Daring Cooks' August 2012 Challenge: Cornmeal

Bri's and my road trip is finally over.  After a quick trip to Niagara Falls in the morning, we made the 9ish hour drive back to Chicago.

There was even a rainbow! 

Niagara Falls was absolutely stunning.  We did the Maid of the Mists boat ride and got to actually see the falls by going through the mists! It was just amazing.  Then, we had a quick breakfast at a local diner and headed out to make our way back to Chicago.

It feels just amazing to be home! Plus, I got home just in time for the Daring Cooks' August challenge!  This month's host was Rachael of pizzarossa.  She challenged us to broaden our knowledge of cornmeal and make something fantastic.  She provided a bunch of different examples of recipes using cornmeal and suggested doing something we love with a little twist: use cornmeal!

Well, I love desserts and Bri loves tomatoes.  Then, when I arrived home, I discovered some gorgeous garden tomatoes that our friends had brought over to our house.  So, I decided to use a cornmeal pie crust recipe that Rachael provided, but make a tart, and use up those gorgeous tomatoes.  So, we have a dessert like thing, using cornmeal, and incorporating tomatoes.  It sounds like a fantastic plan to me!

Tomato Tart
(crust adapted from Rachael Thew)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 2/3 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
For the filling:
5-6 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere (I had a cheddar-gruyere blend)
2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring the water for the crust to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir in the cornmeal and cook over low until smooth.  Stir in the olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
2. Spread the crust mixture in an oiled tart pan and using wet fingers, spread the dough out to cover the bottom and the sides.  Set aside to cool for about 15-20 minutes.  Then, broil on high in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
3.  Spread the gruyere in the tart, place tomatoes on top, sprinkle basil over everything, and finally, top with the parmesan.  Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy :)