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Corn-Fried Tomato, Herbed Cream Cheese, Spinach, Lemon-Basil Oil

Recipe serves: 2

A Little Background

        At least I know that someone enjoys these articles. Week in and week out, our dog, Sadie, has an intuition for which dogs are famed.
        She seems to know when I am writing an article, and more often than not is the lucky recipient of an unguarded plate of food as I sit at my desk in the other room working on the plate photography. At least I have the picture on-disk when she helps herself to the weekly nourishment.
        This week was no different, but I was a bit disappointed when she ate the corn-fried tomatoes, as I was really looking forward to digging in after I knocked the written assignment out.
        More and more, fried tomatoes are appearing on menus. Some restaurants stick with green tomatoes, one of my favorites, and others fry ripe tomatoes to serve as croutons to be placed under steaks, replacing the traditional bready crouton of yesteryear.
        As southern as it gets, we had amazing fried green tomatoes in the Carolinas at a franchise restaurant spread throughout the Southern states on our way back up from Disney World, a surprise respite after a long and arduous trip on which everyone fell ill on New Year’s Eve.
        As far as food on the trip was concerned, it was the tomatoes that still stick out in my mind more than any other food. While all of the food at this restaurant was made from scratch every day (a noble feat for a chain), it was the notion of Fried Green Tomatoes on Creamy Grits that settled my frazzled nerves, and for that I am ever-grateful.
        But what is it about a fried tomato that makes it so special? Perhaps it’s the combination of the steamy hot-sweet tomato counter-balanced with the acidity for which these great fruits are known.
        The crust, when done correctly, is a welcome contrast to the soft and gooey tomato, which softens considerably in the cooking process (in this case, I used fine corn flour to add a great layer of flavor and texture to the dish).
        Maybe it is the lemon-basil oil, made fresh in your kitchen with herbs from your garden. Or, mayhap it is all of these things together in the form of the ultimate comfort food, just waiting to please the palate and soothe the soul after a long push at work or on the road.
At least knowing that Sadie enjoyed it makes me happy, but it was irritating as it usually is. When I get home, at least I know that I can cook this for my wife and guarding it from the dog, sit and relax, and ponder not only the classic simplicity of the dish, but also that of my dog’s mind.
        But then again, she eats well every Sunday night, and I keep letting her, so I must be honest and ask which one of us has the simpler wit.

What you'll need

2 lg. vine-ripe tomato, cut evenly into thick slices
1 ea. Whole egg
S&P to taste
150 g (5 oz) AP Flour
150 g (5 oz) Finely ground corn flour (Masa works great)
EV Olive oil to shallow fry
2 generous handfuls Raw Spinach
5 ml (1 tsp) butter/ 1 tsp. EV Olive Oil
Splash of Sherry
60 ml (¼ c) cream cheese
30 ml (2 Tbsp) Sour cream
Approximately 75 ml (5 Tbsp) finely chopped fresh garden herbs
45 ml (3 Tbsp) EV Olive Oil
60 ml (¼ c) Fresh basil leaves, whole
The peel of ½ a fresh lemon

Chefspencil.com - Corn-Fried Tomato, Herbed Cream Cheese, Spinach, Lemon-Basil Oil

What to do
For the Tomatoes

Set up a breading station in the following order: 1-flour, 2-egg wash, 3-corn flour
Dredge (dust) the tomato slices, one at a time, in the flour
Shake off the excess, drop into the egg wash, and make sure that it adheres to as much surface as possible
Move the tomato over to the corn flour and coat, pressing it on. This does not have to be perfectly sealed, since we are not deep frying it
Heat your EV olive oil in a frypan large enough to carry your tomato slices
Fry the tomatoes on a high heat, making sure not to splash, splatter or otherwise harm yourself with flying smoking-hot grease
Set aside on paper towels, when golden brown, until service
When ready, alternate layers of tomato, spinach and cheese mixture and garnish with the lemon-basil oil

For the Sautéed Spinach

In a sauté pan, heat the oil and butter
When very hot, add the spinach and stir for about 5 seconds
Pull off the heat and hit with a splash of Sherry
Adjust seasoning and set aside until ready to plate-up

For the Herbed Cheese

Cream together all ingredients and adjust seasonings to your taste

For the Lemon-Basil Oil

Add the oil, basil and lemon peel to the cup of a blender
Pulse and then blend until your herbs and peel are well combined
Season to taste

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Recipe By Paul Suplee
Styling By Paul Suplee
Photography By Paul Suplee
© Chef's Pencil 2007