The Summer of Yellow Tomatoes
“ I remember that the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother. They were beckoning mountains with brown grass love.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
We are in the grasp of our Indian Summer. Mercifully, we finally have sunshine with mid-day warmth. I have ripening tomatoes but the fog wore down my zucchini plants. Seriously who has problems growing zucchini? My Early Girl tomatoes are just now starting to ripen and don’t understand the definition of early. If they had a plane to catch they’d never make it on time! But I have lots and lots of yellow tomatoes! And yellow tomatoes pair perfectly with sweet red corn.
Red corn? Yes Ruby Jewel, red corn grown nearby in Paicines, California by Colorful Harvest. Grown for nutrition, flavor and color, Colorful Harvest produces the most vibrant hued vegetables you can find at the grocery store. In addition to red corn, find their purple or orange cauliflower, rainbow hued carrots or amazing violet broccoli waiting to add a punch of color and flavor to your next vegetable recipe. Their company story is unique. Finding his daughter had many food allergies the company founder began searching for whole foods his daughter could safely eat. With a boost in nutritional value from the intense colors, these heirloom vegetables can now be found at the local supermarket.
An early morning trip to Paicines revealed the most robust ears of corn I have ever seen. When Doug McFarland, Director of Marketing revealed the voluptuous, glossy red kernels wrapped in their silky chartreuse husks it was difficult not be astonished. Although I have enjoyed succulent corn all summer none compares in vibrancy and splendid sweetness to the Ruby Jewel Colorful Harvest shared with me.
Essentials
It is at the end of October that the full force of fall will descend on the central coast of California. Until then I suggest indulging in every last sweet ear of corn and freshly harvested tomato that you possibly can. Fresh thyme with corn is a favorite flavor pairing that melds with tomatoes and Manchego cheese for a delectable savory galette. Enveloped in a buttery cornmeal crust there is enough summer swagger in a slice of the galette to stave off the chill of autumn for a few more weeks.
After hearing so much about the tender flaky results of adding vodka to pie crust or Pate Brisee dough I gave it a try in this recipe. I really didn’t notice a difference, but with the addition of the heavier, more coarsely ground cornmeal, it couldn’t hurt. Tender tart and pie crusts are all about leaving big pieces of butter (or other fat) in the dough, keeping the fat and liquid cold, not overworking the dough and chilling the dough before rolling it out to bake. With those tips a successful crust is all yours! If you wish, reverse the colors of the galette filling by using red tomatoes and yellow corn.
| Cornmeal Crust | |
| 10gr/2T | vodka |
| 110gr/1/2C | ice water |
| 300gr/2-1/2C | all-purpose flour |
| 80gr/1/2C | cornmeal |
| 3gr/1/2t | salt |
| 226gr/1C | unsalted butter |
| 115gr/1/2C | full fat sour cream |
| Red Corn and Yellow Tomato Filling | |
| 1C | grated Manchego cheese |
| 3 | large yellow tomatoes cut into thick slices |
| 2/3 C | red corn, from one ear of corn |
| 2t | fresh thyme |
| 3 | sprigs fresh thyme |
- In a measuring cup or small bowl mix together the vodka and ice cold water.
- In the bowl of a food processor (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) pulse (mix) together the flour, cornmeal and salt. Cut the cold butter in cubes and add the cubes to the dry ingredients. Pulse (mix) until the butter is the size of small coins: pennies, dimes and nickels. For a flaky crust do not break the majority of butter into any smaller pieces. Dump the contents of the food processor bowl into a large mixing bowl. Add the sour cream to the bowl and combine with the flour mixture. The dough will be dry with large clumps. Fold in the vodka and water mixture. Be sure to scrape down to the bottom of the bowl to mix all the ingredients together. Do not over mix. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Bring the dough together in a large ball and knead two or three times; just until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Do not over handle the dough. Cut the ball in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap each disk individually in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours before making the galette. (I used one disk of pastry for this recipe, and froze the other disk to use later.)
- Heat the oven to 375°. Cover a sheet pan with parchment.
- With a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface roll out the dough in a large circle approximately 1/8” to 1/4” thick. Don’t be dissuaded by any large pieces of butter as you roll out the dough. Add a little flour and keep rolling. Those pieces of butter will make the flaky in your crust. Fold the circle of dough in half and transfer to the parchment lined sheet pan. Center the dough in the middle of the sheet pan. Unfold the dough back into a large circle. Leaving a border of 2 inches, sprinkle the Manchego cheese evenly across the center of the circle of dough. Arrange the tomatoes slices in a single layer on top of the cheese. Reserve a tablespoon of corn and sprinkle the rest across the top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of thyme across the corn and tomatoes. Fold the 2 inch border of dough toward the center of the galette. Overlap the folds of dough to keep the galette in the shape of a circle.
