Candied Tomatoes (Slow Roasted Tomatoes)

When done with sweet tomatoes, these taste like candy, and are great as a dessert, or part of one. They work great with homemade vanilla ice cream or as part of a tart. I usually use plum tomatoes, but others will work as well. If the tomato is big, quarter it. This is less a recipe than a technique to follow. As you do this a couple times, you learn to adapt to the size of the tomatoes and the sweetness, or not, of them as well. You can change the herbs, play with oils, and even use different sugars such as a vanilla or lavender sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Peel tomatoes (plum or other meaty red tomatoes with a bit of acid) and halve through the stem, then seed.

On a non-stick mat or parchment paper that has been lightly oiled, place the tomato halves so there is space between them and they are flat side down. Lightly brush with neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed, and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar (around 1/8 t) per tomato.

Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and some fresh ground black pepper, and a few leaves of thyme, and bake in an oven at low heat (150°F) for 2-3 hours (or more) until the tomatoes are dry and look candied. This can sometimes take longer, but pay attention and avoid burning.

When the tomatoes are done, store in a single layer in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chef’s Notes:

Once you have done this it will seem very easy. You can play with the seasoning- add more sugar, or use reduced balsamic vinegar, eliminate sugar…  These slow roasted tomatoes are very surprising and drive home the fact that tomatoes are a fruit! They can be used to accompany meats, served with toasts as a starter, go with a tart or tangy soft cheese, or if you want to throw someone for a loop, serve them with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. For giggles, reduce some tomato liquor to a syrup (balance with sugar if need be) and top the ice cream with the tomato and syrup for dessert.

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen