Tomatoes Provencal and Julia's Birthday

This has been such a fun day for me. I went to the Farmers Market this morning and ran into an old friend I used to work with. It was fun catching up and we are going to dinner soon. I ran into Sur La Table later and got a couple of things and they were celebrating Julia's birthday and making everyone a cappuccino and serving Le Madeline's and coconut macaroons. Such fun that was.

I came home and actually went through some boxes of holiday things and priced them for the booth. It's amazing how long all this takes but I have 3 boxes to take. One for now, one for fall and two for Christmas. I still have a couple of things to find but most are priced and ready to go.

I decided to visit a couple of blogs after dinner and found this giveaway on one of my favs French Elements. It's a wonderful giveaway so run over and check it out here.


In honor of Julia's birthday, I made the tomato Provencal recipe from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I don't think she would mind me sharing it with you.

Tomatoes A La Provencal
6 firm ripe red tomatoes about 3 inches in diameter
Salt and Pepper
1 or 2 cloves mashed garlic
3 T minces shallots or green onion
4 T minced fresh basil and parsley or parsley only
1/8 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
big pinch of pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs from fresh white bread with body
I sometimes add parmesan cheese too but Julia didn't in her original recipe.
A shallow, oiled roasting pan just large enough to hold the tomatoes easily in one layer.

Preheat oven to 400. Remove the stems and cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Gently press out the juice and seeds. Sprinkle the halves lightly with salt and pepper.

Blend remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Correct seasoning. Fill each tomato half with a spoonful or two of the mixture. Sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes in the roasting pan, do not crowd them. May be prepared to this point in advance.

Bake 400 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are tender but hold their shape and bread crumb filling has browned lightly.

Bon Appetit!!