tomato creme brulée

Cut around 7 – 8 tomatoes (plum/vine …) in half, place on shallow roasting tray, season with pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in oven; fan ~120-140°C, for ~2 hours. Skin and pass through a sieve.

Stir tomato purée into crème fraiche and heat gently in heavy sauce pan – do not allow to boil. Sieve into jug.

Whisk egg yolks in bowl with a little salt and pepper; add warmed, sieved tomato cream to egg with stirring. Place bowl over boiling water in sauce pan, stir until starts to thicken a little.

Return to jug, pour into shallow ramekins (I prefer these to deeper ones as quicker to cook), place in a bain-marie and cook in oven (fan ~140°C) for 15 – 20 mins until starting to set. Some recipes rely solely on heating to a thick cream and do not cook in the oven. If in oven too long it will develop a skin on the surface.

(a) Cool for several hours/overnight in fridge. Just before serving spray with a little water (allows sugar to dissolve), sprinkle with sugar and caramelize with blow torch. If you are going to use a grill for this sit the ramekins on ice to prevent the cream from cooking further. OR (b) Recently I have gone for a more savory option, sprinkling with finely grated parmesan cheese and then blow torching to obtain a crunchy coating on cooling.