Of all the produce that taste best in season, none are more inspiring than ripe, soft, juicy and sweet summer tomatoes. With their silky skin, meaty flesh, soft pink juice, and the generous array of colors and shapes they offer, summer tomatoes are nothing like their winter counterparts. Now is the time to take advantage of their delectability, to be creative and incorporate them in as many dishes as possible.
There is a very traditional and rustic French dish called tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes) that inspired me a few weeks ago. In the original recipe, firm red tomatoes are cut, cored and stuffed with meat, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, aromatic herbs. My new recipe, Tomates Farcies, takes a playful and unexpected twist on the stuffing. When served, the tomato looks like it has only been boiled and peeled. Only when our guests cut it do they discover “la farce”. In French this word has two meanings- stuffing and joke- which both apply here.
As for the stuffing itself, it is a lightly salted fish mousse. Its light texture and medium firmness make each bite smooth and subtle.
I had this or something close to it at Baume. Just exquisitely delicious. My senses are haunted by the memory of it.
Thanks for the gorgeous photographs and inspiration!
Thank you Don!