Fried Green Tomatoes

I made fried green tomatoes! I don't think I've ever made them before, and these are a direct Top Chef inspiration. Well, that and I went grocery shopping and the Seward had green tomatoes and I bought one on impulse. Local green tomatoes in April! That is some early greenhouse action.

I have eaten fried green tomatoes once or twice before, and I found these exceptionally tasty. Other Top Chef dishes I may yet try: grits, which I've never made, and fufu (a west african pounded cassave/yam dumpling of sorts), which I would prefer to try eating out before attempting at home. There are a couple of Nigerian places in Brooklyn Park that sell fufu, along with Egusi stew and pepper soup and plantains and goat and jollof rice, all of which sound amazing and make me think of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's books.

These fried green tomatoes turned out pretty perfectly, I was quite satisfied with myself. I used tapioca flour in lieu of cornstarch, cream instead of buttermilk, and bacon fat (because I had some, coconut oil is my next choice) instead of vegetable oil. Since I just had 1 tomato I used less of everything, but below is the full recipe from Food & Wine magazine.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Oil/Fat of choice, for frying
4 medium-size green tomatoes (about 7 ounces each)
1 cup (about 4 1/2 ounces) cornstarch
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or cream with a squeeze of lemon)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 cups stone-ground fine yellow cornmeal (about 11 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt 

1. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch into a large cast-iron skillet. Heat oil over medium-high to 325°F. (Closely watch the temperature, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain 325°F.) *I did not do this b/c I do not have a thermometer that measures that high. It still worked.

2. Slice tomatoes into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices. (You should get 4 to 5 slices per tomato.) Place cornstarch in a wide, shallow dish. In a second wide, shallow dish, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. In a third wide, shallow dish, stir together cornmeal, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Working in batches, dredge tomato slices in cornstarch, shaking off excess; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture, patting cornmeal coating onto slices. Place breaded slices on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet.

3. Working in batches, fry tomato slices (about 3 to 5 slices at a time) until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway through frying. Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with sea salt.