- Bake the galette for 35-40 minutes. The crust will be a deep warm brown with golden yellow undertones and the tomatoes will be steaming. Sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of corn and thyme sprigs across the baked galette. Cool slightly before serving.
Colorful Harvest shared freshly picked Ruby Jewel, red corn with me. This is not a sponsored post; the recipe and opinions are my own.
I’ve never seen more gorgeous colors in tomatoes and corn Deb! They switched! Your comments about growing zucchini and early tomatoes made me snort! Stunning galette my friend.
Thank you Paula! We just love our foggy summers!
Talk about beautiful colored food! Your yellow tomatoes with the Ruby Jewell red corn has to be one of the prettiest combination of colors I’ve seen and baked in a galette-even better!! Sorry about your zucchini crop but that for is just not hot weather garden friendly! I’m thinking about planting garlic this week- will see what the fog does to that crop 😉
Thank you for the lovely comment Patty, much appreciated!
Deb, these yellow tomatoes are gorgeous! And they look so pretty on a tart! What a winner!
Thank you Julia!
A cornmeal crust…gorgeous produce…and a quote from East of Eden? This post wins on so many levels. Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad I found your blog!
Thank you Monet! I’m pleased you found my blog 🙂
Manchego is my favorite cheese on the planet! This is such a pretty, rustic dish — I love the way the corn kernels almost look like pomegranate seeds! They sparkle.
Thank you Valentina! The red corn is pretty spectacular!
This galette is gorgeous. I have never seen red corn. Great way to take advantage of late summer harvest.
Thank you Shulie! the red corn is fabulous!
This looks fantastic!
Thank you Jennifer!
Beautiful photography, and a brilliant idea for an autumn galette!
Thank you Antoinette!
the red corn speckling this beautiful tomato galette makes me so happy! I’ve not seen red corn up here in ages; i wonder if it’s something we just don’t get, or if it’s something i need to hunt for. just beautiful; so vibrant, Deb. i love it. you keep making things that make me question whether fall is my favorite season for food, or maybe if late summer deserves the title. 🙂
Thank you Shannon! Our summer warmth is always late. It finally arrives in September and October. With so much lush fall cooking and baking arriving in September and October I always feel a half a season behind! But I do very much enjoy the flow of late summer into early fall as we have the best of both seasons!
GORGEOUS tomatoes, Deb. And a wonderful-looking dish as well. My mouth is watering!
Thank you Viviane!
Deb, those colours! This is such a vibrant and sweet looking dish that captures summer. That red corn looks like pomegranate! I’ve never tasted it, is it different to yellow corn? I wonder where I can get some from; looks gorgeous. Nice work Deb xx
Thank you for the gracious comment Denna! The red corn has bigger kernels that are not as “milky” as the yellow corn I usually purchase. It is sweet, but not as sweet as yellow corn. My local grocery stores carry Colorful Harvest red corn packed in a yellow tray, covered in clear wrap.
Deb, I’m coming to California. Between you, Carol Sacks & a few others, I’m not leaving either.
Deal with it.
I will do the dishes.
Oh Gail! You are welcome any time! Just bring cookies with a “California” theme! We’ll gladly cook whatever is in season for you! And I really don’t mind doing dishes either!
What absolutely gorgeous pictures of both the galette and the corn fields.
Thank you so much Denise, I appreciate your lovely comment!
My oh my, I’m on my way. Save me a slice of that gorgeous galette!
The galette has vanished! If you bring the salad I’ll make another galette! I have more dough in the freezer waiting for inspiration….
Oh my Deb, what a beautiful galette! I must confess, I didn’t know red corn existed, at least not for eating. I will now be on a quest to get my hands on some. The Indian Summer shines forth in your photos, all warm and golden. Lovely!
Thank you Mary! My local grocery store has the Ruby Jewel, red corn tucked away, but they do stock it. It comes wrapped in a flat tray and covered with cellophane. I hope you give it a try, I was amazed by the product.
Late summer corn and tomatoes are a match in heaven. I love the idea of a galette – so rustic and pretty.
Thank you for the delicious comment Lynda!
Such a colorful savory galette!
Thank you Laura!
That galette is just about the prettiest food I have ever seen. With that stunning red corn and gorgeous dough, I just want to bite into some right now. How taunting and terrible that I can’t! Your photos are just breath taking!
Geni thank you so very much for the lovely comment! I appreciate your kindness!