Great Tomato Recipes

Select a delicious recipe from the list on the right.

Tomato "Fest" Custard, Basil Jelly

Great Tomato Recipes Fried Green Tomatoes Tomato "Fest" Custard, Basil Jelly Tomato Tower "Zebra" Tomato Foam, Shaved Elephant Heart Plums, Rose Ice Cream & Tomato "Paper" Heirloom Tomato, Peach, and Plum Crisp with Basil Ice Cream Chilled Hot and Sour green Tomato Soup with Fresh Mint Yogurt Crema Lobster and Scallop Roulade Terrene With Heirloom Tomato Relish Heirloom Tomato and Halibut Ceviche Vine-Ripe Golden Tomato Marmalade

Fried Green Tomatoes
by Gary Ibsen

This dish is a favorite for guests that attend the Carmel TomatoFest every year. We hope that you and your family enjoy this as much as they do!

4-Green, unripe, hard as rock tomatoes, sliced approx. 1/2" thickness.
6-eggs- scrambled with 1/2 cup milk mixed together in bowl.

• 1/2 cup polenta
• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. dark chili powder
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. celery salt
• 2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. ground bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. ground fennel that has been roasted
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Grind polenta for 12 minutes in food processor until granules become fine and small. Mix all the dry ingredients together (flours, corn meal, polenta and spices) placing in a shallow dish.

Place tomato slices into egg mixture and then dredge in the flour mixture. Heat skillet with butter and olive oil, medium heat. When butter is melted add coated tomato slices. Cook on one side 2-3 minutes, and turn once, cooking another 2-3 minutes, until tomato is tender, but coating is crunchy.

Back to Top

Tomato "Fest" Custard, Basil Jelly
Bart Hosmer - Executive Chef, Parcel 104

• 1 cup Tomato Water
• 1½ cup Cream
• ½ each Vanilla Bean, Split
• 1 each Lemon Zest
• 1¾ cup Butter Milk
• 3 each Gelatin Sheets
• 2 cups Basil, Fresh
• 2 tbls Balsamic Vinegar
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 1 each Gelatin Sheet
• pinch Salt

Tomato Water
In a food processor, pulse chop 6 tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of salt until tomatoes are coarsely mixed. Place the mixture into a cheesecloth and hang overnight allowing the "water" of the tomatoes to drip into a bowl. The next day reduce the tomato water that has collected in the bowl in a saucepot over medium heat until 1 cup. Remove and cool.

Custard
In a saucepot over medium low heat add the tomato water, cream, vanilla bean and lemon zest. Bring to a slight simmer and whisk in the gelatin until dissolved. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and temper in the buttermilk. Place into individual molds and place in the cooler to set.

Basil Jelly
Juice the basil. If a juicer is not available combine basil, balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a blender and puree until smooth. Combine Basil Juice, balsamic vinegar and salt into a saucepot and bring to a simmer. Whisk is the gelatin until dissolved. Pour a small "sheet" of the warm jelly mixture over the set custards to form a thin layer of jelly. Again place in the cooler to set and serve chilled.

Garnish with slices of your favorite tomatoes, fresh basil or bacon.

Back to Top

Tomato Tower
(Layers of Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese and Microgreens) Rogelio Jacinto, Tomatina

• 5 pounds Vine ripe tomatoes
• 4 ounces Olive oil
• 1 tbl. Salt
• ½ tsp. Black pepper
• 1 tbl. Chopped fresh thyme
• 1.5 ounce Balsamic vinegar

Method:
Core tomatoes and trim off the top and bottom of each tomato, slice tomatoes into 4 thick slices (¼') if they are medium sized. Layer them on a full size sheet tray and evenly pour on the above ingredients. Dry them in a conventional oven for 4 hours at 100 degrees or until tomatoes have achieved a dry texture. Cut each circle in half and set to the side.

Roasted Yukon gold potatoes
Makes 68 orders
Cooking time 15 minutes
Temperature: 475 degree with fan on.

• 3 pound Yukon gold potatoes, size "B"
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 pinch Ground black pepper
• 1 tbl. Chopped parsley

Method:
Trim off some of the potato ends to get a perfect slice, cut potatoes into ¼ inch thick slices. Place them inside a mixing bowl and add the above ingredients. Toss well and place onto full size sheet tray and bake in a convection oven, about 15 minutes or until tender all the way through.

