Tomato Concasse Recipe 4

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato with a knife.
• Place prepared tomatoes in the pot of boiling water and cook until the skins begin to peel off, 10 to 40 seconds.
• Transfer tomatoes to the bowl of ice water and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off each tomato.
• Cut each tomato in half crosswise and remove and discard the seeds; finely dice the flesh.

Steps:

• Blanch tomatoes (place in boiling water 30-60 seconds).
• Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water.
• Peel.
• Cut tomatoes in half, then seed and dice.
• In a small nonstick fry pan sweat (saute-low heat) shallots and garlic without browning.
• Add tomatoes and herbs.
• Season.
• Cover.
• Simmer 20 minutes until soft and all liquid has evaporated.
• Remove garlic and herbs.
• Adjust seasoning.
• Store in a tightly covered glass jar.
• Let cool and refrigerate.
• Keeps up to two weeks.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Tomato Concasse:
• Blanch tomatoes briefly in boiling water to loosen the skins, then peel, seed and juice them. Dice the tomato flesh. Add chives, salt, and white pepper.
• Fried Green Tomatoes:
• Tomatoes that are showing a little pink coloration amid the green, as they just begin to turn red, are thought to have the best flavor. Slice them, skin on, so that you have 3 (1/4-inch) slices from each. Sprinkle the slices with a mixture of kosher salt, sugar, and black pepper.
• For the coating, mix together the best stone-ground white cornmeal you can find (Weisenberger Mills cornmeal is excellent), and flour. Dip the seasoned tomato slices in the cornmeal mixture.
• Film a heavy skillet (in Kentucky, a black cast iron skillet is favored) with a generous amount of bacon fat. (Have more bacon fat ready to add to the skillet if the tomatoes absorb too much. If you've dietary qualms about this, use half bacon fat and half canola oil. For the saute, any kind of fat or oil will do, but the bacon clearly gives the best and most authentic taste.) Heat the oil until fairly hot, but not quite smoking. Fry the coated tomatoes approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side, being sure not to crowd the skillet. Drain the slices on paper towels, and keep warm in a very low oven.
• To assemble:
• Slice cheese into very thin slices.
• Make sure the fried green tomatoes are still very warm (you may want to slightly increase the oven temperature at the last minute to make sure). On each of 4 warmed plates, spoon out a thin layer of the tomato concasse in a circle that will extend beyond the tomato stack. Place a tomato slice on each plate, and cover (overlapping just a bit) with the thin cheese slices; place another tomato slice on each, and repeat the cheese placement; top each with the remaining slices. Do this as quickly as you can so that the cheese melts just slightly (you may place the plates briefly back in the oven to do this, but guard against the tomato crusts becoming soggy).
• When ready to serve, top each stack with micro-greens (we like baby arugula for this extra taste treat), and garnish the plates with nasturtium flowers, adding the piquant taste of watercress to the dish. (If you don't have nasturtium flowers, you might dot the plate with droplets of reduced balsamic vinegar.) Serve at once.

Steps:

• In a bowl combine well the tomatoes, the oil, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and stir in the basil. The concassé may be make 2 hours in advance and kept overed and chilled.

Steps:

• In a medium pot, combine all the ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. The mixture should not be too dry; add tomato juice, a little at a time, if necessary.

Steps:

• Put the tomatoes for the consommé into a very large saucepan. Add the remaining consommé ingredients, except the herbs and leaves, then simmer on a low heat for 2 hrs.
• Line a large sieve with cheesecloth. Set it over a very large bowl, then carefully pour the liquid through. Leave to slowly drain but, to ensure the consommé stays clear, do not press tomatoes. Set aside. (The tomatoes can be puréed to make a sauce for pasta, then frozen for later use.)
• Put tomatoes for marinating into a small bowl. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, dust with the icing sugar and 2 pinches of salt, then pour over the 2 tsp oil. Marinate briefly while you prepare the cheese on toast.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the 25g butter in a medium pan, add the flour, then stir for 2-3 mins over a low heat to cook the flour. Remove from heat, then gradually stir in milk. Return to the heat and stir briefly until thickened to a thick paste. Stir in the cheese, beating well until it has melted to a smooth paste. Take off the heat, beat in the egg yolk, then set aside. In a small pan, bring the ale, mustard and Worcestershire sauce to a boil, then bubble over a high heat for 8-10 mins until reduced to a thick consistency (you should have about 1 tbsp thick liquid). Stir this into the cheese mixture, cover and cool. Melt the 15g butter. Brush one side of each bread slice with the butter, lay them on a baking sheet, butter-side up, then season with salt. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden and crisp. (Both sauce and toasted bread can be prepared a day ahead. Chill sauce until required, keep toast wrapped in foil.)
• To serve, heat the grill. Spread the cheese mix thickly and evenly over each slice of toast (you will have some left over for another time), then lay them on a baking tray. Grill until golden. Meanwhile, gently heat the consommé. Place 3 marinated tomatoes in the bottom of each serving bowl. Scatter a few herbs on top of the tomatoes, then drizzle around a little olive oil. Pour in enough consommé to just cover the tomatoes, then scatter over a few more herbs and leaves. Serve with the hot cheese on toast on the side.