The heirloom variegated yellow and green tomato plant, the Serrano chili, and the Orange cherry tomato gave their last yield yesterday. They were good and excellent producers of mouth and eye joy and so their death and progeny must be celebrated.

For my meal today, I made fried tomatoes, a buttermilk and gouda omelet with sauteed Serrano chilies and onion, and torta toast.

Miss en place is key to efficient preparation of a good meal. All of your ingredients must be prepared while the oven warms. I diced my yellow onion fine. If you find that to be tedious, your knives are dull and you really should send them out to be sharpened. Professionals do a better job than you ever will and the nominal fee is worth it. Nothing is more dangerous in your kitchen than a poorly sharpened or dull knife.

I diced and seeded my Serrano chili. If you like heat, leave in the membrane and seeds. I like flavor without the pain distraction so I removed them.  The variegated tomato was sliced to quarter inch slices, dredged in flour, buttermilk and egg seasoned with cayenne, and panko and left to sit until the peanut oil (substitute canola for allergies) produced a sizzle from some casually dropped flour or panko crumbs.  Into the leftover egg and buttermilk, I cracked an egg and beat it in. While watching the tomatoes, because the fuckers will go from beautiful to burnt in the bat of an eyelash, I sauteed my onion, seeded tomatoes and pepper. I added a little herbes de Provence until the onion was translucent. If I were making a sauce, a bit of wine to deglaze would be delightful. Alas, (ooh, pretentious), I washed out the pan and put in some peanut oil, and heated it to smoke point.

Take out the tomato when they are the color of the caramels you use to make caramel apples and lightly sprinkle with your salt of choice. I prefer Alder smoked salt to tie into the smoked grated Gouda. Kosher salt will do just fine.

Torta toast is just a torta roll sliced to quarter inch thickness, drizzled with olive oil, and set to bake in a 375 F degree oven until lightly brown.

The omelet, as flour came off the tomato and into the egg and buttermilk mixture, will be a bit like a omelet, and a bit like a crepe. Treat it like an omelet in the pan, add your fillings and turn out of the pan like you would an omelet, but reserve some of the filling to top the omelet like you would a crepe.

I did a plain plating, but consider leaning ingredients into each other to provide height and visual interest. I clipped a bit of fresh parsley to garnish.

I had some leftover cocktail in a shaker, brightened up with a bit of seltzer (Aperol, Bittercube Jamaican #2 bitters, lemon, raw sugar, and Bulleit bourbon. Last night, it was topped with Ginger Beer and was an inducement to debauchery in my play space. This morning, it was good hair of the dog that bit me.

Dig in.