Tomato Cobbler with Blue Cheese Biscuits

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I know what youre thinking. You really dont even have to say it. I put the words tomato and cobbler in the same recipe title. Clearly something has gone wrong here. How can it be cobbler without peaches, blueberries, strawberries or maybe even some sort of salty bacon topping? How can it be cobbler without crunchy oats and cinnamon?

Trust me I definitely had my reservations when it came to this recipe. I like tomatoes. but how much do I reeaallly like tomatoes. If I pick around all the big tomato chunks in my dads spaghetti sauce does that mean this dish is going to stress me out? Wait. There are biscuits involved. Do biscuits rescue any dish? Yes. They do. its go-time.

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These tomatoes are a big deal. Theyre juicy and sweet. Theyre amazing plain or roasted. Theyre just begging to be fussed over. Really they need no biscuit salvation. Theyre divine on their own.

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Tomatoes arent the only star of the show. Fresh basil, loads of sliced garlic, and balsamic are also a big deal in this simple recipe.

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Beyond the sweet summer tomatoes, caramelized onions also play a leading role. They add a very grounding element to the sweet acidity of the dish. Luscious, I tell you. Dang luscious.

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The seasoned herb, onion, and tomato mixture is tossed with a bit of flour that will act as a thickener. Toss it in the oven for a bit of pre-roasting while the biscuits are made and shaped. Your house will smell fantastic-o!

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Another day. Another biscuit.

You know how it goes around here.

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This time around were adding buttermilk and blue cheese.

The cheese happens to be a Danish buttermilk blue cheese. Swoon for real.

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Biscuit dough is lightly kneaded and shaped.

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And cut into perfectly imperfect circles.

I had a few extra biscuits that didnt fit in the cobbler pan. Those went in the freezer, unbaked, for future-brunc! h.

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Brush biscuits with buttermilk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Get this goodness baking again!

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Golden brown biscuits and warm, bursting tomatoes. If there were ever any doubt about the deliciousness of this recipe, about whether or not tomatoes could be substantial enough to carry a dish. that all goes right out the window at this very moment.

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Call your friends this dish is dang good. Its equal parts light and hearty. Its sweet and savory. The blue cheese tang is out of this world in the tender biscuits. This dish is ultimately satisfying. This would be the perfect dish to bring to a summer potluck for a more substantial and hearty feel. Who wants to bring the girl with the banana-heavy fruit salad? No one wants to be that girl. Step it up!

Tomato Cobbler with Blue Cheese Biscuits

serves 6

inspired by Martha Stewart and the Clinton St Bakery Cookbook

Print this Recipe!

For the Biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

3 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold and cut into cu! bes

< p>1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

For the Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large onions, sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 pounds cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and coarsely ground black pepper

To make the Biscuits:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and shortening. With your fingers, quickly break up the fat into the dry ingredients. Rub the fats into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Some butter pieces will be the size of small peas, other will be the size of oat flakes. Toss in blue cheese crumbles. Stir to incorporate.

Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. With a fork, quickly bring together the wet and dry ingredients. The dough will be rather shaggy. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough about 10 times, bringing it together into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is assembled.

To make the tomato Filling:

Add olive oil and butter to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook and brown onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add balsamic vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together clean cherry tomatoes (no need to cut them), chopped basil, flour, and red pepper flakes. Add caramelized onions and toss together until everything is lightly and evenly coated in flour. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the tomato and onion filling into a square 88-inch baking dish. Place in the oven and bake tomatoes filling for 25 minutes.

Remove the biscuit dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out biscuit dough into a 3/4 or 1-inch thickness. Use a 1 1/2 to 2-inc! h round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Dip the cutter in flour should it get sticky. Remove the partially cooked filling from the oven and carefully place 6 biscuits atop the tomato filling in the pan. Brush biscuit tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reshape and reroll excess biscuit dough to make extra biscuits at another time. (The shaped biscuit dough freezes very well.)

Return warm filling and biscuit dough to oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, and the tomato mixture is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Tomato Cobbler is best served warm.


Kak Min's Keropok Lekor Ori Ganu @ Persiaran Minang, Cheras, Selangor

Hands up if you love keropok lekor...

The keropok lekor at Kak Min's Ori Ganu stall tastes so good, that the minute we finished the last piece, we were already craving for more!

A childhood favorite of mine, I remember queuing up for this Terengganu specialty during recess period in school. Drenched in a sweet chilli sauce, it was a treat I looked forward to having.


Baby D gives the keropok lekor his seal of approval...

Makan sekali, mahu lagi...

For the uninitiated, keropok lekor is a traditional street snack originating from the East Coast of Malaysia and now popular all over Malaysia, including Selangor. It is made from fish, starch flour (tepung sagu) and a little salt and rolled into a tubular shape, resembling a sausage, hence it is sometimes called fish sausage. It is then boiled, and served or optionally it can be deep fried. It is best eaten hot off the wok, but can also be eaten cold.

