A fresh tomato tart with mozzarella, basil and a kick of pesto seems to be pretty much the epitome of the end of summer to me.

I took my own advice and biked down to the farmers’ market for the last half hour of trading and picked up a ridiculous amount of tomatoes for $3. Note to self though: check all your tomatoes before handing over your cash. The majority of mine were verging on bad. Luckily I got handy with a knife and chopped around the bad parts to make a batch of homemade tomato sauce. Waste not, want not!

The main reason for buying all those tomatoes though was this rustic summery tart. You could make something very similar using goat cheese and thyme, with a mustard base, instead of pesto. Then you’d have a very French tart on your hands. This is a decidedly more Italian affair and the flavours and textures are actually quite similar to pizza. You could almost mistake it for one if it weren’t for that crust.

About that crust. Me and dough are not always friends. Remember my epic tart fail? Yeah, me too. So, when I realised that my dough was not going to play fair and slip into the tart ring easily, I decided to make it “free style” by placing it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and leaving about 2 inches round the edge of the dough free of filling and then folding those dough bits on top of the filling before baking. It worked a treat!

Farmhouse Tomato Tart

Ingredients

For the tart filling

• One unbaked tart dough (see recipe, below)
• 6 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp. minced fresh basil
• 2 tsp fresh basil pesto (jarred is fine too)

For the tart dough

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly texture.
2. Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add more ice water, a little at a time.
3. Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough about 14 inches across on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.
4. Roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
5. Layer fresh pesto onto the bottom of the un-baked tart shell, spreading evenly and leaving two inches around the outside of the dough. Let it sit for a minute to dry out slightly.
6. Layer on tomato slices and sprinkle about 2 tsp chopped basil on top. Drizzle olive oil and then add fresh mozzarella slices to the tart. Sprinkle some more basil and drizzle with a little more olive oil.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in places.  Allow the tart to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Whilst there are definitely men who embrace a veg lifestyle out there and women who get excited about a big ol’ hunk of meat, we’re still hit over the head left, right, and centre with the idea that certain foods are for men and others are a decidedly ladies-only affair.

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You only have to look to advertisements on television to see items like yoghurt, chocolate, and sweet alco-pops being targeted at women.

Men though? Men eat meat. Because they are men. Rawr.

So, where did these gendered ideas come from and do they have any basis in reality?

I read a great article on Salon recently that got me pondering the question of how food gets gendered. Genetic differences? Gender socialization? Heredity? And what about the rest of the world?

• There are some scientists whose research has shown that there is actually a genetic predisposition amongst us as to whether we enjoy sweets or meats. According to this research women are predisposed to prefer sweet tastes and to be more sensitive to bitter ones. Men on the other hand, are hard-wired to enjoy more bitter flavours. Imagine in your mind the sweet cocktails with names like My Pink Lady versus a nice big manly pint of bitter, hoppy beer. You get the picture.
• There is also the evolution argument that rears its head and suggests that men and women have different physiological needs which determine why they prefer certain foods. According to this theory we’ve been predisposed to these preferences since cave-dwelling times, i.e. “Men, as hunters, see meat as a reward and also need more protein than women in order to build muscle mass”. Current trends suggest a continuation according to this research.
• An interesting addition to this side of the argument is David Katz’s assertion that different hormonal compositions affect what foods men and women crave. He says that the foods that women crave during pregnancy and whilst they are pre-menstrual might affect the foods that they generally hanker for year-round. Interesting stuff.
• And what about the rest of the world, beyond the United States’ borders? A Montclair University study found that 50% of American women craved chocolate while only 20% of men reported the same cravings. Unsurprisingly, things are different elsewhere. The same study in Spain found that an equal number of men and women craved chocolate and in Egypt, neither sex craved it. In another U.K. study it was found that school-aged boys prefer chowing down on sweets and fatty foods whereas girls were more willing to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into their diets.

It got me thinking (as the Salon author also pondered) about my own cravings, habits and customary behaviour with food. I certainly have a very sweet tooth in terms of full-on cravings, compared to my husband, lover of meat and hoppy beer.

I’m also very aware of how culture and society predetermines that I be conscious of my weight and appearance at a level and in a manner that men don’t quite experience in the same way. That surely affects some of my choices and “tastes”.

What about countries that aren’t as rich or developed as the U.S. or U.K.? Is food valued more or in a different way?

This is obviously such a huge area for discussion and something that I can’t go that deeply into in one post. Hopefully in time I can delve into it further. What are your thoughts?

I’ve been a little afraid of making milkshakes since the time my blender broke.

A sad day indeed. It still unnerves me when the new blender whirs too loudly for fear of an explosion of glass and who-knows-what-else.

But, when I heard there were burgers for dinner I knew it was time to bury the demons. Alas, I didn’t have any ice cream on hand nor the wherewithal to go to the store just for one item. We all know what happened last time I made that journey…

I’m also pretty sure that we could all do with a little less ice cream in our lives come the end of summer.

That’s when I realised with a flash of over-excitement that I didn’t need ice cream for my milkshake.  All I needed was some frozen bananas for a healthy, delicious and satisfying shake to go hand in hand with those burgers…let’s go people. Get ready.

Banana-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Milkshake
makes one large shake or two small ones

Ingredients

• 2 frozen bananas (cut into chunks before you freeze them)
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Blend bananas, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Add the chocolate chips at the end and pulse or blend briefly until they are chopped and incorporated.

Pour, get a straw and feel the love!