Fried Green Tomatoes with Basil Mayonnaise

I've wanted to make these ever since I first saw Fried Green Tomatoes. It's a good movie...if you've never seen it, you should order it from Netflix or Qwikster or whatever their name is now. Which reminds me, I know a lot of people aren't happy about that, but honestly, I'm more upset about the stupid name than the fact that Netflix is splintering the company into two separate services. Clearly it should be called Qwikflix. It's so obvious. It's not my "ster" that I'm looking to get in a hurry. And don't even get me started on how they spell quick. (Is their CEO in kindergarten?) But I digress.

Back to the recipe. These are made with green, unripe tomatoes. They're firmer than the red ones and not as sweet. The tart flavor is really nice with the crunchy panko/corn meal crust and the basil mayonnaise is the perfect accompaniment to brighten it up. So fresh and tasty. One bite and you'll swear you're kicking back at the Whistle Stop Cafe with Ruth and Idgie (but with less racism & murder and more air conditioning).

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH BASIL MAYONNAISE

6 servings

Basil Mayonnaise:

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fried Green Tomatoes:

6 hard green tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

dash hot sauce

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 cups Japanese panko bread crumbs

vegetable oil, for frying

Basil Mayonnaise:

Pulse the basil, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and mustard in a food processor until smooth, then transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead (cover and refrigerate).

Green Tomatoes:

1.      Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate. Whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce in a shallow bowl or a pie tin. Whisk together the cornmeal and panko bread crumbs in a separate pie tin.

2.      Working with one green-tomato slice at a time, coat the tomato first in flour (knocking off excess), then in the buttermilk, then finally in the cornmeal— bread crumb mixture. Transfer the breaded slice to a baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining slices. Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line a second baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 3/4 inch of vegetable oil in a medium skillet to 350° F.

3.      Working in batches, fry the tomato slices until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked tomatoes to the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Keep the cooked tomatoes in the warm oven while you fry the remaining slices. Serve the tomatoes warm, with a generous dollop of basil mayonnaise.

from Epicurious, April 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely (Down Home with the Neelys)

basil

squeezing in the lemon juice

all the basil mayo ingredients

basil mayonnaise

beautiful green tomatoes

my dipping station

dipping in flour

dipping in buttermilk/hot sauce

coating with panko/corn meal

coated

ready to fry

frying

fried green tomato cross-section

with a dollop of basil mayonnaise

.