Here at Kak Min's keropok lekor stall, she sells them in two versions, the deep fried "sausage" type as well as thinly sliced crispy keropok keping. Naturally as a foodie, we had to get both types to sample. Crispy with a slightly chewy interior, it was love at first bite. All the fond memories of eating keropok lekor as a student came flooding back. The homemade chilli sauce was both sweet and spicy, hence it was agreeable even with the kids.


Kids at the stall


Kak Min with her goods


The thin crispy keropok lekor.. so addictive!



Fish sausage.. these are my personal favorite!


There's also karipap, samosa and donuts

The stall surroundings (next to the Minang Ria Apartments)


If you like them crispy, then you will like the keropok keping which resembles prawn crackers but are even crunchier. For me, they were both stars in their own right. I found them so addictive and we fin! ished th em in a matter of minutes. They are also affordably priced at RM1 for 6 pieces, so next time I'm getting at least 12 pieces just for myself!

Other than keropok lekor, Kak Min also sells doughnuts, karipap and samosa. I found the samosa with its curry potato filling to be rather good too.

Kak Min's keropok lekor stall is located directly opposite SMK Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2 and next to the Minang Ria Apartments. Since it is a street stall, there is no seating available here hence you can take away and bring it home to savour. Or if you can't wait, eat it on the spot!

Our teatime treat



My kids enjoying the keropok lekor





My favorite tree at our housing area


Kak Min's keropok lekor is definitely one delicious teatime treat. We will be back for more!


Opening times: 11am to 7pm, closed on Sundays. (I think they're also closed during Ramadan period)

Price: RM1 for 6 pieces of keropok lekor.

Location: Kak Min Keropok Lekor Ori Ganu, Persiaran Minang 4, 43200 Batu 9 Cheras, Selangor.

GPS Coordinates: 3.055593,101.755371

Like Mom @ Plaza Damas & Namoo @ Publika

Determinedly seeking Korean desserts, let's head to Like Mom at Plaza Damas and return to Namoo On The Park in Publika, both cheerfully Korean-run cafes with fun names.
Earlier entry on Namoo: July 19, 2012.

Like Mom's sweet potato and green tea muffins, dense in texture and delicate in taste.

A multitude of house-made cookies is sold here, with flavors like cinnamon and poppy seed.

Patbingsu, a summer snack of shaved ice topped with plenty of sweetened azuki beans, evocative of Malaysian ais kacang (though patriotism compels us to say we prefer the latter).

Like Mom's proprietors are proud of their coffee; one sip makes it clear why.

Only caveat: Like Mom is closed during dinnertime ...

... so that's the time to hop over to Solaris Dutamas, where Namoo opens for a few hours longer.

Namoo's sweeping selection includes a mousse-like sweet pumpkin and tofu cake that might be the least sinful, most natural-tasting cake we've tasted this year.

Carb attack! Yaksik, steamed glutinous rice, seasoned with brown sugar and mixed with chestnuts and pine nuts. Traditionally eaten at Korean weddings and festivals, but available all year round at Namoo.

Yang! Geng, j elly-like tidbits with flavors reminiscent of beans. Or of nature or something.

Yakgwa, sweet, crunchy biscuits made of honey, sesame and wheat flour.

Getting hot and heavy: Mat-tang, an addictive ensemble of honey-glazed sweet potato, pumpkin and nuts. Steaming, starchy and sugary; we can't stop snacking!

Beverages, an acquired taste: sweet potato latte and rice wine yogurt cocktail.

Cutesy touches for a cute cafe.

Like Mom,
E-0-5, Plaza Damas, Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Namoo On The Park,
4A, Level G3, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

War of The Handphone Desserts

Today, we have the showdown between handphone desserts....Blackberry Vs Apple. Well, actually, only one contestant showed up, ie, the Blackberry. But only because the spectators could not stomach BOTH blackberry AND apple in one sitting. Now that I think about it, Blackberry & Apple sounds like a divine combination. In any case, Apple on its own has been done to death.

I was inspired a few weeks back, by new culinary see foo, QUAYPOCOOKS, who showcased her Blackberry on facebook, and from then on, I knew I had to have it. Short of driving out immediately to the nearest supermarket in search of them, I exercised some restraint, and waited till my next outing to the wholesalers, before I finally settled on a box of 600gm frozen ones. They do freeze well you know. Just dont expect to receive any email while they're freezing.



Anyway, finally, opportunity presents itself, with some Value Talk Time, at family dinner, when I could introduce my latest err... creation. From the outside, it looks pretty enough, perfect, almost, ....


But oh my goodness, when I cut into it, did it bleed like any hot blooded human....juices of crimson red flowed everywhere, and this is what happens when you take shortcuts....

Here's the recipe I was meant to have followed.

However, being the lazy bum that I am, I cheated, Well, theoretically, I didn't cheat, but I actually did compare with another recipe, that stated that if using frozen blackberries, (probably Celcom plan), I was to thaw and pat them dry. Can you imagine me sitting around patting dry each individual berry? Even after a shower I don't bother...well, there are only two la, in that particular case....

