Tomato Towers With Blue Cheese Bacon Recipes

BEEFSTEAK TOMATO, BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE, AND BACON WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet.
• Whisk together 1 tablespoon hot bacon fat, sour cream, milk, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in scallion and 2/3 cup blue cheese. Thin with additional milk if desired.
• Quarter lettuce lengthwise (through stem) into wedges, then remove core and arrange each wedge on a plate with tomato wedges. Stir dressing and spoon over top. Sprinkle with bacon, remaining 1/3 cup blue cheese, and pepper to taste.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH BACON, BLUE CHEESE, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Cut 1 round from each bread slice with cookie cutter.
• Cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off bacon fat from skillet and reserve fat (do not clean skillet).
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then toast 3 bread rounds, turning over once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes total. Transfer toasts to a rack to cool and season with salt and pepper. Toast remaining 3 bread rounds in 1 1/2 tablespoons more oil in same manner.
• Cook shallot in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat and remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and simmer, whisking, until emulsified, about 1 minute. Season dressing with salt and pepper and keep warm, covered.
• Crumble bacon. Arrange bread rounds on 6 plates and divide tomato slices among them, stacking slices and sprinkling some basil and bacon between slices. Sprinkle cheese and remaining basil and bacon over and around tomatoes. Spoon some of warm bacon dressing over and around tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.

BACON-TOMATO CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes and thinly slice. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let drain for at least 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off and reserve the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon in the skillet; toast the bread on one side in the drippings until golden (do this in batches, adding more drippings as needed). Place the bread, toasted-side down, on a baking sheet.
• Combine the cheeses with the mayonnaise, scallions and parsley in a bowl. Spread the cheese mixture on the toasts, reserving about 1/3 cup. Crumble the bacon on top. Shake any excess liquid from the tomatoes; distribute the zucchini and tomatoes among the toasts. Dot with the reserved cheese mixture and season with pepper. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Slice the top third (stem side) off each tomato. Cut a small slice off each bottom so that the tomatoes are flat and able to stand up. Using a melon baller or small spoon, remove the inside of each tomato to hollow out the center. Place the tomatoes on a plate or platter. Sprinkle the tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Mash the cream cheese in a bowl with a rubber spatula until it is soft and malleable. Gently fold in the blue cheese, being careful not to overmix and break the blue clumps. Season with pepper. Use two small spoons to fill the tomatoes with the blue cheese mixture. (How much will depend on the size of the tomato; small tomatoes should get about 1 teaspoon of the mixture. You can also transfer the mixture to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag with the corner cut off and pipe the cheese mixture into each tomato.)
• Toss the chives and bacon together in a small bowl. Top each tomato with the mixture. Drizzle hot honey over the entire plate. Serve.

TOMATO BACON GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Lay 4 slices of bread, butter side down, in the skillet. Top with a slice of cheese, 2 slices tomato, bacon, and another slice of cheese. Cover with a slice of bread, butter side out. Fry sandwiches until golden on both sides.

TOMATO BACON SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
• Crumble bacon into a medium-size mixing bowl. Mix in bell pepper, tomatoes, and basil. In a separate small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic.
• Roll pizza crust into a 12x15 inch rectangular baking sheet. Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the bacon mixture over the mayonnaise, and top the entire pizza with cheese.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Cool and cut the pizza into 24 squares.

GRILLED TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BACON, BASIL, & BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Lightly oil the grill grate. Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 1 1/2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet.
• Add the red onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat until it begins to soften, 2 - 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and the onion is softened, about 1 minute. Add the bread crumbs and basil and stir until well combined. Transfer the onion mixture to a medium-size bowl. Add the blue cheese and the drained bacon and set aside.
• Cut about a 1/2-inch-thick slice off the stem end of each tomato. Using a paring knife, remove the cores of the tomatoes by cutting a cone-shaped piece about 2 inches deep and 1 1/2 inches wide in each. Cut a very thin sliver off the bottom of each tomato to help stabilize it as it grills.
• Whisk together the olive oil and wine vinegar and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the dressing over each tomato. Sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the bacon and blue cheese mixture evenly among the tomatoes, filling the cores and patting the mixture firmly in place to cover the top of each tomato.
• Place the tomatoes on the oiled grill grate, cover the grill, and grill the tomatoes until they have softened and the stuffing is warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. If you are using a charcoal grill, check the tomatoes after about 5 minutes and if the fire is too hot, causing the tomatoes to burn or cook too quickly, move them to the edge of the grill to continue cooking. If you need the center of the grill for cooking other foods, such as chicken or steak, the tomatoes can be cooked on the outer edge of the grill or on the grill's top shelf over the main cooking grate; the cooking time will be longer.
• Alternative Oven Method: Bake the tomatoes in a shallow oiled baking dish in an oven preheated to 400°F After baking the tomatoes for about 12 minutes, place them under the broiler for about 1 minute to lightly brown the stuffing.

TOMATO TOWERS WITH BLUE CHEESE & BACON

Steps:

• Use a cookie cutter to cut the bread into rounds, toast on both sides and set aside. Carefully slice the tomatoes into 1/3 inch slices and set aside.
• Warm the bacon grease in a skillet, adding half the salt and black pepper. Add the sherry vinegar to the warm bacon fat and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Remove from heat.
• Build a tower on each bread round alternating slices from different tomatoes, sprinkling each with salt, pepper and a dab of cheese. When done, spoon the warm dressing over the tomato, top with the cooked bacon and serve with additional bread, rice or pasta as a main course.