Tomato Towers With Blue Cheese Bacon Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl. Crumble in blue cheese and mash with a fork, stirring until thick and creamy, but still chunky.
• Place lettuce in a large bowl and add bacon, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, red onion, and nuts (if using). Toss briefly just to combine ingredients.
• Add tomatoes and avocado. Gently and briefly toss.
• Scoop salad into individual serving bowls. Top each with eggs and then salad dressing.

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.

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.