Fresh from the Weekend Market

If living my dream, I would have shopped in a Provencal market town this weekend!

Instead, I headed to my Saturday morning favorite Summer outdoor market, just a few minutes from the house. I pre-ordered two bunches of that wonderful Swiss Chard (see my post of June 24 - Eat Your Greens ) from Dean, see me hugging it close in the little pic on my sidebar! He also had tiny sweet onions for roasting, just picked zucchini....and he gifted me with the last two remaining Japanese eggplants on his table. At another stand I bought regular and heirloom tomatoes, light purple eggplants wearing their pretty chartreuse "jackets" and, although not shown here, freshly picked North Carolina blueberries for morning yogurt and cereal.

Dig out the cookware.......crank up the stove, even though it's in the 90's, (and be thankful for the person who invented air conditioning)..............gather recipes together to use these lovely veggies, sauteing some, oven roasting others.

This is a new book just received this past week. I'm going to love it....................because I will be shopping the Provencal markets in October. Markets of Provence ~ A Culinary Tour of Southern France is a fabulous book that anyone planning to visit Provence can use as the perfect guide to the market towns. Photography is beautiful ~ there is so much information on the best markets ~ the recipes look interesting ~ and, most important, directions for driving one of those little French cars up and down the Luberon Mountains to visit the market towns, and then find a parking place, will be shared................hopefully!

I baked tarts like these below earlier this week (the recipe from an old issue of UK Country Living) served with Leek and Fennel soup, they were a hit. Lovely in-hand food for home or picnic ~ bake larger sizes topped with a few salad leaves and a wedge of creamy cheese for a meal ~ or smaller versions to serve with chilled drinks as appetizers. You can play with these and make them fun. I'm banking on those heirloom tomatoes from the market looking pretty and tasting good on these tarts.

TOMATO TARTS

For the basic tarts:-
360g Puff Pastry (I used two sheets of Pepperidge Farm which are good and easy)
Dijon Mustard ("Pass the Grey Poupon")
About 6 med. size tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 egg yolk blended with 1 Tblsp. water
Sea salt, black pepper
Finely shaved Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F
Defrost pastry as per package.
Roll out thinly on lightly floured work surface.
Cut out 6 - 6" circles using a bowl or plate, arrange on a couple of baking trays.
Spread a little Dijon in the center of each circle to within 1/2" from rim.
Arrange tomato slices in overlapping circle.
Brush surrounding rim with egg wash.
Season lightly with salt and pepper, top with a few slivers of Parmesan and tiny drizzle of oil.
Bake 15 mins. until golden and risen.
Serve hot or cold.

Think I'll make another batch of these over the 4th of July! What tasty foods will you be cooking for the holiday?