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Making the Most of Corn and Tomato Season

Dear readers: I'm having friends for dinner and I want to make two side dishes using tomatoes and corn. I'm also going to make a tomato salad, which will go nicely with chicken, either baked or fried. For dessert, maybe I'll serve some grilled peaches. These plans leave me with little time to write, but during this incredible produce season, who needs words?

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Creamy Corn Risotto

Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2013, page 110

Serves 6

1 large red bell pepper

4 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)

1 1/3 cup one-percent milk

2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 ½ cups unsalted chicken stock

½ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup dry white wine

½ cup sliced green onions (scallions)

Preheat broiler to high.

Cut pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves skin sides up on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 8 minutes or until blackened. Wrap peppers in foil; let stand 5 minutes. Peel and chop (or use jarred red peppers).

Combine corn, milk, and 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in stock; keep warm over low heat.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onions and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in rice, salt, and black pepper; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in 1 ½ cups corn mixture; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve ½ cup corn mixture. Add remaining corn mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of corn mixture is absorbed before adding the net (about 20 minutes total). Remove pan from heat; stir in final ½ cup corn mixture, bell pepper, and green onions.

Tomato Tartlets

From Deb Tyler and adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart

Makes 10

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 ½ ounces grated sharp white cheddar

(2/3 cup packed)

3 medium tomatoes cut into 10, ¼-inch-thick slices

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly grated black pepper

1/3 cup small basil leaves, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in upper and middle thirds. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface and roll out puff pastry to a 14-by-16-inch rectangle. With a cookie cutter around the same size as the tomato slices, cut out 10 rounds and transfer to 2 parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheets; with a fork, prick each round all over. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese on each, leaving a ¼-inch border, and top with 1 tomato slice. Brush with oil and season with pepper.

Bake until pastry is deep golden around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let tartlet cool completely on a wire rack. (Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container, up to one day.) To serve, top with basil.