Sun-dried tomato aioli
Makes 6 cups or 108 orders

• 11 ounces Sun- dried tomatoes
• 1 cup warm water
• 4 ounce Pasteurized egg yolks
• 2 ounce Lemon juice
• 1 ounce Chopped garlic
• 1 pinch Black ground pepper
• 2 cups Cold water
• 2 cups Canola oil
• 2 tbl. Salt

Method:
Place sun-dried tomatoes in a mixing bowl and pour in the warm water, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 hours to rehydrate.

Using a Robo-Coupe, place the sun- dried tomatoes, egg yolks, lemon juice, chopped garlic, black pepper, salt and half amount water. Turn machine on and slowly add the canola oil, finish with last cup of water until desired consistency and set to the side.

Final Assembly of Dish:

Roasted potato and tomato tower with fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomato aioli and microgreens
Makes 1 order

• 1 slice Roasted Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 half slice Oven- dried vine ripe tomatoes
• 1 sliced Fresh mozzarella cheese (lightly seasoned with salt & pepper)
• 1 tbl. Sun-dried tomato aioli
• 1 pinch microgreens (garnish), lightly tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Method:
Build a little tower, layered in order with roasted potato, oven-dried tomato, mozzarella cheese, and tomato aioli. Garnish with microgreens and serve.

Back to Top

"Zebra" Tomato Foam, Shaved Elephant Heart Plums, Rose Ice Cream & Tomato "Paper" William Werner, Navio at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

• 2 lb. Ripe Zebra Tomatoes, peeled (reserve peels for paper), deseeded and pureed
• 2 cups Zebra Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Litchi Puree
• ¼ cup Muscavado Sugar
• 6 Gelatin Leaves, re-hydrated
• 1 Isi Siphon, ½ liter
• 1 N2O

Gently warm tomato and litchi puree with sugar until dissolved. Add gelatin leaves, burr mix and strain into siphon. Charge siphon with one N2O charge. Place in cooler and reserve.

Tomato Paper

Take reserved tomato skins and place in a dehydrator until crispy.

Rose Ice Cream

• 4 c. Milk
• 1½ c. Heavy Cream
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 1 c. Sugar
• ¾ c. Milk Powder
• 2 Tbl. Rose Water

Bring milk, heavy cream and milk powder to a boil. Whisk yolks with sugar and temper into hot milk. Cook to 145°F. Strain and chill in an ice bath. Place in ice cream machine and follow manufacturers' directions.

Elephant Heart Plums

• 1 lb. Elephant Heart Plums

To plate:
Place four thin slices of elephant heart plums in the middle of the plate. Place a quenelle of rose ice cream on the left side of the slices. Next to the quenelle, make a mound of tomato foam with the siphon. Cover the foam with tomato paper.

Back to Top

Heirloom Tomato, Peach, and Plum Crisp with Basil Ice Cream
Anne Baptiste, Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco

Tomato Filling

• 2 medium Heirloom tomatoes
• 6 Peaches, peeled
• 6 plums, peeled
• ¾ C (to taste)Florida Crystals or sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 t balsamic vinegar
• 6 T arrowroot powder or corn powder
• ½ t salt

Chop tomatoes, peaches and plums into half inch pieces. Mix in sweetener to taste as well as vanilla, vinegar, salt and arrowroot. Place in a 9x9 inch baking pan. Cover with desired amount of crisp topping and bake 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Crisp is done when topping looks toasted; some juice may bubble through.

Almond-Pine Nut Crisp Topping

• 1 ½ C almonds, toasted
• ½ C pine nuts, toasted
• 1 ½ C spelt flour
• 2 ½ C rolled oats
• 2 C brown sugar
• 1 t salt
• ½ t cinnamon or 1 ½ - 2 t spices of your choice
• ½ t ginger powder
• ¼ t cardamom powder
• ¼ t cumin
• ¼ t coriander
• ¾ C oil
• 1 T vanilla extract

After toasted nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely in a food processor. Mix with flour, oats, brown sugar and salt adding whichever spices you like. Mix in the oil and vanilla. The mixture should look a little wet and hold together somewhat when squeezed.

*This recipe will make lots of topping- my favorite part of a fruit crisp. If you do not like entombing your fruit and prefer a more sparse distribution of topping, you may halve the recipe.

