Buttered Ginger Tomato Toast

This is a luscious treat when you want fresh flavors and a smaller meal although it’s not necessarily the healthiest way of preparing tomatoes. Make sure you use tomatoes that are very ripe for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
Sliced pumpernickel bread (or rye bread)
1 pound tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tbsp unsalted butter (or mix butter with olive oil)
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thin pieces
1 small shallot (finely chopped)
¼ cup leek, cut in thin slices and slightly chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese (shredded)
Fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions:
1. Heat a large skillet on medium with the butter added. As soon as butter stops foaming, add the ginger, shallot and leek. Let it cook for about a minute to bring out the flavors.
2. Add the tomatoes and let it cook until tomatoes are juicy and just warmed through. Stir occasionally with a large spoon while the tomatoes are cooking. This will only take a couple of minutes.
3. Add soy sauce, half of the parmesan and salt before giving it one final stir.
4. Serve on pumpernickel toast with a dollop of crème fraîche. Top with leek, cilantro, and Parmesan. A little freshly ground black pepper on top will also help bring out more of the flavors.

Variation:
– Replace half the butter with olive oil

Mango-Cherry Crisp

While cherries and mangoes are still in season, I love making this delicious dessert for a summer night dinner. It’s easy and simple to make! You can of course make variations using different fruits, but I find that this flavor combination works quite well. You don’t need to use both red and rainier cherries. It works well using one or the other. I have not tried this using frozen fruit, but there is no reason why that would not work well also.
Try it out and let me know how yours turned out in the comments below!

Some pistachios on top and it will be ready to serve

Here is the recipe. It makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1 mango (sweet yellow is best, but any mango works)
12-15 sweet red cherries
4-8 Rainier cherries
3 oz. Aperol liquor
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp corn starch
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup butter (Don’t skimp on this!)
1 tbsp all purpose flour
3 tbsp shelled roasted pistachios (unsalted)
¼ tsp cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Peel and cut the mango into cubes. Remove the pits from the cherries and place it all in a bowl with 2 oz. Aperol and stir before letting it sit for about an hour.
2. Mix oats, butter, flour, honey, 1 tbsp pistachios, and sugar into a paste.
3. Mix 1 oz of Aperol with ¼ – ½ tsp corn starch. Heat the fruit mixture in a sauce pan on medium heat with the Aperol corn starch mix while simmering until you get a slightly creamy consistency. About 4-5 min. Add 1 tbsp pistachios and the maple syrup to the mix and stir.
4. Rub a thin layer of butter on the bottom and sides of four 6 oz. ramekins (or a larger bowl if you prefer making one big dish). Portion the fruit mix into the ramekins, making sure there is some space at the top. Roll the oatmeal/butter paste into small chunks/balls and place on top of the fruit mix in a thin layer, allowing some space for the fruit to “breathe”. Bake for about 15 minutes in 350 degrees until the top looks crispy. If you are making a larger dish, let it bake for 20-25 minutes to get the right crispiness.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes and then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and decorate with pitted Rainier cherries. You can also add some whipped cream on top of the ice cream or just substitute it for the ice cream. Drizzle Aperol and the remaining pistachios on top. (Tip: You can boil the Aperol to remove the alcohol before adding it. Just make sure it cools off before serving it.)

Variation:
– Add some pineapple chunks to the fruit mix for a sweeter flavor!