Enjoying the ephemeral while it's here

That was quite a scare we had when the temperatures dropped a couple of weeks ago, wasn't it? In nearly an instant, it seemed as if harvest would be over, the bountiful produce of early fall but a memory until next year.

I spoke with farmer after farmer at my local market, inquiring about the 150 or so tomatoes I needed for a project at the end of September. No one could promise to have them.

And then warm temperatures returned.

Unlike, say, carrots, cabbage and radishes, tomatoes do not benefit from cold weather. Too much time below 56 degrees renders their velvety flesh mealy.

But somehow, our heirloom tomatoes have never tasted better than since the cold snap, which leads me to one of my favorite theories: Almost anything is more pleasing when we are faced with its loss.

I have always wished, for example, that an hour-long formal massage would feel as exquisite as a surprise shoulder rub bestowed by a friend who notices that I seem a bit tense. Then, not knowing if the pleasure will last 30 seconds or three minutes, I savor each moment with nearly delirious delight.

So, too, the phone call that comes when you think it never will, the recognition of a smile you thought you'd not see again, the year's first cherries or peaches or pomegranates all impart a pleasure heightened by absence or a sense of imminent loss.

I was not the only person feeling this way at the Sebastopol farmers market last week. At every stall, I heard people marveling at the beauty and deliciousness of the heirloom tomatoes.

I suspect I will look back on the fall of 2008 as the harvest that almost got away but then returned to fill us all with even greater joy, so acutely aware were we of what we had very nearly lost.

This is a wonderful way to finish off the last of the season's heirloom tomatoes. The pie is addictively delicious and perfect on a cool evening. The leftover are yummy served cold or warmed.

Fresh Tomato Pie

Makes 6 servings

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons black peppercorns, crushed

-- Kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 stick (¼ pound) butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled

» cup whole milk

3 pounds medium-sized beefsteak tomatoes, peeled and cored

2 cups, loosely packed, fresh basil leaves

8 ounces St. George cheese or Cheddar cheese, grated

» cup best-quality mayonnaise

½ lemon

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Put the flour, pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and the baking powder into a medium mixing bowl and stir together with a fork. Using a pastry cutter, quickly work the butter into the flour mixture so that it has the consistency of coarse-grain sand. Make a well in the center of the flour, pour the milk in and mix quickly with a fork until the dough comes together but is still soft and sticky.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds. Let rest 10 minutes and then cut the dough in half. Set one half aside and roll the other half into a circle large enough to line a 10-inch pie pan. Drape a sheet of wax paper over the lined pan and set in the refrigerator.

Roll the second piece of dough into a 10-inch round, set on a sheet of parchment or a floured baking sheet and refrigerate.

Set the tomatoes on a clean work surface and cut into ¨-inch thick rounds. Put the sliced tomatoes into one large or two medium colanders or strainers, sprinkle with a little salt and let drain for about 20 minutes. Gently turn them to release as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the lined pie pan from the refrigerator.

Cover the bottom of the pie pan with a layer of tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and top with a sparse layer of basil. Continue layering tomatoes, salt and basil until all of the tomatoes have been used.

Spread the cheese over the top of the pie. Working quickly, stir the lemon juice into the mayonnaise and spread the mixture over the cheese.

Remove the circle of dough from the refrigerator, position it on top of the pie and secure it by pinching the edges of the top and bottom crusts together.

Brush the surface of the dough with the cream and use a sharp knife to cut several slits through the top crust to allow steam to escape.

Set the pie on a baking sheet, set on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the pie is very hot all the way through and the crust is golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cut into wedges and serve.

When you have fresh shell beans, such as the delicious marrowfats grown by Tierra Vegetables, you don't need to soak them. And you can enjoy this soup year round if you freeze tomato concasse, which is very easy to do. Although I originally made this soup using the bulk chorizo available at Pacific Markets, I was inspired to revisit the recipe when I bought some of Santi's delicious merguez, a mildly spicy lamb sausage. You can find Santi sausages at farmers markets in Healdsburg, Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

White Bean, Tomato

and Merguez Soup

with Cilantro Sauce

Makes 6 to 8 servings

8 ounces white shelling beans, such as marrowfats, great northerns or small whites)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

-- Kosher salt

-- Black pepper in a mill

1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

1 pound merquez, casings removed

6 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

6 cups homemade chicken stock

4 cups tomato concasse (see Note below)

2 poblano chiles, roasted, cored, seeded and cut into small julienne

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, rinsed, dried and minced

-- Juice of 1 lime

2 garlic cloves, peeled

« cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

If the beans are just harvested, they do not need to be soaked. Otherwise, soak them in water overnight, drain and rinse.

Put the beans in a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, until the beans are almost tender. Use a large flat spoon to skim off any foam that forms on top.

While the beans cook, pour the olive oil into a heavy soup pot set over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute until very soft and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the minced serranos and saute 2 minutes more.

Add the sausage and cook, using a fork to break it into small pieces as you would ground beef, until it loses its raw look, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more.

Drain the cooked beans and add them to the chorizo mixture, along with the chicken stock, tomato concasse and julienned peppers. Increase the heat until the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Meanwhile, put the minced cilantro into a small bowl and stir in the lime juice. Pass the garlic cloves through a press and into the cilantro. Season generously with salt and stir in the olive oil. Taste, correct the seasoning and if the sauce is too tart, add a little more olive oil.

To serve, ladle the soup into warm soup plates, drizzle with some of the cilantro sauce and serve immediately, with the remaining sauce alongside.

Note: To make about 4 cups of tomato concasse, peel 3 pounds of tomatoes by skewering each one on the tines of a fork and turning it in a flame or over a high burner. Use your fingers to pull of the skins. Cut out the cores and cut the tomatoes in half through their equators. Set a strainer over a bowl and squeeze the gel and seeds of each tomato into the strainer. Stir and press the seeds to release juice; discard the seeds. Use a sharp knife to mince the seeded tomatoes. Use the flat part of the blade to transfer the minced tomatoes to the strainer, stir in a teaspoon or so or salt and let drain, stirring now and then, for about 20 minutes. Use the drained tomato concasse immediately, refrigerate it for 3 or 4 days or pack it into plastic bags and store in the freezer.

This simple recipe is absolutely luscious, with flavors and textures evocative of the BLT. It is best when you use just-picked cherry tomatoes.

Linguine with Bacon,

Goat Cheese, Bread Crumbs and Cherry Tomatoes

Makes 4 servings

12 ounces dried linguine

-- Kosher salt

7 or 8 bacon slices, preferably dry cured

5 garlic cloves, slivered

1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 bunch (2 big handsful) arugula

5 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as chabis, broken into chunks

-- Black pepper in a mill

¼ cup homemade bread crumbs, lightly toasted

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, cut in very thin strips

Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water, season generously (about 2 tablespoons) with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the linguine according to package directions until it is just done. Drain, do not rinse and transfer to a wide shallow bowl.

While waiting for the water to boil, cook the bacon until it is crisp and transfer to absorbent paper to drain. Let the bacon drippings cool slightly, add the slivered garlic and toss gently until it is very lightly browned. Working quickly, add the cherry tomatoes, toss and heat through. Add the arugula, cover the pan and remove from the heat.

When the pasta is done, quickly add the arugula mixture and the goat cheese and use two forks to gently turn the pasta to distribute the tomatoes and encourage the cheese to melt.

Chop the bacon, add it to the pasta and gently toss again. Taste, correct for salt and season generously with black pepper. Scatter the bread crumbs and basil over the top and serve immediately.

Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@micheleannajordan.com.