Recipe from Debbie Goulding, ACF Chairman of the Board.
Note from Rita: You can use all purpose flour in place of the rice flour but the rice flour produces a tempura, lighter textured coating.
This was one of my favorite recipes from the Diamond Oaks Culinary Event last week. I helped mentor culinary students in preparing appetizers, dinner and dessert for 120 people. This is one of my faves:
YIELD: 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Sweet Basil Aioli:
1 cup Basil leaves, fresh, loosely packed
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Lemon, juice & zest
½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Sea Salt
Black Pepper, freshly cracked
Fried Green Tomatoes:
1 cup Rice Flour, divided
1 each Egg, large
¼ cup Buttermilk
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ cup Yellow Cornmeal
Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 medium Green Tomato, sliced ¾ - 1” thick
Vegetable Oil, for frying
DIRECTIONS:
For the Aioli: In a food processor, puree the basil, mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the Tomatoes: In a large shallow dish, add 1/4 cup flour. In a separate baking dish, beat the egg, buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda. In a separate large shallow dish, add the remaining 3/4 cup flour, cornmeal, salt and cayenne pepper. Dredge the tomatoes in the flour, followed by the egg mixture and finally coat with the cornmeal mixture, shaking off any excess in between dredges. Place the tomatoes on a wire cooling rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat the process with all the tomatoes. Pour a 1-inch layer of vegetable oil into a cast-iron skillet. Heat the oil over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F. Carefully add tomato slices to the oil and fry until the tomatoes are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the fried tomatoes to a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels, season with salt and cool. Repeat with the remaining slices.
Serve on platter with bowl of Aioli.