The small golden tomatoes looked irresistibly delicious piled in open tubs at my local farmers’ market. If you had popped one in your mouth - as I did - you would have agreed they are super sweet. Like candy. And I’ve become totally enamored of them. Is this normal? I searched Google for a diagnosis.
Strange as it may seem, this small yellow tomato was considered toxic when it was first introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Botanists assumed tomatoes were as as hazardous as the other nightshade plants they knew: belladonna and mandrake. Tomatoes were immediately consigned to decorative gardens, along with the other nightshade newcomer from South America, the potato. (That’s the official story.)
At the same time, other scientists and amateur chemists were using diluted nightshade compounds in amazing ways. For example, surgeons used belladonna as an anesthetic. Other concentrations of belladonna and mandrake root could produce various states all the way from sleep to hallucinations and out-and-out mania.
On yet another front, ladies of fashion applied belladonna eye drops to dilate their pupils and, hopefully, enhance their attractiveness. (Who says love isn’t blind?)
Early experiments on tomato plants produced much more palatable results. The French became so enamored of tomatoes they renamed it la pomme d’amour (the love apple). You have to give them credit for recognizing an aphrodisiac when they tasted one. Now I know I’m experiencing ‘tomato love’.
So I’ve made it my mission to return the tomato to its rightful position as a “love apple”. Here are a trio of tomato desserts that explore its sweet fruit characteristics. I’m confident you will find them tasty and maybe even seductive.
BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES
;Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup yellow raisins
3/4 cup LU Cinnamon Spice Cookie (or shortbread cookie), crushed
Directions;
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Cut off the stem end of each tomato, scrape out the contents without piercing the skin. Reserve the flesh of the tomato and discard the seeds and juices. Chop up the tomato pieces and combine with the brown sugar, raisins and the cookies coarsely crushed. Distribute the filling among the tomatoes.. Place them on a baking dish and bake until the tomatoes are soft but still hold their shape, about 30 minutes.
Serve tomatoes warm or chilled with Piquant Crème Anglaise.
PIQUANT CRÈME ANGLAISE
Ingredients:
1 cup whole mik
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 + teaspoon Tabasco Sauce or powdered cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Directions:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it forms a skin. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together in a small mixing bowl. Pour the hot milk over the eggs stirring constantly. Wash out the pan and return the custard base to it. Reheat the pan stirring constantly until the liquid is just at the boil. Pour the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Add Tabasco Sauce until there is a nice balance between the sweet, spice and cream flavors.
Note: Dairy products neutralize the heat in chiles. You may need to add a surprising amount to balance flavors.
CANDIED TOMATO TOPPING
Ingredients:
1 pound sweet golden or red cherry tomatoes
1 cup water
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 4” cinnamon stick.
Juice from 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
Directions:
Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the contents placing them in a strainer over a bowl. Press tomato juices through the strainer and reserve these juices.
Bring the water and sugar to a simmer, swirling the pan to make sure the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon stick and simmer the syrup for 5 minutes.
Add the halved tomato shells and juices, return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the tomato halves from the simmering syrup and place them flat on parchment on a bake sheet. (Continue cooking the syrup.) Turn the broiler on low and set the rack 4 -6” from the flame. Place the sheet under the broiler for 3 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to brown. Remove the pan, turn the tomatoes over and return to the broiler for another 3 minutes or until the browning begins to create smoke.
Remove the pan from the oven and slide the tomatoes off the parchment into the simmering syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and reheat to a simmer. Cook another 2 -3 minutes for a thicker consistency. Off the heat, pour the topping into a glass container, cool completely, cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve topping over ice cream, yogurt and fresh fruit.
TOMATO CRÈME BRULEE
Ingredients for 6 1/2 cup ramekins or gratin dishes:
1 pound tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, split (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1/3 cup sugar plus 6 tablespoons
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Core and cut up the tomatoes. Place them in a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook slowly for 15 minutes. Put the tomatoes and juices through a food mill to remove skin and seeds. You will have about 2 cups tomato puree. Add the vanilla bean and reduce by half over medium high heat, stirring regularly.
Remove the vanilla bean, pour the concentrated tomato puree to a bowl and stir in 1/3 cup sugar. Sir in the whipping cream and egg yolks. Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Add vanilla extract if you have not used a bean. Divide the custard among 8 1/2 cup ramekins or 6 shallow gratin dishes.
Place dishes on a bake sheet, and bake until the surface is set, 25 minutes for the gratins; 45 for the ramekins. Cool the molds on a rack, cover them and refrigerate until chilled. Divide the remaining sugar among the dishes and caramelize it with a small propane torch or under a broiler flame. Serve immediately.
