Meatloaf en Croute

I made this tonight and it was well worth the effort. The tomatoes on top of the meat loaf were really tasty. I bought a new digital camera so I could take pictures of the food and the processes. Hopefully they will help you in making this dish - there are a lot of steps. I served this with a broccoli and cauliflower gratin.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
2/3 C dark brown sugar
½ C cider vinegar
½ t salt
1 -2 lb firm tomatoes

1 lb lamb, ground
½ lb pork, ground
½ lb ground round
1 head garlic, crushed
1 shallot, minced
¼ C fresh mint, chopped
¼ C fresh basil, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 egg
1 C plain bread crumbs

Puffed pastry crust
1 egg white
1 egg yolk
1 T heavy whipping cream

Preparation:

In a food processor, combine onion, olive oil, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, and salt until well combined. Slice tomatoes to about 1/8 inch thick. Layer tomatoes in a 9X13 inch baking dish and cover with sauce. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375.

In a bowl, combine lamb, pork, ground round, garlic, shallot, mint, basil, jalapeno, egg and bread crumbs.

Roll out puffed pastry into long rectangle; lay on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Make a long loaf with the meat mixture, lay it down lengthwise over the pastry. Finish layering the tomatoes around the meatloaf. Cut the corners of the pastry dough away (use for decorating the top if desired). Wrap the loaf with the dough, ends first. Use the whipped egg white to seal the dough where it touches, avoid sealing the bottom four corners of the pastry to allow passage of fats and moisture during the cooking process. Combine the egg yolk and cream; brush mixture over all of the exposed dough. Sprinkle with kosher salt, about a teaspoon.

Bake for 45 minutes. Check after 25 minutes for browning of the pastry. If the pastry is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the remaining 25 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 160.