Tomates Confits (Sun Dried Tomates) - Part II

Today, I have been out in the rain taking some pictures of the tomatoes on the vine, and picking a whole new batch for today's preservation. I thought I'd share pictures of what the tomatoes look like just before they go into the oven to be dried out, since my post yesterday only showed what they looked like when finished.


On the vine (the leaves are just starting to wither):

Prepared and ready to go  into the oven for several hours:

As I write this, delicious, sweet, tomato and herb aromas are already beginning to waft from the oven. Mmmmm...

Tomates Confits (Sun-Dried Tomatoes)

This time of year, vegetable gardens (in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway) are just bursting with tomatoes - more than can be eaten right off the vine or in daily salads. One of our favorite ways to enjoy and preserve this bounty is to "sun-dry" them. I put them in the oven, instead of actually drying them in the sun, as it gets the job done more efficiently. By September, the New England sun just isn't as strong as it needs to be to dry tomatoes simply by the rays of the sun....now if only we lived in Provence or Tuscany! (sigh)

I say "preserve" somewhat tongue-in-cheek, as these tomatoes never last more than a couple of days at our house - they are just too delicious! In fact, roasting concentrates the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, so that they are almost like candy.

Here is my recipe. You can skip the sugar, if you want, and the tomatoes will still be sweet, but this way  accentuates the sweet tomato flavor.

Tomates Confits / Sun Dried Tomatoes

        

Preheat oven to 150-200o (ie; your oven’s lowest setting). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, if you want to save on clean-up later.

Wash and quarter 3 lbs. of plum or Roma tomatoes. Leave the skins on, but remove most of the seeds and juice, leaving just the tomato flesh. Lay the tomato quarters on the baking sheet, skin side down, in a single layer. Sprinkle with:

1 T. white sugar

freshly ground sea salt & black pepper

1 T. chopped, fresh rosemary leaves

2 T. fresh thyme leaves

Lightly drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes and put them in the oven for 1 hour. Turn tomatoes over (skin side up) and roast for another 2 hours. They will be withered and less moist, but not as dried out as sun dried tomatoes.

For SUN DRIED TOMATOES:

After following the above instructions, turn the oven off, but leave the tomatoes in the oven to dry out overnight (or an additional 12 hours).

Scrape the extra herbs and olive oil off the aluminum foil, and pour over the tomatoes. These can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks (if they don't get eaten immediately!) Alternatively, they can be place in jars, covered with extra virgin olive oil, and stored in a dark spot for several months.

Variations:

·      Whole garlic cloves and/or fresh pearl onions may be roasted in between the tomato slices. Simply peel them and sprinkle with the herbs and olive oil, along with the tomatoes.

·      Other herbs may be used, such as tarragon, basil or savory. (If using basil, it must be well oiled, to prevent singeing.)

Kate Dickerson (copyright 2009)


Bon Appetit!

Au revoir, Pierre Deux...et merci!

With the sudden closure earlier this summer of the 23 wonderful Pierre Deux stores nationwide, followed by bankruptcy proceedings by their parent company, Arts des Provinces de France, I have been mourning the end of an era. Pierre Deux was hugely responsible for the surge in American interest in French country decorating, as well as in our bigger-picture interest in French lifestyle.

Although Pierre LeVec and Pierre Moulin opened their first shop in 1967 (on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village), for moi it all began with the Boston store, in the late 1970's, just at the time I was returning from living in the South of France, having fallen in love with everything French. For me, the timing couldn't have been better. Here was a shop that made the beauty of French living accessible - l'art de vivre francais could be achieved, at least to a certain extent, stateside.

Then came one of my favorite books of all time, Pierre Deux's French Country - A Style & Source Book, published in 1984 and still a go-to resource for decorators and others hoping to realize some of that wonderful French joie de vivre in their own lives. This book further fueled my constant dreams of France, especially as it focused on historic Provencal style. The book was co-written by the two Pierres and Linda Dannenberg. Moulin, LeVec and Dannenberg went on to publish three other French country style books together and Dannenberg has since become one of the most prolific writers on French country lifestyle.

I still love this book as much as when it first came out!

While the two Pierre's started by importing antique French furniture, their addition of fabrics and accessories to complement their furniture sales, spurred a whole new movement in America - a passion for French country style, which is more prevalent today than it was in the '70's, arguably due to this book and the Pierre Deux influence.

Here are some of my favorite spreads from the book:

 The colors of Provence, focusing on Vieux Nice, quite near my home

 The fabrics of Provence, focusing on the Souleiado factory

 Provencal furniture

Provencal kitchens

The two Pierres eventually sold their successful importing business and chain of stores, settling in rural New York, where they were responsible for beautifully restoring Callendar House, one of the original Hudson River Valley mansions. Both men are now deceased. The NY Times obituary of Pierre Moulin also explains some of the steps made by the two Pierres, which effectively rescued and revived some of the near-dying fabric traditions in France. In more ways than one, we owe them an amazing debt of gratitude!

In my next few posts, I plan to write about various aspects of French - and specifically Provencal - home furnishings and decorating, which embody the French notion of l'art de bien vivre, without which there can be no joie de vivre. And through it all, we should all continually say, "Thank you, Pierre Deux, for your gift - your immeasurable influence on us all!"


P.s. How I will miss those iconic yellow awnings and bags!

Welcome Chez Nous - Our House is Meant for Family and Friends

Our house just feels right, even complete, when it is shared with family and friends. 

Slow living and enjoying the good life are so much richer when shared with people we love!

Last week, Jack and I had a party to celebrate our 25 terrific years of marriage so far, and lots of our dear friends and family were here to celebrate with us. Even with Hurricane Irene looming large on the horizon, the evening was so much fun. It was the people here who made the entire weekend such a warm and happy event... and our house felt complete.

We had decided, a couple of months ago, to host a pig roast, and several of our friends then immediately booked rooms at a local bed & breakfast, not dreaming we'd have a potential hurricane to rain on our roasting parade. Based on our experiences attending pig roasts on Long Island (with our great pals Russ & Nic) Jack and my brother, Dick, (in long-distance consultation with Russ) devised a grill that was perfect for our needs. A twin bed frame (meltable plastic wheels removed) on cinder blocks, topped with some steel grating that Dick cut to size, made an awesome grill. We had a huge pile of extra old wood in the back of our property, so the fuel situation was taken care of. But what to do about the threat of rain?

Always one to meet such a challenge head on, Jack devised a huge tent strung up between the trees, to keep the grill area from getting doused, just in case... Fortunately, the tent ended up being superfluous after all, and stayed on the sidelines.

Flamin' Jack Flash

Apart from a few sprinkles, the rain never came! (We did have high winds later that night and the following day, but for the most part, Cape Cod was spared the ravages that much of the East Coast suffered.)

We had ordered a 25-30 lb. pig, from our local butcher, Ferretti's Market, right here in Brewster. Unfortunately, when the pig arrived it was just over 24 lbs. and we decided we would have to augment the whole pig with some other butchered pork. Jack bought a large pork shoulder to smoke (and it ended up being much more flavorful than the whole pig, which was roasted over a wood fire, but more on that later.)

Jack marinated the pig on Friday, with a mixture of garlic, olive oil and rosemary.

We keep our rosemary bushes in large pots, so we can move them indoors for the cold New England winter months.

We had originally envisioned a Mediterranean meal, sort of a melange of Provencal and Tuscan cuisines, but Drake came up with the idea of a more Southeastern Mediterranean feast, with Greek and Arabic influences. He planned the menu and we all chose what we were going to make.

All day Friday, Jack, Drake, Madeleine and I cooked together - SO MUCH FUN! Friday evening, Giles, Mia, and their girls arrived, so that Saturday, Giles was in the heat of the kitchen, too, adding his own flavors to the mix. (The family that cooks together stays together, yes?...It works for us!)

