Too Much of A Good Thing-8/23/10

September 07, 2010

Last night I wrote about the corn menu in this month's Bon Appetit. Tonight, I will echo my sentiments. A menu based on a staple of summer is a great idea but sometimes there is too much of a good thing. Tomatoes may be a fruit but they do not belong in dessert. I'll begin by describing dessert first since that was the most glaring example of too much tomato. The Tomato Tarte Tatin had some key problems. First, the sugar did not caramelize in the time given. Since the dessert is inverted, it's virtually impossible to tell this before it's too late. Second, the tomato taste is still very strong. I was eating sugary stewed tomatoes on a pastry crust. Not very appetizing. Third, the amount of water released by the tomatoes made the entire dish swim in liquid. You can see the excess water around the edges of the dish in the picture. I ate a piece but then with Richard's agreement, threw this dish away immediately. It was too soggy by then to last anyway.

The appetizer of Bruschetta with Rosemary, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Prosciutto was a much bigger success. You can see Eyrleigh's hand in the picture and she was pretty excited about this dish. The roasted tomatoes were simple to make and would make a great addition to lots of meals. The ricotta and shaved ham (replacing proscuitto) were excellent additions and the dressed greens on top added freshness and crunch. This was also a great visual look too with the contrast of red and green. The main dish of Seared Rib-EyeSteak with Tomato-Caper Relish

was a pretty simple seared steak with a relish dressing. I like steak so no complaints there. The relish was simple as well with tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and capers. I realized while making this relish that I had no capers so I replaced them with cocktail onions. It's actually a pretty straight switch with a slight vinegar tang and mild bite. I liked the relish but would not say it was incredibly memorable. The called-for side dish of the menu, Olive-Oil-Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel with White Beans, was a pretty creative dish and deviated from the tomato theme enough to bring variety. I unfortunately added the oil for the whole recipe then realized I was halving the recipe. It did make the final product a bit oily but it still tasted great. The taste was very hearty and this dish would be a good vegetarian main. (More on that in just a few posts!)

All in all, I enjoyed the meal portion of the tomato menu. The dessert I could have definitely done without but I read some reviews from other posters on epicurious.com and some people really liked the tomato tartin. I just may have had bad luck with the caramelizing and that created the liquid disaster.