So, here's what I did:

4 cups of blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
Toss the above together, in one happy motion....in a bowl, or you'll get blackberries everywhere...
Pour into an unbaked pie crust, (without the top on, obviously - if you have to ASK for the recipe for pie crust, then you obviously aren't qualified to make this)

I grated the zest of one lemon, (isn't it cruel to take the zest out of anything...I hope the lemon didn't feel too sourly about it), dotted it with some cubes of butter, before laying on the top layer of pastry. You can do that lattice thingamajig, which actually, might have been a good idea, ...AIYO, as I type this, I remember now I didn't make any holes for the steam to evaporate, no wonder so much liquid...slappppp forehead and face palm....

Brush with egg wash, (that just means egg la), and bake in an 180 C oven for ...until its golden brown, like the color below. Ooops, above.

I served it with mascarporne cream. (Whip up 100gm of mascarporne with some sugar to taste, and some whipping cream)

Verdict - Actually, I love the tart taste of the tart...pie. whatever. The blackberries, which actually aren't black at all, what a misnomer, and false advertising, impart a lovely tangy but not too sour flavour, and though the liquid made it messy, it was delicious to eat..or rather, drink.

So, do try making it, but remember, pat your frozen berries dry, lovingly, or you might squash them to death, and, remember to put ! holes fo r the pie to let out steam. We all need holes to let out steam, what more a pie.

Happy Baking.

Olympics to put British cuisine back on the menu

LONDON, July 24 Feeding 10,500 athletes and millions of fans during the Olympics may be a mammoth task but London 2012 is hoping to seize the opportunity to also improve the reputation of British cuisine.

Fish and chips, pie and mash or a full English breakfast are hardly top of the list for an athlete looking to make it to the finish line, let alone win a medal.

However, the London Games organisers are not planning to turn their backs on the national cuisine during their moment in the spotlight.

Indeed, they are convinced there is something in the British recipe book to please even the fussiest of eaters.

Diverse international cuisine is part of the landscape of modern London. The six host London boroughs are home to communities from 195 of the 204 countries taking part in the Olympics, which start on Friday.

Alongside porridge and jacket potatoes, roast pork, South Asian curries, Chinese noodles, Italian pasta and pizzas, not forgetting salads, are all on the menu at the London Games. AFP/Relaxnews
Therefore, alongside porridge and jacket potatoes, roast pork, South Asian curries, Chinese noodles, Italian pasta and pizzas, not forgetting salads, are all on the menu for spectators and athletes alike.

British food is getting better and better all the time, said Jan Matthews, head of catering for the London Games organisers.

We have food from every corner of the British Isles.

We went out to make sure it was really a celebration of British food, she told BBC radio.

The majority of the ingredients will come from Britain, in line with the Games sustainability commitments.

We have gone to great lengths to find top quality, tasty food that celebrates the best of Britain, said London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton.

Organisers believe they will serve up more than 14 million meals during the Games in 40 different locations, ! in what they claim is the largest peacetime catering operation in the world.

Some 1.2 million of the meals will be eaten by the 10,500 competitors, coaches and officials living in the Olympic Village, where the rooms come without a kitchen.

The villages giant main dining hall, with its long tables and green plastic chairs, is the size of a football pitch and can accommodate up to 5,000 people.

There are different zones, including Best of Britain; Europe, the Americas and Mediterranean; Asian, and Afro-Caribbean, serving up specialities round the clock.

Halal, kosher, low salt or allergen-free products are also available.

The athletes are set to consume more than 330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, 232 tonnes of potatoes, 100 tonnes of meat, 21 tonnes of cheese, 19 tonnes of eggs, 75,000 litres of milk and 25,000 loaves of bread.

Some athletes are happy with the range on offer, like the US hurdler Kerron Clement, a 2008 Beijing Games gold medallist in the 4x400 metres relay.

Eating at the Olympic Village. Love the variety of food choices. African, Caribbean, halal cuisine, Indian and Asian and of course McDonalds, he wrote on his Twitter account.

As an official sponsor, the US fast food chain has four temporary restaurants on the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, including one in the Athletes Village.

McDonalds estimates it will serve up 50,000 Big Macs and 180,000 portions of fries at the Games, the majority at its huge outlet by the Olympic Stadium.

Visitors to the Olympic Park will have some 800 food stands to choose from, offering more than 150 different dishes.

It is not only Britain that will be promoting its cuisine during the Games the national hospitality houses set up by competing countries will be showcasing their own specialities.

The Casa Italia has the reputed chef Massimo Bottura in place, while Brazil has brought over Roberta Sudbrack, whose has the job of translating the nutritionists specifications into dishes for its! athlete s at their training base in Crystal Palace, south London.

Meanwhile, Rene Redzepi, whose Noma establishment in Copenhagen has been voted the best in the world by Restaurant magazine for three years running, will open a special Olympic branch at Claridges hotel for the Games. AFP/Relaxnews


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