Craving Ellie- Roasted Ratatouille Tart and Barefoot Bloggers- not quite Coq Au Vin

This weeks Craving Ellie recipe-Cornmeal Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart was chosen by Nina over at The Wiivers. Thank You Nina- this is one tasty tart. I love vegetables, especially when they are roasted and this was full of them. The crust was very rustic and grainy. I made it in a springform pan and used some summer squash along with my zucchini. I didn't roast my tomatoes along with the other veggies, because I like them to be a little firm. And luckily, we are still using the last tomatoes from the garden that have been hanging out in the garage-it's nice and cool in there! This was beautiful and delicious. It tasted great cold, too. Go check out what the other Ellies thought by checking out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe, Coq Au Vin, was chosen by Bethany of this little piggy went to market. You can grab the recipe on her blog or by clicking HERE.

I really had every intention of making it as is, but was crunched for time and I don't have any alcohol of any sort in the house, not even to cook with, so when I got down to it,I made my own take on the recipe- Chicken with Carrots and Mushrooms, in Thyme Gravy. It was yummy and alot quicker. To see the other BB dishes check out the Barefoot Bloggers Blogroll!

Chicken with Carrots and Mushrooms, in Thyme Gravy by Mary Ann

2 large chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on

4 cups chicken stock or broth

20 sprigs fresh thyme

2-3 large cloves of garlic

2 large carrots, peeled and cut in circles

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 Tbls unsalted butter

3 Tbls flour

salt and pepper

In a large electric skillet with a lid, place the two chicken breasts, bone down. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock over the chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper, and add 15 springs of fresh thyme. Use a garlic press to mince the garlic into the stock. Turn on the skillet to med-high and cover. After a few minutes, stir in the carrot circles. Cover and let cook.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the 2 Tbls butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking continually. Pour in the remaining 2 cups chicken stock, in a steady stream, whisking continually. Continue to whisk and bring to a bubble. Season with salt and pepper and fresh thyme, removing the thyme from the sprigs. This mixture should thicken a little. Remove from heat and set aside.

Stir the sliced mushrooms into the chicken-carrot mixture and cover. Let cook for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. The chicken should be almost completely cooked. Remove the skin and debone the chicken. Put chicken back into the carrot-mushroom mixture and cut into smaller pieces.

Pour the thyme gravy into the chicken-carrot mixture and stir. Cover, and let cook until chicken is cooked through and gravy is thick. Serve as is or over noodles.

Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger
For crust:

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons water
For filling:

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)

Cooking spray

1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant)

1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)

3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

To make crust—Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make filling—Increase the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.

Coming Friday- Gingersnap Pancakes