My clients often ask me for recipes without any form of gluten or starch. We have an abundance of good tomatoes in stock now and large ones can make a complete meal in themselves. I decided that I would make a light, summer supper using ripe tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and some delicious Cantal cheese. This cheese comes from the Massif Central, Auvergne, in the heart of the France. I receive it in a 10kg wedge. The crust is light brown and the centre is a lovely golden colour with a slight crumbly texture. The Cantal that I stock in the shop is the Entre-Deux, which has been aged for 6 months. For my recipe I used beaten egg to make the stuffing and blended in the Cantal and basil. It’s a really simple, tasty dish and satisfies one’s hunger and is easy to digest. I will admit to making some croutons to accompany it but this is of course optional. I decided to serve this dish with a wine from the Auvergne, the same region as Cantal, a Puy de Dome Pinot Noir from Cave Saint Verny. The Massif Central is an old volcanic region and the Pinot Noir enjoys the high altitude. This Pinot Noir is smooth; it has a lovely taste and a dark purple colour.
Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 4 medium to large tomatoes preferably slightly flattened at the stalk end so that they stand upright when baking
- 2 Eggs
- 1 large sprig basil plus extra leaves for decoration
- 50 g Cantal Entre Deux from the French Market shop
- Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano from the French Market shop
- Sliced bread for croutons (optional)
- 1 Bottle of Cave Saint Verny “Puy de Dome Pinot Noir 2011” IGP R160 from the French Market shop
Directions:
- Pre- heat oven to 190 degrees C
- Wash the basil and remove leaves from stalks
- Finely grate the Cantal
- Wipe the outside of the tomatoes clean
- Place them flat bottom side down and slice off the cap from the top, )to get enough space to insert a teaspoon) no more than one third
- Carefdully remove the inside seeds and central flesh so that the tomatio is hollow.
- Scoop out any extra flesh from the tomato cap as well
- Sprinkle a bit of salt on the insides of the tomatoes
- Place cut side down on some kitchen paper towel and drain for about 15 minutes to get rid of extra liquid.
- Break the eggs into the bowl of a kitchen blender, add the basil and grated Cantal, salt and pepper and blend well together for a few minutes.
- Take a baking dish and smear a little olive oil over the base
- Turn tomatoes cut side up
- Place on the baking dish plus the tomato caps
- Carefully fill the tomatoes with the egg mixture and place in the oven
- Bake for about 25 minutes until mixture is firm inside. You can check by carefully pressing one tomato , if egg liquid runs out then continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so
- Place the tomatoes on a plate and put a baked cap over the top of each tomato.
- Decorate plate with some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle with some grated parmigiano and grated black pepper.
- Serve hot
I recommend serving this delicious dish with a glass of Cave Saint Verny, Puy de Dome Pinot Noir 2011 from the Auvergne
Bon Appétit!