. Roast on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and reduced to about half their size. Remove and cool slightly.

2. Warm the broth and stir in the tomato paste to dissolve. Add the all of the ingredients from the roasting pan into the broth and let it gently simmer for 5-10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the bowl, or with a food processor or blender. The soup should be smooth, with some texture. If you don't like any texture at all, you could run it through a fine mesh sieve. Return it back to the pot, and add the cream to taste, if using. Taste for salt and pepper.

3. Serve with some toasted bread, or broil a few slices with a piece of mozzarella on top. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and oregano.

Sara Forte 2019-02-12

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

4

A simple and delicious roasted tomato soup with garlic and onion.

• 1 1/4 lb. Ripe Tomatoes (about 4 Large Tomatoes)
• 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley
• 1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable or Chicken Broth
• 1 Tbsp. Organic Tomato Paste
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half, optional
• Fresh Oregano + Basil for garnish
• Fresh Grainy Bread

93 calories6 grams fat10 grams carbohydrate3 grams protein

Preheat the oven to 350'. Cut the tomatoes and the half of an onion into wedges. Use your finger to push out some of the seedy parts of the tomatoes, but this is not a huge deal, just get out the big seedy parts, a bit intact is fine. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the salt, a generous amount of pepper, the chopped parsley and gently toss it with your hands. Tuck the garlic cloves somewhere in a tomato, so they don't burn. Roast on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and reduced to about half their size. Remove and cool slightly.

Warm the broth and stir in the tomato paste to dissolve. Add the all of the ingredients from the roasting pan into the broth and let it gently simmer for 5-10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the bowl, or with a food processor or blender. The soup should be smooth, with some texture. If you don't like any texture at all, you could run it through a fine mesh sieve. Return it back to the pot, and add the cream to taste, if using. Taste for salt and pepper.

Serve with some toasted bread, or broil a few slices with a piece of mozzarella on top. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and oregano.

PT15M

PT45M

PT1H

American

Entrée

vegetarian, soup, gluten free