A Gourmet Touch

I have always loved setting a beautiful table . I have to confess that as a child I acted out my wildest table-setting fantasies when my parents gave dinner parties at home. I would raid the cupboards and drawers and use every imaginable item for the table-the fancier the better.
A pretty, creative table setting is...
so inviting for a delightful meal; it is not uncommon for me to use my China dishes for just a regular dinner. I love it! It certainly is a nice change of pace every now and then.

Home-dried Tomatoes. A burst of flavour and colour!

This recipe sounds trouble in the kitchen but it is surprisingly easy. You'll enjoy using dried tomatoes to almost any salad, especially green salads- for a sweet, deep and chewy flavour. They are also wonderful with pasta, or meats. And we love them especially tucked into cheese sandwiches as well.
The piquant Goat cheese goes well with the saltiness of dried tomatoes. Yummy!

Home-dried Tomatoes 

Ingredients

2,5kg ripe but firm tomatoes
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
Olive oil

Directions

Cut the tomatoes in half. Scoop out all the pulp and seeds with a spoon, arranging the tomato cases side by side and cut-side-up as you go. Sprinkle the tomato cases very lightly with sea salt, then place them close together but not touching and cut-side-down on wire racks. Place the racks in a very low oven. Switch on the fan, if you have one*. In a fan oven, the tomatoes should be dry in about six hours. (Otherwise, they will take anything from 8-12 hours. They will shrived to half their size, and are ready when still soft but when most of the moisture has evaporated.
Remove the tomatoes and leave on racks to cool. Use immediately or pack into sterilized glass jars and fill with olive oil.

Tip: If you don't have a fan, insert a skewer to prevent the door from shutting completely. This is most important, as it creates an airflow so that the tomatoes dry rather than cook.
The oven should feel no more than comfortably warm throughout.

The sweet smell of dried tomatoes will just fill your kitchen with heavenly aromas.

I love the earthiness of green salads combined with the dazzling, gem-like beauty of home-dried tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes. Dried tomatoes are very versatile and so delicious. xx