And finally, how about baking up some of those tomatoes? This recipe comes from the “Green Market Baking Book” by Laura Martin. Once you’ve enjoyed it fresh from the oven, you could vary the experience by toasting slices until golden brown.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 small green onions, white parts only, chopped 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus 4 to 6 whole basil leaves 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups milk 2 large eggs 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese 2 tomatoes
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease 4 small loaf pans with olive oil.
In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the green onions and cook until soft. Add the chopped basil and turn off the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and milk with the onion mixture. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring until just blended. Do not overmix.
Divide half the batter among the 4 loaf pans. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks. Divide the tomatoes and place lengthwise down the center of the batter in each pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of goat cheese on top of the tomatoes. Top with 1 or 2 whole basil leaves. Divide the remaining batter among the 4 pans.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on a wire rack.