Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I want to go everywhere I haven't been, and back to everywhere I have been.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata...and He's Home!

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Can you tell a bouillabaisse from a cioppino?
A pierogi from a knish?
A galette from a crostata? 

I'll admit to you that I had to look up the difference between 
a galette and a crostata,
and what I found is that they are pretty much the same thing.
Both are rustic, free-form tarts, with the filling piled in the center, 
and the crust folded up around the edges.
The French version is a galette; the Italian version is a crostata.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

This summer, I just didn't feel like cooking much, and wanted only simple meals.
Who am I kidding, I never feel like cooking, but I can get away 
with it more in summer while Junior Goo Shoes is at camp.
 I turned to my Summer Recipes board for inspiration, and when this Tomato Crostata popped up from The Suburban Soapbox,
I knew it was exactly what I was in the mood for.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

I actually made it twice.
The first time I sprinkled the cheese on top, which made it more like a pizza.
 I used too much, and felt that the cheese overwhelmed it,
The next time, I used less cheese, and put it underneath the tomatoes.
I can't believe I am saying this, but I preferred it this way.
Considering that my life motto is "Never Too Much Cheese,"
this was shocking to me. 
But, in this case, the tomatoes needed to be the star, 
while the cheese had to be content with, er, not be the 'big cheese'. 

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes
 This was so tasty, and comes together in minutes.
It needs to bake about 20-25 minutes, and then cool another 10-15 minutes,
so it doesn't fall apart when you serve it.
Besides, it tastes much better warm, or at room temperature, than hot.

Add a salad, or corn-on-the-cob, and ring the dinner bell!
(Does anyone actually have a dinner bell?
Ours sounds remarkably similar to me yelling "DINNER'S READY!")
 If you've got more tomatoes than you know what to do with, 
I'd recommend that you give this a try. 
The recipe serves three normal people, four people with small appetites,
and two, if you're me and Mr. Goo Shoes. 
You'll have to figure that part out on your own.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

  In other news, Junior Goo Shoes came home from camp on Sunday!
He had a great time, but is really trying to come to grips 
with the fact that this was his final summer.
He's spent the last few days holed up in his room, 
face-timing and snap-chatting with his camp friends. 
He surfaces every now and then, around meal time, 
which is when we get to hear some of his camp stories.
He had two shining moments this summer...
one was when he broke the home run record 
in the big baseball game of the summer (three!)...

Sorry about the blurry face - he's shy!

The other was when he and a friend wrote a song for the final "sing" competition, and they were the BIG winners!
That's him in the blue-green shirt, hugging the girl he wrote the song with.
It warms my heart to see how happy the other kids were for them...
and THAT is EXACTLY why I love (and will miss) this camp so much!

More blurry faces - they're all shy!

And here is EXACTLY why you will love this crostata --
It's easy and delicious!
'Nuff said.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostata
Recipe adapted from The Suburban Soap Box

1 ready-made pie crust (such as Pillsbury or Trader Joe's)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of ground pepper
3-4 small tomatoes (I used four plum tomatoes)
3 oz. crumbled goat cheese (reserve 1 tablespoon).

Preheat oven to 425°.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, lay out the pie crust dough. It should be approximately 1/8" thick. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Spoon half the olive oil mixture into the center of the dough, and spread evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge free of oil (the dough won't stick properly when it's folded over, if it's oiled). 
Drop the crumbled goat cheese all over the dough, leaving a one-inch border around the edge. 
Arrange the tomatoes over the cheese in the center of the dough, leaving a one-inch border around the edge. 
Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of goat cheese over the tomatoes.
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the tomatoes. 
Fold up the edges of the dough over the tomatoes and crimp the edges. (The center of the tomatoes will not be covered).
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown and crispy, and tomatoes look cooked.
Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. 
Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata - Add a salad and you've got a nice light supper! | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes





17 comments:

  1. We are on the same wavelength these days, for more than one reason.

    Love this!!! Can't write more now...

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  2. Looks great and I would make it but the hubby won't eat tomatoes. Help drink my red gravy, eat sundried when I cook with them but the real thing forget it. He's married to a 100% Italian girl so I love crostata. Doesn't have to be perfect

    Cindy

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  3. Sorry about that, but I was driving while hubby pumped some gas and he was done.

    Anywho...like so many others, I have some tomatoes right now and basil so this might be something I'll make, but I have to get the pie crust.

    Sounds like your son has mixed feelings about leaving camp. It's always bittersweet knowing you won't see friends you've known for years, but that's part of growing up I suppose.

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  4. We are on the same wavelength these days, for more than one reason.

    Love this!!! Can't write more now...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Amy,
    I love this tomato recipe and it's the perfect summer meal! Thanks for sharing this. I will have to make this for dinner sometime.
    I would love to have you join & share this at our link party!
    Take care and enjoy the rest of the week.
    Julie xo

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  6. Isn't it great that he is friends with camp friends! I remember making good friends at camp and vowing to be pen pals for life--FB was not even dreamed of in those days and we lost track of each other.

    Yum, that crostata looks good!

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  7. This looks delicious! Eating a tomato sandwich while I was reading, lol...will certainly have to try this.

    So nice that he had a great time at camp!! :)

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  8. That looks so good! I wish I could taste it right now. Glad to hear that your son is back from camp. I'm sure he will always remember those summers away.

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  9. This looks delicious Amy and I'm with you about not wanting to do much cooking in this heat!! That camp experience is invaluable and looks like an excellent program and lots of success stories. Our kids just grow up far too quickly but I'm sure his next stage/adventure will be equally exciting for him and you!

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  10. This recipe is for me!! While I make some heavy, fattening man-food for my husband and son, this is what I will be eating. Yum!! My son opted out of camp this year. It would have been his last year and he would have graduated. He was encouraged and uplifted there.....go figure. He just turned 17, so maybe the hormones are messing with him!! How nice to have your boy back....congrats to him for his accomplishments!

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  11. Hi Amy - gosh, that recipe looks delicious and easy, a big plus for me!!! Happy your son is home safe and sound from camp. Love the friends and memories you make at camp! Thanks bunches for stopping by my blog and for your kind comments. Have a wonderful weekend! Jane

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  12. Our found a little sign for my daughter that says. "I don't get homesick, I get campsick." I am guessing your son feels the same way. It gives me goosebumps to think about her "last camp year" which is many years away, but will be here before we know it I am sure. Thanks for sharing these precious moments with us!

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  13. Lovely post Amy, looks a great recipe.

    ... and how good to have your son back.

    All the best Jan

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  14. Lovely post Amy, looks a great recipe.

    ... and how good to have your son back.

    All the best Jan

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  15. Oh wow...this sounds delicious!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  16. This looks delicious. It's a great recipe for late summer when there is an abundance of tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete

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