The clock is counting down slowly, but surely, on tomato season, making fresh tomatoes something of a precious commodity. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Bea, of La Tartine Gourmande, referred to her Roasted Tomato, Red Onion and Arugula Tart as the jewel of summer. The tart is a simple one to make, so you won't have to expend much energy in making it before you get to enjoy it. It uses a sheet of puff pastry as the base and is topped with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic, sauteed onions and mozzarella cheese. The finished dish is topped with a bit of parmesan cheese and some arugula, to provide a sharp contrast to the relative richness of the tart. If you opt not to make the whole tart, at least consider just making the roasted tomatoes, which would be lovely on a sandwich or as part of a pasta dish.

When the spork was first invented, there is little doubt that its creators thought that they had created the ultimate fusion of eating utensils. The spork soon spread to school cafeterias and even into those little plastic baggies they pass out with the meal on airplanes. But the spork wasn't as useful as it could be because you couldn't cut anything with it. To compensate, airplanes included knives with their sporks and schools prepare lunches with no discernable texture. The spork, however, has finally evolved to take cutting abilities into account. The Spork/Knife, coined as the sporknif by Bea of La Tartine Gourmande, has a fork/knife on one end and a paddle-like spoon on the other. It is made from durable, heat-resistant PC material, comes in a variety of colors and only costs a few dollars.

You may never need another utensil again.

Bea, of Le Tartine Gourmande, was inspired to use her pizzelle maker to create some homemade cones to serve with a light, refreshing sorbet. Using the same principle that is applied to making tuiles, in which a warm, thin cookie is quickly shaped before it has the chance to cool, she twisted her crisp pizzelles into perfect, miniature cones. Normally, one might use a dedicated waffle cone maker to produce homemade cones, but getting multiple uses of out an appliance you already own is a brilliant idea. The tiny cones were just like thin, crispy waffles and Bea says that they went beautifully with the sorbets. An alternative use for pizzelles, which can also be bought in stores if you do not have the equipment to make them at home, is to use them to make crispy ice cream sandwiches! Debbie, at words to eat by, has a recipe for chocolate pizzelles for a flavor variation that might be perfect for pairing with ice creams, rather than fruity sorbets.