Just wanted to share a quick and easy addition to your upcoming winter soups.

I always save leftover, unused puff pastry bits. Why not utilize those extra bits to make croutons?

These couldn’t be simpler, and they add a lovely, buttery addition to tomato soup. I imagine this would be quite nice on many other soups, too. Also, it’s a bit unexpected if serving to guests. It’s a little pillow of buttery, flaky goodness. Mmmm…

Cut your frozen pastry bits into whatever shapes you’d like. I chose small rectangles. Place on a baking sheet. Season with your favorite seasonings. I used an Italian seasoning grinder. Bake until puffed and golden in a preheated 400 degree oven. About 10 minutes. Just use your judgement since these are small. You don’t want to overcook them!

First off, let me apologize for disappearing for two weeks! Between visiting family and a quick trip to NYC last week, life got crazy. Ok, now back to the cauliflower!

This is a great, filling and healthy way to prepare cauliflower. My husband’s favorite!

Simply rinse and chop one head of cauliflower into bite size florets. Toss in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs/sprices. I use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. Season liberally. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can shake the pan halfway through, but it’s not necessary.

One tasty variation is to add a jar of peeled whole garlic cloves. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Toss onto pan with prepared cauliflower. So yummy! I use 1 7.75 ounce jar of Bellino Garlic Cloves from my local grocery store.

Who else is THRILLED that Spring is finally here?!?!?

This is one of my favorite meals. It’s incredibly easy, but so elegant and tasty. What more could you ask for? I have to thank my husband for introducing this recipe to me. He made it for me once or twice, and I was hooked!

Is this a galette or tart? We’ll call it a galette. Sounds fancier!What is so great about this recipe is that you could substitute an vast array of ingredients for the filling. All sorts of vegetables would be so lovely nestled in this rustic galette. I cannot say that I have tried any other combos in this galette since I’m totally in love with the tomatoes!

Rustic Tomato Galette
2 Meal Portions / 4 Side Portions

WHAT I USED

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust, or homemade
2-3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, seeds removed
Small handful of fresh herbs, basil or thyme are personal favorites
1/4 cup Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise for brushing
McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder

WHAT I DID

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

3. Place pie crust on baking sheet. Store-bought is easier since there is no rolling involved.

4. Brush the pie crust with some of the mayonnaise.  Season with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder.

5. Working from the center of crust, begin placing your tomato slices in layers. Season each layer with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder as well as some of your herbs. If you love basil, use more. This is up to your tastes. It will add lovely flavor, don’t be shy!

6. Continue layering tomatoes and seasoning until you’ve used up your slices. Season with kosher salt, pepper, Italian Herb Seasoning grinder and remaining herbs.

7. To close up your galette, start by folding the two sides onto tomato mound. Press into the mound gently, try not to tear the dough. Next, fold up the front and back pieces. You can simply fold it up, or try to overlay the pieces to make a nice design. It doesn’t matter, it will taste great either way! Try to close it completely, but if you have too much filling, don’t worry. It’s just as lovely and tasty if it doesn’t cover your entire tomato mound.

8. Brush a good amount of mayonnaise over the entire galette. If you’ve got an opening, brush onto tomatoes as well. Be sure to get into all the cracks and folds. This will add flavor and give your galette a glistening brown appearance. Season with kosher salt, pepper and Italian Herb Seasoning grinder.

9. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating once during cooking. Juices will run from the bottom, but no worries. Allow to rest and cool for 15-20 minutes. You can slice and serve from the baking sheet or carefully place entire galette onto a lovely platter.

This makes two nice dinner portions or four side portions.

Want to print this recipe? Click here.

Have a great weekend!