Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict with Tangy Mayonnaise

Do you like Eggs Benedict? Do you love fried green tomatoes? Are you trying to reduce gluten? Well hold on to your hats, because you're going to love this. The recipe looks long, but don't fret, it comes together more quickly than you'd think. I conjured up this recipe for an emergency cupboard-is-bare lunch and made it in less than half an hour. The method for frying the green tomatoes is based on a Bon Appetit recipe for Fried Green Tomato BLTs.

Ingredients:

2 - 4 green tomatoes, depending on size
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
pinch of baking soda
big pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
oil to generously cover frying pan
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4 slices Canadian bacon
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4 eggs
tad of butter
teaspoon or so of water
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1/4 cup light mayonnaise (or whatever you prefer)
juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
another pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Put half the flour in one wide mouth bowl, half in another. To one, add the cornmeal, baking soda and big pinch of salt. Have the beaten egg ready in another bowl. Start heating your oil to a medium/medium high heat. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4" thick. Dredge in the plain flour, then the egg, then the cornmeal mixture. Test one slice of tomato to see if the oil is at the right temperature. The goal is a medium brown green tomato with a crisp exterior, softish interior, and no greasiness. Once the oil's at the right stage, start frying up the tomatoes four slices or so at a time. Don't crowd them! I recommend tongs for flipping. Put finished tomatoes in the 200 degree oven on a paper towel lined baking sheet.

Meanwhile...
Heat the Canadian bacon. The microwave works fine for this; pan fry if you prefer. (Canadian bacon comes fully cooked so taking the chill off is the only issue.)

Also meanwhile...
Cook those eggs. I like to fry them sunny side up. My technique is to melt a little butter over a lowish medium heat in a non-stick skillet, add the eggs, wait for them to start setting, add a bit of water, cover them, and peek/poke at them occasionally until they seem done to my liking.

And furthermore...
Make the tangy mayo. Stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and pinch of salt.

Finally...
Serve how you see fit. Arrange like Eggs Benedict, put it on platters on the table, whatever suits your fancy.

Crock Pot Cornbread

Gluten Free Crock Pot Cornbread

So I made this over the summer when I wanted a corn bread that I didn't have to make in the oven. I also wanted it to be gluten free. My sister-in-law, Sally, has influenced the way I think about wheat. Anyway, I couldn't find any recipes for gluten free crock pot cornbread, so I made one up. It worked!

Ingredients:

1 cup finely ground cornmeal, preferably stone milled
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mild flavored oil, such as canola

Method:

Add oil to crock pot and rub it around the bottom and up a few inches of the sides. Turn crock pot on high. Mix dry ingredients together, then create a well in the middle. Beat the egg in the well. Pour buttermilk into egg, stirring as you go, then stir the whole thing together until smooth.

Let it sit for a while, until slightly poofy...about 10 minutes.

Pour cornbread mixture into crock pot. Cook for at least an hour, probably closer to an hour and a half. The cornbread is done when it starts to brown around the edges. If you like a crustier bread, cook it until it is a little browner. Poke at the middle before turning it off to make sure it is cooked through. Run a knife around the sides and lift it out of the crock pot with a large spatula. You may need to cut it in half first to make it more manageable. Eat it now or cool on a rack.

Brown Butter Raspberry Tart

My friend Kathleen and I made this tart after I saw it on Hungry Bruno's website. I didn't change a thing, and it was delicious. Four of us finished it off in a single sitting.

I won't bother giving the recipe or description here as Hungry Bruno does an excellent job of it.