Tomato Basil Concasse Food

LOLA SHRIMP AND PARMESAN POLENTA GRITS WITH TOMATO BASIL CONCASSE

Steps:

• For the shrimp sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and turkey bacon for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, clam juice, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and sugar. Simmer for 25 minutes.
• Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper and the smoked paprika. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and saute the shrimp for 1 minute. Transfer the shrimp to the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
• For the polenta: Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the polenta and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan, butter and lemon zest. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Divide the polenta between shallow serving bowls and top each with some shrimp and sauce. Garnish with the turkey bacon and parsley.

TOMATO CONCASSE

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato with a knife.
• Place prepared tomatoes in the pot of boiling water and cook until the skins begin to peel off, 10 to 40 seconds.
• Transfer tomatoes to the bowl of ice water and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off each tomato.
• Cut each tomato in half crosswise and remove and discard the seeds; finely dice the flesh.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO CONCASSé WITH WILTED SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes with their juices, garlic, salt, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and half the basil. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes or longer. Stir, taste, adjust salt and add pepper.
• Meanwhile, wilt chard by blanching in boiling salted water for about a minute or by steaming above 1 inch of boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes, flipping the bunch top to bottom using tongs halfway through. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water, taking up the chard by the handful. Chop coarsely.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chard and heat through, stirring, until coated with oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove to a platter or to plates, spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle t remaining basil over the top and serve.

TOMATO CONCASSE

Steps:

• Blanch tomatoes (place in boiling water 30-60 seconds).
• Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water.
• Peel.
• Cut tomatoes in half, then seed and dice.
• In a small nonstick fry pan sweat (saute-low heat) shallots and garlic without browning.
• Add tomatoes and herbs.
• Season.
• Cover.
• Simmer 20 minutes until soft and all liquid has evaporated.
• Remove garlic and herbs.
• Adjust seasoning.
• Store in a tightly covered glass jar.
• Let cool and refrigerate.
• Keeps up to two weeks.
• Enjoy!

TOMATENCONCASSE (TOMATO CONCASSE)

Steps:

• Saute the shallots in the olive oil.
• Add the tomatoes, and lightly crushed garlic cloves as well as the stripped thyme leaves and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• The juice from the tomatoes should be completely gone by that time and you should be left with a flavourful reduction.
• Allow to cool completely and either use immidiately or freeze for later use.

TOMATO BASIL CONES

Steps:

• For the Basil Sorbet:
• Bring the spring water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the basil leaves for 30 seconds. Remove basil from boiled water, carefully reserving all the blanching liquid, place in an ice water bath and drain the basil leaves. Set aside. Stir the granulated sugar into the blanching water until dissolved.
• After the sugar has dissolved, transfer the blanching liquid to a deep container, or canister, that can be partly submerged in a deep bowl of cold water with ample ice to bring the temperature of the boiling water down sharply and quickly. Shock the water until it reaches 90 degrees F. Add gelatin. Stir to dissolve. Continue to shock until chilled (about 70 degrees F).
• When basil is cold, transfer to blender and puree until smooth, adding enough cold infused liquid (leftover from the ice water bath) to facilitate blending into a smooth puree. Strain through a fine strainer so that some flecks of basil are visible in finished product. Combine basil puree and cooled basil-infused water in an ice cream maker. Process sorbet according to manufacturer's directions. Maintain under refrigeration between filling ice cream cones.
• For the Tomato Fondue:
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots and garlic until they are translucent. Add the sprig of thyme. Add the tomatoes and cook on a low flame until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the thyme sprig and while the mixture is still warm, puree with the butter with either a blender to an immersion blender. Refrigerate.
• For the Cones:
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare several baking sheets by lining with silpat (silicon nonstick mats) or parchment paper.
• Combine all the ingredients together, adding enough flour to create a uniform, thick and sticky dough. Chill for half an hour. (Dough keeps well if frozen. Pack in airtight container and defrost before using.)
• Either place in a pastry bag and pipe with a plain tip 1-inch drops, or use a melon baller to make small balls of approximately 3/4 teaspoon each, or shape by hand and smooth by rolling between the palms of your hands. (Keep dough cold while filling baking sheets.) Place them at least 2 to 3 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Cones will spread considerably during baking.
• Bake the cones for 4 to 5 minutes in preheated oven until beginning to caramelize. Rotate the sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Watch carefully as the cones spread thin and will continue to brown after removal from oven.
• Remove from sheets with a metal spatula while still warm. Roll around the base of a cone shaped small paper cup when still warm.
• To serve: Fill the cones almost to the top with the room temperature tomato fondue, these can sit like this for about 15 minutes. Scoop the basil sorbet onto the top cone of the cone with a small scoop or melon baller. Serve immediately.

TOMATO BASIL CONCASSE

Steps:

• In a bowl combine well the tomatoes, the oil, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and stir in the basil. The concassé may be make 2 hours in advance and kept overed and chilled.

TOMATO BASIL COMPOTE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and golden, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are just warm and ready to burst, 3 to 5 minutes. Add basil and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Spoon compote over pork skewers.

TOMATO CONCASSE

Steps:

• In a medium pot, combine all the ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. The mixture should not be too dry; add tomato juice, a little at a time, if necessary.