Recently, I haven’t spent time writing.
Sure, I may be throwing new posts on the blog every week and sharing vague details about the ongoings of daily life, but I haven’t been writing. I never started this blog with the intent of being a writer—and I have no disillusions that I qualify to give myself that title—but what I’m saying is, I haven’t been sharing anything above the superficial. So let me try: I went to yoga today, I have a glass of red wine in hand, and I’ve got a few things rattling around in my brain right now.
So first things first: summer. Summer is tomatoes and corn, served in whatever god damn way you want, because it is your right to eat these ingredients as plainly or with as much flair as you want. Summer is also where I fall in love again with my friends in Madison.
I’ve lived in Madison for 13 years now. Let me rephrase that: I’ve lived in Madison longer than I’ve ever lived anywhere else in my life. Seriously. I’ve gone through many life stages here. This is the city I moved to for college—I lived in the dorms, in the crappiest of student apartments and houses where bats were regular visitors and doorknobs fell off front door at least once a week. I met so many wonderful people in school, people I still to this day call best friends, but sadly, they’ve all moved away. I stayed here anyways.
When I graduated from school, I thought I’d end up back in Chicago, but work kept me here and there I met another batch of smart, talented, driven people. We traveled together, commiserated about clients together, and many of us married each other. It was both intense and stressful and exactly what you want in your 20s. But most of us have since left that job, and since the majority of people didn’t have the same ties to Madison as I did, many of them moved away too. Jason and I stayed, as did a few key people. I see them almost every Wednesday night for dinner.
The next phase of my Madison life came when I decided to start my own business. I had—quite literally—no right doing so. I knew so little about what I was doing, but I was determined to find a community of people that could either help me or at least struggle along side me. I found those people, except it turns out, that they’re all super successful entrepreneurs (exhibit Kate, Forrest, Sarah, Gracie and Andrew).
I’ve since closed my business and moved onto bigger and better things (and I’m so happy I did), but this group, they surprise and amaze me every day. The dinner parties with this crowd are quite literally mind blowing. It’s not even that we’re trying to show each other up—it’s just that the the combination of culinary skills in this group is beyond expectation.
I guess what I’m saying is this: Madison, I love you right now. I love you so much that I’m willing to live through your winters. Because when the summer tomatoes ripen, you bring out something crazy in me. Something that makes me gush late on a Tuesday night on a blog instead of taking a shower after yoga.
- ¾ cup ricotta cheese
- 10 basil leaves, minced
- 10 mint leaves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 pound puff pastry, rolled out to a ¼ inch thick and cut into about 12 ~5 by 3 inch rectangles
- 1 egg + ¼ teaspoon cold water, whisked
- 2-3 medium sized heirloom tomatoes, sliced thinly or about 18 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ cup fresh corn kernels
- Maldon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, basil, mint, olive oil, and Parmesan.
- Place puff pastry rectangles on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush each piece generously with egg wash, then use a sharp knife to score a ¼-1/2 inch border around each one.
- Spread a dollop of ricotta mixture into the center of each rectangle and use a spoon to gently spread within the scored border. Sprinkle corn evenly onto each one, then press one large tomato slice or 2-4 cherry tomato halves into the center of each one. Sprinkle generously with Maldon salt and black pepper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and cheese is melty. Let cool slightly before serving.
[…] Tomato Corn Tarts // Tomatoes (heirlooms if you can spare them), Sweet Corn, whatever Herbs you have laying around // I’m not sure there’s anything about these veggies not to love. I love tomatoes. I love sweet corn. I love ricotta and fresh herbs. And I especially love the ease of whipping an elegant dinner together in a flash with a roll of puff pastry. These are heaven on earth. […]
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