Sunday, August 14, 2011

Summer Harvest Continues

The Blast Furnace that has been the Summer of 2011 has finally broken here in the Midwest. Sadly drastic damage has been and continues to be done to America's breadbasket. It's a bizarre mix of disasters, receding flood waters and bone dry crops. Don't be surprised if you see higher beef and bread prices come this fall. Tomato picking has been slim. Luckily for me, house sitting duties include cashing in on the weekly CSA. There were just enough tomatoes to make the second of bon appétit's tomato recipes, Tomato and Cheddar Pie.

tomato1

I was looking forward to making this dish. Tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese all melty and warm nestled deep in a pie crust?

tomato 3

Fairly easy to make as long as you let your tomatoes drain well enough. If not, you'll end up tomato soup pie. However there was a little hitch in this addition to Pie-A-Pooluza and that would be the herb dill. Dill is not an herb I use as frequently as say, basil or rosemary so I didn't really think about the fact that the recipe called for two tablespoons worth of dill.

tomato pie1

Nor did I realize how jarring the taste of sharp cheddar cheese and dill would be together. It's like putting cilantro in a dish and serving it to someone who is virulently anti-cilantro. You know it has to be bad if I suffer through one slice and immediately start planning on company fridge for the rest of the pie's final resting place.

tomato pie2

If you're a big fan of dill, I know where you can get a big ole heaping serving, gratis. I hate to see this go to waste.

11 comments:

the dogs' mother said...

Loves cilantro, even grew it on the deck on summer, and hates dill.

I have two tiny tomatoes left on my plant. I'm hoping that it recovers when temps drop in low 80s and below. Slooowly going down. This year we set a record for not going above 100 degrees. Hasn't happened in the last 30-ish years.

Strange summer for just about everyone, some suffering much more than others.

Big Shamu said...

I am a cilantro fan also and I'm not adverse to dill, it just does not work in this recipe. No siree bob.


You set a record for not going above 100 degrees?

the dogs' mother said...

Yeah, amazingly enough. First week, every August we'd get above 100, up to 105, occasionally 110. Didn't happen this year and we're going back down into the 80s this week. Weather Geeks likes this kind of stuff. Me, too.

MakingSpace said...

Too bad - it's booteeful! I bet cilantro would have actually worked in the dish...

Big Shamu said...

I'm thinking basil. Just not dill.

MakingSpace said...

ooooo basil. yum.

Dani said...

What a bummer!

Dani said...

If you went with a mild cheddar and no dill would it have been good you think?

Big Shamu said...

Dani, I think if you just get rid of the dill it would be fine.

Syd said...

I messed up something with dill when I first started cooking. Have avoided it ever since.

You pie looks delicious though.

Terry and Linda said...

YUUUUMMMMMM!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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