post-Grilling session

'Twas fun making dinner as usual !

The teriyaki salmon has been better. It was cooked well, but Wife said that she used the Publix version of the marinade, and she likes the McCormack's version better. Also, she said that she should've turned the filets over one more time for more caramelization.

The fresh corn, brined in the husks for a couple of hours, probably should have been cooked longer. Home-made garlic butter brushed on helped, but we've made better versions of that, too. (The garlic bread turned out fine.)

My favorite dish was clearly my labor of love - - -

The Tomates à la Japonaise (Tomatoes Stuffed with Panko, Herbs, and Garlic) Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, from the previous post, recipe included.

There were three good-looking beefsteak tomatoes to serve us three. It turns out that, upon slicing them open, they were not as beautiful on the inside. I made cups out of the resulting 6 halves. It was probably intended by the recipe author that the little section walls be retained, after seeding and juicing, but I removed them. I seasoned the cups first with a bit of salt and pepper, and put in the mixture I'd assembled.

The mixture got SLIGHTLY off-course when I realized that the Panko crumbs were "Italian seasoned" instead of plain. Already awry, I decided to make up my own version. I added some herbs - 6 leaves of out-of-the-yard basil, some fresh oregano, and some fresh flat-leaf parsley. I used the dunk in boiling water method (microwaved in a plastic measuring cup this time, instead of boiling water on the stovetop), and then shocked them in an ice bath. They kept that nice green color - that's certainly worth the extra couple of minutes effort.

I minced three cloves of garlic, diced one-half roasted red pepper, and chopped up six Kalamata olives. A half of a tablespoon of chive cream cheese was dolloped into the bottom of each cup. Then I seasoned with salt & pepper, and spooned the bread crumb mixture into the tomato halves and topped with a splash of EVOO (you prob. know that Rachel Ray coined that acronym and got a certificate from the editor of some big dictionary when they added it). I want my own entry in a dictionary !

I oiled the grill grates and put the cups on for about 15 minutes. The tomato skin had blackened, and, once plated, it was easy to cut down into the tomato and just fork up the good stuff. Outstanding flavor, and a good combination of ingredients, if I do say so myself. This summer tomato recipe is a "keeper".

p.s. - R. asked that a raw version be produced alongside, next time...