Cherry Tomato Pie with Gruyere Crust
- Tomatoe filling
Here is the filling – cherry tomatoes, basic, garlic and onions
Pastry Brush
- Recycled Rolling pin
So we don’t have a rolling pin, but you can always improvise!
Pastry BrushMore of the pastry brush - egg all over his face! Finished!
Here is the finished pie - yummy!
Ready to eat
Ok, here is the recipe – sorry it is not metric, you will have to convert:
MAKES ONE 10-INCH PIE; SERVES 8
Gruyère cheese and cherry tomatoes provide a savory version of that summer classic, the double-crusted fruit pie. Resist the temptation to eat this pie straight from the oven. Wait until it has reached room temperature; the juice from the tomatoes will have had time to collect. Serve it as a light lunch or as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2½ teaspoons sugar
- 1¼ cups grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds assorted cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
Method
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2½ cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 cup grated cheese. Add 1 cup butter pieces; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. With machine running, gradually pour ¼ cup of ice water through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without becoming wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount of the mixture together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.
- Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.
- Place tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss with remaining ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons sugar, and the basil and pepper; when the onion mixture is cooled, add to tomato mixture; toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a deep 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out half the dough into a circle 1 inch larger than the pie plate. (The remaining dough may be frozen up to 2 months for later use.) Transfer rolled dough to top of plate; tuck in edges to seal. Make 3 to 4 small slits in the top crust; form a decorative edge.
- In a small bowl, mix the egg with 1 teaspoon water for an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the crust; sprinkle the crust with the remaining ¼ cup of grated cheese. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch drips; bake until the crust is golden and the insides are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Bring to room temperature, and serve.
1 year later – recovering from back surgery
Today is exactly one year after my back surgery. I cannot believe that it is already a year ago, and I am amazed at my progress over that time. This is a good time to reflect on my experience, and perhaps offer a little guidance to anybody in a similar position.
Disclaimer: I am not in the medical profession, and I have not expert knowledge, so do not do anything without consulting your doctor!
So, let me tell you about my experience over the last year.
What exactly did they do?
A Laminectomy Discectomy – basically the doctor drilled a small hole into the back of my spine (L4), stuck in a pair of tweezers, and removed the broken pieces of disks. While for anybody this is a frightening experience, it is a routine procedure which only takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.
Why?
I slipped a disc. To be more precisely, I ruptured the disc between the L4 and L5 vetebras (lower back). The ruptured piece of disc was pushing onto the nerve which goes into my left leg, resulting in a massive pain in my left leg for several weeks, and while I could walk, it was very difficult. I slipped the disc while loading the dishwasher. Of course this in itself is very low maintenance task, however it was the catalyst. If not that, something else would have caused it. At least I have finally proven that house work is bad for you!
How successful was it?
Extremely. For about a year before the operation, I could tell that my back was not quite right. There was nothing specific that I could put my finger on, but any pressure on my back caused pain. I had previously been running about 10km, and cycling every weekend. However, during this period running even a few hundred metres caused me pain (I could continue to cycle). Even basic back stretches and exercises were painful.
When I woke up after surgery, I was pain free. The pain had completely gone. When the morphine wore off, I was still (am still am) largely pain free.
Completely pain free?
No, I still have a little pain from time to time, especially after sitting for a long time, but in general I have very little pain. If I have any pain, a little pilates or walking helps. In fact, regular walking seems to be the best thing for my back. Any pain I have nowadays is more from back strain than from the slipped disc. Now, I very seldom take any medication for pain.
What about rehab?
One of the most overlooked intervention in back surgery is rehab. The day after my operation, the physio threw me out of bed, and exercises began. After about two months, I started going to classes at the physio to continue to mobilise my back. Now, I still go to weekly pilates or Gyrokinesis classes at the physio, although my focus has (at least internally) shifted from rehab to preventative maintenance of my back. Now, I am doing exercised that I couldn’t do years ago (I can even touch my toes if I have warmed up). Today, I can cycle about 60km without any difficulty, and I can run about 5km. When I need to stop, it is because my legs are tried, and not because of my back.
Would I recommend it?
Surgery is always a scary prospect and never without risk. However the difference this procedure has made in my life is immeasurable. If I had the recommend it to somebody in a similar position, I would definitely do so.
Apple’s shows distain for Internet Explorer
I received the below message while surfing one of the Apple websites – www.me.com. They are being quite clear about their disdain for Internet Explorer, aren’t they?
Apple website message
Considering that yet another security flaw has been found in IE, and we are being advised to switch to another browser while the flaw is corrected, it is not such a bad message after all.
Blogger sued for criticising a business on his website
A blogger is being sued for defamation by the RCI-affiliated Quality Vacation Club (QVC) for criticising it on his website Insights and Rants.
This is of huge interest to be, because I often write about good and bad service in my Orchids and Onions section of my blog site. Personally, I feel that if you don’t open your business to public scrutiny and comment, you should question your business practises and integrity very closely.
According to Independent Online,
Donn Edwards was phoned by a telemarketer last year and told that he had won a car. All he would have to do to claim his prize, he was told, was attend a prize-giving ceremony in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
When he and his wife arrived at the venue, they discovered that the prize-giving ceremony was a QVC marketing presentation at which he and his wife, and the other “guests”, were told to choose a key, after the airing of a video, to determine if he had won the car. He had not.
Edwards wrote about his experience, and his unhappiness about being misled, on his blog.The result of this is that QCV are suing him for damages of R461 500.
Pamela Stein, a partner at legal firm Webber Wentzel Bowens, said the blogger would be able to defend his actions on the basis of fair comment.
“The right of fair comment, along with truth for the public benefit, is one of the fundamental rights of free speech,”“I have no doubt that commentary that is in the consumer’s interests is in the public interest.”
It will be a very sad day if RCI win this court case. Freedom of expression, and the right to tell the truth are fundamental rights. If RCI are concerned about Donn’s views, they have every right to respond, to comment and to tell their side of the story. However, in my opinion, a large organisation suing a single person that is unhappy is not the approach to follow.
Ducks on Vergenoegd Wine Estate
Yesterday we celebrated Lois’ dad’s 70th birthday party at the Pomegranate restaurant at Vergenoegd wine estate. They have turned the old manor house into the restaurant, but have kept several of the rooms and lounges with the original furniture, including a wonderful old grand piano (which would be REALLY wonderful if the gave it even a little maintenance.
Piano at Vergenoegd wine estate
While having lunch, I saw the most strange thing – a duck parade! The farm has about 300 Indian runner ducks living on the farm. These ducks run through the vinyards, looking for snails and small insects to eat. This novel solution to pest control keeps the vineyards pest-free in an environmentally friendly manner.
Ducks on Vergenoegd Wine Estate
So, in the middle of lunch, about 100 ducks came marching through the outside of the restaurnant, much like a class of school children out on a school outing.
Ducks on Vergenoegd Wine Estate
They marched onto the lawns, ate everything in site (at least all the snails), and left. Thinking about it, it sounds more like varsity students than school kids.
Ducks on Vergenoegd Wine Estate
Although they are both noisy and smelly, it is kind-of cute to watch. And I was really glad that I had decided to order the fish and not the duck that was on the lunch menu!
If you get the opportunity to go to the farm, do so. It is not something that you will see everyday!
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