Basil Ice Cream

• 1 C basil leaves, semi packed

Back to Top

Chilled Hot and Sour green Tomato Soup with Fresh Mint Yogurt Crema
Jim Gallivan, Atlantic Culinary Academy / Le Cordon Bleu

• ¾ oz. vegetable oil
• ½ oz. sesame oil
• 1 oz. garlic minced
• 1 oz. green chilies minced
• 3 pounds green tomato varietal, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped
• 32 oz. vegetable stock
• 1 lime (juice and zest)
• 1 oz seasoned rice wine vinegar
• ½ oz. light soy sauce
• 2 oz. dry wood ear mushrooms
• 1 oz. Mae Ploy (sweet chili sauce)
• ½ pound Roma tomato, peeled, seeded, small dice
• 3 oz. plain low fat yogurt
• 1 oz. chopped fresh mint
• ½ oz. kosher salt

PREPARATION
Heat oils together and briefly sauté garlic and chilies. Add green tomato and vegetable stock. Simmer to reduce and thicken. Add lime juice and zest and seasoned rice wine vinegar. Puree and strain. Hydrate mushrooms in soy sauce and chop. Add to soup base along with Mae Ploy and Roma dice. Chill. Combine mint and yogurt and season for garnish.

Yield: 6 six oz. portions

Back to Top

Lobster and Scallop Roulade Terrene With Heirloom Tomato Relish
A. Scott Cater, Casablanca Restaurant

• 1½ pound lobster
• 1 pound fresh sea scallops
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• ½ lemon

Relish:
Approximately 1 pound of your favorite heirloom tomatoes. The more colors, the better the presentation.

• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 - 3 tablespoons of your favorite fresh herbs chopped (we use basil and lemon thyme)

Balsamic Syrup

• 1 16 oz. bottle of balsamic vinegar

PREPARATION

Roulade:
Cook lobster in boiling water for 10 - 12 minutes. Chill and remove meat. Rough chop lobster meat. Puree the scallops in a food processor. In a bowl, fold the scallop puree and lobster together with the juice of ½ a lemon, pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika to add a little color. Now the mix is complete. Take a 12" - 14" length of plastic wrap. With a spoon or spatula, lay out an even amount of mousse 8" - 9" long lengthwise. Roll the mousse in the plastic wrap as if making a sausage, moving the mousse toward the middle using the plastic wrap as a casing. Tie off both ends and poach in a water bath for 1 hour in a 375°F oven.

Relish:
Cut tomatoes widthwise and scoop or squeeze out as many seeds as possible. Dice tomatoes to desired size and add vinegar and herbs.

Balsamic Syrup:
Boil vinegar in a saucepan over medium high heat until reduced by 2/3 volume.

PRESENTATION
Slice the lobster scallop in a medallion and set atop your favorite cracker. Put the relish on top, and drizzle with balsamic syrup. Garnish with chopped chives.

Back to Top

Heirloom Tomato and Halibut Ceviche
Sean O'Brien, MYTH Restaurant, San Francisco

• 1 lb Heirloom Tomatoes, peeled, diced
• 1 lb Halibut, diced
• 1 cup Lime juice, fresh
• ½ teas Lime zest
• ½ cup Orange juice, fresh
• ½ teas Orange zest
• ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ cup Red Onion, minced
• 1 ea Garlic Clove, minced
• 2 Tbl Cilantro, minced
• 1 Tbl Mint, minced
• 1 Tbl Basil, minced
• 2 ea Jalapenos, seeded, minced
• 1 ea Mango, diced
• ½ Cumin, ground
• 1 teas Salt, Kosher
• 1 ea Avocado, diced (optional)

Marinate halibut in ½ cup of lime juice for 1 hour. Discard the ice and incorporate all of the ingredients with the halibut.

Back to Top

Vine-Ripe Golden Tomato Marmalade
From James Waller, Executive Chef, Duck Club Restaurant, Monterey, California.

Makes about 7 - cups

This delicious golden marmalade is an excellent accompaniment to any main course, from lamb chops to chicken to roast pork. Or if you wish, serve it alongside homemade corn bread for a great addition to any dinner menu. You may vary the type of yellow or orange tomato, as your garden dictates, and the results will be equally delicious, but I suggest using medium to large sized tomatoes rather than cherry tomatoes if you want to avoid considerable labor. This is not a heavily sugared marmalade and should be refrigerated to maintain its freshness.

• 6 pounds ripe yellow tomatoes
• 1 pound sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise
• 3 cloves

With a sharp knife, score the skin of the tomatoes in an X on the blossom end. Place in boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds. (This may be done in batches) Plunge the tomatoes into a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Slip the peel off and remove any hard cores. Cut in half and squeeze out the seeds.

In a deep pot, combine the peeled tomatoes with the sugar, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Bring to a rolling boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the tomatoes are falling apart and beginning to thicken. (This may take more time, depending upon the water content of the tomatoes.) Watch carefully to avoid scorching and stir often. Remove from heat when consistency is similar to a thick jam. Discard the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Store in airtight jars, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Back to Top