This is totally not my recipe, I found it in Gourmet magazine last year. It is from the book, 365 Menus, 365 Recettes by Edouard de Pomiane, a food scientist who developed many simple recipes during a time when women spent all their time in the kitchen. Simplicity was his method, and the tastes (based on this one recipe) were divine!
Take 6 (ripe juicy tomatoes work best) tomatoes and cut them in half on the equator. I have used heirloom tomatoes during the peak season (yummmmm) and those little campari tomatoes. The campari tomatoes were too small to get the full essence of the dish because they really cooked too long and turned to more of a sauce, but made a wonderful tomato cream sauce that was divine on the fish we had prepared on the grill for dinner. This would also make a wonderfully tasty sauce for pasta! While you are making this dish, turn your oven on to 200 degrees farenheit and put your serving dish on the top rack to get warm.
Melt a lump of butter in a frying pan. I like to use a large stainless steel frying pan with a copper core bottom in order for all the tomatoes to fit side by side and use a medium or slightly lower setting (somewhere between low and medium, depending on your stove). After the butter has melted put the tomatoes in the frying pan, cut side down. Using a sharp knife point, puncture the rounded side of the tomatoes in several places to let the steam escape. You will want several pokes, maybe 4 or 5. Let them heat for 5 minutes and then turn them over. I find that using a pancake turner is the best way to turn them so that they keep their shape and turn over in an easy manner. Sprinkle the cut side with salt (I prefer grey unrefined sea salt, or kosher salt) and cook them for about 10 minutes. Turn them over again. The juices should run out during this time and spread out into the pan. Once more turn the cut tomatoes cut side upward. Add 3 oz of heavy cream into the pan around the tomatoes (you can use creme fraiche if you prefer, but I've never used that so I cannot comment on the similarities or differences). Mix the cream with the juices. As soon as it bubbles, take the serving dish out of the oven using something to protect your hand like a pot holder, and then slip the tomatoes and all their sauces onto that warmed serving dish. Serve instantly, very hot. Delish!!
Ingredients:
6 ripe heirloom (or other nice plump tomato with a good aroma) tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons of butter
3 ounces of heavy cream or creme fraiche
salt to taste
Heaven in your mouth...
Tomate Appetit!
No comments:
Post a Comment