L Ã©tÃ© de tomate

Posted on September 9, 2007
Filed Under All, Photos |

I guess we’ve mentioned how this has been the summer of the tomato. Night before last we ate at our very favorite ‘treat’ reataurant, Woodside’s Village Pub, and encountered an amuse-bouche, a deep-fried squash blossom in a tomato reduction, that was to die for.

The 2 tablespoons of sauce in the amuse-bouche probably started as a half pound or more of fresh tomatoes that were slowly simmered down over a day’s time to a heavenly taste that brought out the tomato’s acid flavors.

Our meal tonight started by dry pan-roasting the chicken just long enough to brown the skin and form a crust, after which they were removed in favor of a pound of flavorful, finely-diced lightly-salted heirloom tomatoes, a half-cup of cooking wine (TJ’s 2-buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc) and a cup of water. We heated the sauceuse wherein the tomato was boiled lightly for about 15 minutes to break up the solids, and then simmered for anothe 45 minutes to reduce the liquids.

With 30 minutes left, 2 cups of flat Italian baens went in along with the chicken breasts (and a tablespoon of herbs de provence from France) and the heat reduced once the light boil returned. At 20 minutes eggplant and tomato slices from dotcom garden went in, along with patty pan squash from Sigona’s. Linda really enjoyed the meal, as did I (but it’s not for the chef to say if it was good or not). This all started with Linda’s wonderful Paris/Burgoigne trip in May…