Panzanella Salad With Bacon & Eggs

Now that tomatoes are truly in season and I happened to have a few overripe ones begging to burst on the counter and a day old loaf of bread to boot - I intuitively knew it was time for Panzanella.

Panzanella is an Italian bread salad with cucumbers, onions and tomatoes tossed with red wine vinaigrette and chunky, buttery, garlicky croutons.

I made the croutons early this morning and I'll be frank; it was nearly impossible for me to stop nibbling on them warm from the oven.

Then it hit me.

Soft boiled eggs and bacon! I was imagining the eggs melding with the vinaigrette and tomato juices - and then the salty, crispy bacon folded in.

I was salivating.

So, I made it for breakfast and have enough croutons to make it again for dinner. I am downright giddy.

Panzanella would be great as a side or a main dish for any meal. I think the one thing that might take it over the edge would be to serve it with a plate of some exquisite goat cheese like Capriole's* Piper's Pyramid.

This salad is truly a seasonal delight - don't let summer get away without it.

Panzanella Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Ingredients:

Croutons:
1 rustic country loaf cut up into chunky 1 inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 small cloves garlic, minced

Eggs & Bacon:
2 large eggs either boiled or poached to your preference
3 to 4 thick slices of bacon fried until crisp

Salad:
2 medium tomatoes and all their glorious juices roughly chopped
1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped
1 half large red onion sliced into half moons
handful torn basil leaves

Dressing:
good red wine vinegar & extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Make croutons by gently heating butter, olive oil, garlic and some salt in a sauce pan. Heat for just a few minutes until you can smell the garlic permeate the fat. Do not let garlic brown at all. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Toss in a mixing bowl with bread and use your hands to evenly coat all the croutons. Lick your fingers dry and bow your head in gratitude. Place croutons in the oven on baking sheets at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown and slightly crunchy. They will harden more as they come to room temperature. You will have extra so keep them in a sealed container for later use. You can then re-warm them in the oven for a few minutes if they've gotten any humidity in them.

Cut up tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Toss the tomatoes, cucs, onions and croutons together and add the vinegar and olive oil to taste. I would add a little more vinegar than you think you'll need because it's tang will get absorbed by the bread. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature so flavors can meld. Tear basil and toss in. Slice eggs and crumble bacon and place on top or serve on the side.

*Capriole Goat Cheeses are locally produced in Southern Indiana and sold at Green City Market, Whole Foods and Pastoral in Lakeview and in the Loop on Lake Street.

Patricia Wells' Apricot Honey Tart

Those who know me would agree that I am a fan of the bold gesture. I would put this tart in that category. Like a good piece of statement jewelry. Like renting a villa in Italy and sending your closest friends first class tickets to join you. (Hasn't happened yet, but believe me, it's going to.)

First and foremost, this tart is a stunner. When you trot it out at the end of a meal or at brunch, people will inevitably ask if you really made it. It happened to me again last night. Not only does this tart look, smell and taste like summer, it's also good for the ol' self esteem. Quadroople bonus.

And believe it or not, it's truly easy - even if you've never made a crust before! You can substitute apricots with figs or plums - or any stone fruit. The only extra you'll need is a 12" round fluted tart pan.

This recipe is from the book, Patricia Wells at Home in Provence.

Ingredients:

The Crust
unsalted butter to grease tart pan
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. pure almond extract
1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract
a pinch fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
2 tbsp. finely ground raw almonds (I use my coffee grinder)

The Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream (buy organic!)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. raw honey
1 tbsp. superfine flour such as Wondra

about 1 1/2 pounds fresh apricots (hit your local farmers' market!), pitted and halved, do not peel (I slice mine into moons but for a heavier fruit-to-bite ratio, just halve them)


Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter bottom and sides of tart pan.
3. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar and, with a wooden spoon, stir to blend. Add the almond and vanilla extracts, salt, flour, and stir to form a soft, cookie-like dough. Do not let it form into a ball. (I find mine to be very crumbly and unable to hold into a ball even if it wanted to - it's still OK) Transfer dough into the center of buttered tart pan and using the tips of your fingers, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and sides of the pan. The dough will be quite thin.
4. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the dough is slightly puffy and set about 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle the almonds on the crust. This will prevent it from becoming soggy.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the cream. In a medium-size bowl, combine cream, egg, both extracts and honey and whisk to blend. Then whisk in superfine flour.
6. Starting just inside the edge of the pre-baked pastry pan, neatly overlap the halved or half-moon slices of apricots, cut side up at a slight angle. Make 2 or 3 concentric circles working towards the center. (I ran out of apricots and added a sprinkling of blueberries to fill in the gaps as you can clearly see.)
7. Pour the cream evenly over the fruit. Place in center of oven and bake until the filling is firm and the pasty is deep golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. The apricots will shrivel slightly. Allow to cool before slicing.
8. TASTES GREAT CHILLED THE NEXT DAY!

A Simple Summer Meal

This was my dinner tonight. I shared it with my dear friend, Jocelyn. I had no desire to cook or prepare anything as I had injured my back earlier in the week. So what did I do? I threw together a simple, somewhat seasonal, summer nosh. I have a collection of wood fired tea bowls from the great Chuck Solberg, a potter in St. Paul, Minnesota. I throw all kinds of snacks in those bowls, haul it onto the deck with a beautiful bottle of wine and call it a night.

Top left hand corner we start with the strangely fantabulous Tom Yum Cashews from Trader Joe's. If you like Thai flavors, you will love these. Lemongrass, fish sauce, Kaffir lime leaves - definitely a conversation starter.

Next, the wooden bowl on the right we have roasted salted fava beans from Middle East Bakery in Andersonville. I know, I mention them a lot. I love them. They make a great variety of homemade prepared foods like fava bean dip, hummous, falafel, kibbeh and you can't beat the price on their olives by the pound. I often go there before a trip to Ravinia, to stock up and create a great picnic meal.

Next bowl on the right we have a heaping pile of Michigan cherries from Seedling Fruit.

Below, in the bottom right corner are the remains of a hunk of Persian Fetta. It comes from Australia in a lovely metal tin marinated in olive oil, herbs and big chunks of garlic. Sam's Wine sells it in their deli.

Rounding the corner in the green bowl is the much celebrated pickled asparagus as seen a couple of posts back.

To its left are some brown rice and caraway crackers - both gluten free and delicious.

And finally, the star of the show - Colorouge - a washed rind cow's milk cheese from Colorado available at my favorite neighborhood wine shop - Provenance.