My friend Helen, at Beyond Salmon, stepped outside the bounds of her fish-oriented blog the other day to share her recipe for Tomato Onion Tart, which, according to Helen, “has no equal!” Well, as regular readers of Stephencooks know, I’m a sucker for savory dishes with tomatoes, onions and cheese, so I couldn’t wait to try my own version of this great-looking dish.

Of course, once I got started I couldn’t help making some changes, as is my wont. (My version’s richer, with the addition of bacon, cream and eggs — okay, it’s not health food but whaddyagonnado? I also tossed in some garlic and rosemary — because E loves them and I mainly cook for her — and some nutmeg, and I used a sharper cheese than Helen used.) It was great! I still want to try Helen’s recipe soon, without modification, because it has a beguiling simplicity: caramelized onions, cheese and the tomatoes that I assume really puts the spotlight on the onions. Mine had plenty of onion taste and texture, but moderated and influenced by the custard, rosemary, garlic and bacon, which made the onions less central than in Helen’s version. (I was interested to note, by the way, that Helen’s recipe started with the same procedure as Julia’s Onion Soup: long slow simmering of the onions in butter and oil. That’s obviously the way to make a good onion dish!)

So thanks to Helen, for posting a beautiful and inspiring dish — and also for designing the fabulous l0ok of the tart, which I shamelessly copied…

Those with watering mouth can switch to What’s For Dinner? for the rest of the entry and the recipe that goes with it! Bon appetit!

Other Great Posts (Click To Read)

Top 3 Secrets: Why Men Don’t Talk About Their Feelings First Hand Accounts of Great Honeymoon Destinations Top 10 Seductive Scents to Soothe Your Senses The “Real” Weight Loss Secret of the Stars