By K. Emily Bond

Chilled tomato soup season is upon us, ¡olé!

While most aficionados of Spanish cuisine will turn to gazpacho for their seasonal tomato fix, they would be remiss to overlook its prima gorda — fat cousin (as in phat) — salmorejo.

For me, eating salmorejo for the first time was much like seeing J. Lo make her first Academy Award appearance sometime in the early 90s, smack in the middle of fashion’s heroin chic grunge era.

Back when waifs were sex symbols.

Gazpacho is alright, but I like a summer soup I can hold on to.

Salmorejo is more voluptuous fare. Another of Andalucía’s signature dishes, it is made from tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and vinegar like the skinny gazpacho. The addition of bread and egg yolk, however, pads it out nicely and keeps you coming back for more.

Tools:
A BOSCH, or similar blending instrument.

Ingredients:

• 8 (or so) very ripe and red tomatoes on the vine
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Tomato paste is an often overlooked component to cooking, and I wanted to offer this recipe because of the contribution tomato paste makes to it.

Tomatoes aren’t used in it except as the paste, but without it the sauce would be virtually inedible.

Tomato paste, therefore, is indispensable, and as much as we like to think of most chefs as being against the notion of prepared foods many are still in thrall of tomato paste.

To be sure, a substitute can be made, including homemade paste that utilizes any number of varieties of plum tomato that were bred specifically for paste. But for most home cooks any of the regularly available, unflavored tomato pastes is the standard.

In fairness, the inspiration for this sauce goes to Jon Philbrick, a co-worker of mine at Aka Bistro, who, in turn, was given the recipe by a protégé of the great Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York City. I’m not sure that this is the exact way that they make it at Le Bernardin, but it should have a very savory, rich, and peppery flavor that goes well with chicken, fish, or pork.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, diced Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

This tart takes a similar approach to the regular tomato tart but adds a layer of flavor with goat cheese.

Roasted, diced tomatoes are added, giving the tart some texture and sweetness.

Serve with a salad dressed in a simple vinaigrette for a simple, elegant lunch entrée.

Makes One 10” tart

• 1 prepared 10” tart shell
• 5 plum tomatoes
• 1 cup goat cheese
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3 eggs and 3 egg yolks beaten together
• olive oil Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

There are so many different ways of preparing tomato tart, and I won’t say this the best and only one you should try.

But it is a different method than most have used and does require a little time and patience.

In essence, it’s a sort of quiche, but it’s also full of tomato flavor.

Though it is best made with the best fruit at the height of the season it can also be made with decent, ripe tomatoes any time of the year.

Makes One 10 inch tart

• 4 red globe tomatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 prepared 10” tart shell
• 3 cups of heavy cream Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Like the tomato-brown butter, this sauce is a combination of sweet and nutty that seems like a surprise.

Brown butter sauces don’t get a great deal of attention, mostly due to their one-dimensional quality, and the addition of tomatoes is a perfect foil.

As with other hollandaise-based sauces, this one goes well with nearly any meat, fish, or vegetable dish.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce

• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ cup white wine
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 sticks of butter
• juice of ½ lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan combine the tomatoes with the white wine and cook over medium heat until the mixture resembles a dry pulp, about 20-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and cook until it foams and browns. Be careful not to burn the butter as it will be very bitter.

In a stainless steel bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Place the bowl over a small pan with simmering water and continue to whisk the yolks until slightly thick and very pale in color, about 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and drizzle the brown butter into the yolks slowly to incorporate. Fold the tomatoes into the sauce and serve.

By David Harbilas

A new friend of mine turned me on to a sauce made by Eric Ripert, the chef of Michelin 3-Star Rated restaurant Le Bernardin.

His sauce is a simple concoction of brown butter, chicken stock and lemon juice, and I thought “why not with tomatoes?”

The result promises to be sweet, a little tart, and, of course, a little nutty due to the brown butter.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce

• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 sticks of butter Read the rest of this entry »