Since my last column highlighting the “wolf peach” or Solanum lycopersicum was well over a
decade ago, it’s time to highlight the versatility of the love apple or
everyday tomato. Though it goes by several aliases, tomato is derived from the
Aztec tomatl or “the swelling fruit”.
When you think about it, a tomato does seem a little like a fruit swollen with
liquids seeds described by the late George Carlin as “still in the larval stage”
due to the gelatinous appearance of the seeds. And yes, because a tomato is
simply an “ovary” for seeds, it is classified botanically as a fruit.
As Simple as it Gets
There are fewer culinary delights as a
simple vine ripened tomato adorned simply with a little sea salt and a splash
of extra virgin olive oil or a couple of drops of aceto balsamico. Of course, it’s simpler said than done as vine
ripened tomatoes are truly “swelling fruits” as described by the Aztecs making
transportation a little sketchy. So unless you’re growing your own crop, most
of the tomatoes you consume are picked before optimum ripeness including those
heirloom variety at your local Farmer’s Market as even those farmers have to
transport their fragile crops. However, even those heirloom varieties picked
early and sold at Farmer’s Markets or even your neighborhood supermarket are
leagues above your average run-of-the-mill supermarket tomatoes that were
mainly bred for easy transport usually without any consideration for flavor characteristics.
A good alternative to the heirloom variety of tomatoes are the grape, cherry or
miniature varieties as their smaller size makes them less prone to rupture and
they are sweeter the average supermarket tomato.
Solar Powered Tomatoes
Though most of the dried varieties of
tomato go by the generic name, sun-dried tomatoes, I’m pretty sure most are not
dried for hours in the sun. In fact I’m pretty sure that the last rays of
sunshine seen by the tomato was when it was still on the vine and that the
drying occurs in large commercial dehydrators. While drying concentrates the
flavors in tomatoes, it also changes the flavor to a cross between tomato and
raisin… a tomatoey raisin if there’s such a thing.
While the flavor does change a little, it
still imparts a tomato flavor albeit a little richer flavor. And instead of
trying to create my own I simply purchase those large bottles from the big box
stores with the dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil. After shaking off as much
oil as possible, I blitz the dried tomatoes in a food processor to create a
finely minced dried tomato “paste”. Sometimes I simply spread the dried tomato
“paste” with crème cheese (I used to use fat free cream cheese but apparently
only reduced fat cream cheese is available now) on a bagel for a simply
vegetarian bagel sandwich. Sometimes I’ll blitz the dried tomatoes with Nicoise
olives, capers and a little anchovy paste for a tomato tapenade as a spicier
sandwich or bagel spread. Or sometimes I’ll simply mix the tomato “paste” with Worcestershire
sauce and mayonnaise for a spiced mayo with sandwiches (it’s great with smoked
brisket sandwiches).
Not Quite Dried Tomatoes
Many years ago while sampling the Menu
Degustation at La Mer in the Halekulani hotel, one dish included a piece of
tomato confit. It was a bite sized piece of tomato that simply appeared to be
skinned and seeded but the flavor was a food epiphany. Imagine the sweet flavor
of the best vine ripened tomato magnified 5 to 10 fold and of course I had to
try to re-create it! But how? Confit usually refers to a protein cooked in its
own fat at very low temperatures. Tomatoes don’t have fat or at least very
little fat mainly in the seeds. I could have asked La Mer’s chef at the time
but he only spoke French… and probably wouldn’t have divulged his secret
anyway. Then I finally came across a recipe by that French Laundry master,
Thomas Keller. After peeling then halving Roma tomatoes lengthwise, he simply
added a little salt, fresh thyme and olive oil and baked them no higher than
250 degrees for several hours. Okay, not the same as that first experience at
La Mer but still pretty tasty and perfect for a variation of the traditional
Caprese salad with tomato, mozzarella and basil. Except I serve mine on
crostini with basil pesto and these low-and-slow roasted tomatoes.
Tomato Cocktail Anyone?
Several years ago, a good friend hosted a
dinner featuring tomatoes in every course. The one caveat was no guest was
allowed to bring any food to the dinner. Share a bottle of wine? Fine, but no
food. So I created my Tomato Water Martini. Hey, it’s not food, it’s a
cocktail. I first purchased several pounds of heirloom tomatoes and roughly
chopped them then added it to a food processor. I then added a little smoked
salt and several fresh basil leaves then blitzed it to a puree. I then placed a
fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and poured the puree in the strainer,
covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight to let the liquids
strain out of the solids. This refrigerated tomato “water” was then mixed with
Square One basil infused vodka, two parts tomato water to one part vodka. I
adorned to shot glass with a fresh cherry tomato and basil leaf. Hey, I didn’t
bring any food…
Of course, I also made a tomato tapenade
palmier using my recipe for tomato tapenade and spread it over a sheet of puff
pastry (purchased in the freezer section of a supermarket then thawed in the
refrigerator) and gently rolled each side until they met in the middle. After
using a scant bit of egg wash to make sure the two rolled section sealed in the
middle, cut across into 1/4 inch slices and baked until golden brown. Yes, this
is food but I explained to the host that it wasn’t meant to serve with his culinary
creations for the evening but was simply a “chef’s snack” while he finalized
his dinner prep.
Tomato Dessert
And lastly, I also made a Spiced Tomato
Cake to serve after dinner but once again, I argued that it wasn’t food. It was
dessert which is distinctly in its own class. For instance, when you were a
child and your Mother told you to finish your food at dinner, if you reached
for that Twinkie or Little Debbie snack she would have slapped you ‘upside your
head! “That’s not food, that’s dessert”! So, I rested my case…
Tomato Spice Cake
2 & 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup Italian stewed tomatoes reduced to
sauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated carrot with moisture
squeezed out
1 cup granulated sugar
9 slices of dried tomato rehydrated by
simmering in equal parts of sugar and water for 15 to 25 minutes
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