Drake making the best whole wheat pitas ever. This was the basis of our menu - which would be pork in pita breads, loaded with various toppings and side dishes.

 

 The beginnings of carrot salad.

Silly Maddie, making our family hummus recipe - with enhancements, including tons of grated lemon zest.

Granddaughters helping in the potager (kitchen garden).

Giles (looking tres serieux) puts his own stamp on our traditional tabouleh recipe.

Making tzatziki.

Jack kept hopping in the pool to cool off.

Our good luck rooster watched over the kitchen proceedings, as usual.

The table was set with chairs from kitchen, dining room & garden. Set for 24, we ended up squeezing in even a few more!

We had originally planned this long table to be on the pool terrace, under the stars, but the uncertain weather forecast convinced us to move it inside. By rearranging our living room furniture, the table and chairs fit into the room with ample elbow room to boot! Jack had created the generous family-style table by combining our kitchen table, our terrace buffet table and some found plywood - all of which were hidden under the cloth! The tablecloth was made out of ikat fabric I had originally purchased for curtains - but hey, now we have a fabulous tablecloth for years to come.

Our first guests, Dan & Lisa, arrived late afternoon, prepared for a storm which - thank heaven - never materialized.

The fire was started several hours ahead of dinner time, in order to have beautiful hot coals, rather than a roaring fire, under the grill.

The pig is first roasted skin side down. The thick skin keeps the meat really juicy and tender inside.

 Heavy leather gloves needed!

 Jack constantly basted the pig - both sides.

Taking the internal temp - almost done!

Sadie & Tino, doubtless thinking: if we wait really patiently, will we get to join in the feast?

The smoked pork shoulder was first seared on the grill, then smoked for 5 hours over hickory chips and a handful of star anise. In the end, this had more flavor than the grilled pig, which was tender and sweet, but lacked that certain je ne sais quoi.

 Three generations - my mom Nora, brother Dick and daughter Madeleine.

 My sister-in-law, Lucy with cousin, Kent and his friend, Kristin.

 Dear friends from Hingham and Hull - Debby, Dan, Lisa, Woody & Sue.

 Drake shows Dolores and Renato his new camera.

 

What a group!

Pitas, both wood-grilled and smoked pork, hummus, tzatziki, curried carrot salad, tabouleh, roasted onions/garlic/other veggies, sweet onion/apple/grape chutney, Mom's famous mustard mousse, roasted eggplant dip, roasted red pepper/tomato sauce, and more!

Drake's friend Lora had probably never imagined a family could take so many pictures of food!

Two platters of pork - one smoked pork shoulder, the other wood-grilled whole pig.

The pork has been served - Jack announces "tutti a tavola!"

My nephew, Dickon, looks over shoulders as Drake explains the various dishes.

Late arrivals, Robert & Mary, just in time for the meal...and with a surprise dessert!

One of our centerpieces - fresh basil varieties from Renato's & Dolores's orto (kitchen garden).

 Drake demonstrates that the pita should be loaded with tzatziki, and eaten with gusto!

 The first of many toasts. Chin chin!

All three of our kids made the nicest, heartwarming toasts - Jack and I were smiling from ear to ear. And I didn't even cry (at least not that I can remember).

A lovely gift from the Italian contingent - much appreciated.

Above: pear frangipane tartes.

I had made six pies (four varieties) for the festivities....all in all employing more than 3 lbs. of butter. 

My other pies included Chocolate Pecan, Lemon Blueberry and Seasonal Fruits with Pastry Cream. Eager guests began sampling the selections before I had plated them!

An amazing addition to the desserts table: Robert & Mary's triple goat cheese cheesecake.

********

Brunch the following morning was a collaborative effort again. Drake and Giles made Eggs Benedict with a twist - smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon, including capers and red onions.

...and fresh-picked tomatoes.

There was only one regretful aspect to this great party weekend - a few of our best friends and family could not join us, due either to the hurricane or to other previous family engagements. So we can't be blamed for already thinking ahead to the next gathering which will include them, as well!

...Then our house will REALLY feel complete!