Chef Juliette
Riz au Blanc (for Fowls and Eggs)
Riz au Blanc proves that plain rice is a technique, not an absence: parboil it in abundant salted water, drain it dry, then let butter and low oven heat separate every tender grain.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Grilled Tomatoes
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2263, Grilled Tomatoes, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Tomates grillées prove that gentle heat is a technique, not an absence of one: whole ripe tomatoes, generously oiled, turned patiently until the skins blister and the centers grow yielding.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
BBQ
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
25 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Tomates grillées teach restraint. Gentle is the whole instruction: whole tomatoes need time for heat to reach their centers, and fierce heat bursts the skins while the flesh is still raw. Oil them generously, keep them whole, and let moderate heat do its quiet work.
The source entry assumed a professional grill whose heat and distance a cook could adjust at a glance, whether beneath a salamander or over banked coals, and it gave no quantity because service decided that. The home equivalent is eight small tomatoes for four people on the cool side of a covered barbecue, or in a ridged cast-iron grill pan over low heat. Time, temperature, and a household portion have been supplied; no seasoning or aromatics have been added, because the source asks for nothing beyond tomatoes and oil.
Open-ended brigade service is scaffolding and can go. Copious oil and gentle grilling are the dish, and both must stay. Set the gentle heat before the tomatoes touch the grate, then refuse to hurry them.
Tomates grillées belong to the grillades of Mediterranean France, particularly Provence and Languedoc, where whole ripe tomatoes cook beside meat or fish over a moderated bed of coals. The classical repertoire kept that household economy and reduced the garnish to its essentials: tomato, oil, and controlled heat. Despite the name, the aim is neither a black crust nor a collapsed tomato; the skin should blister lightly while the flesh softens inside.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
small ripe round tomatoes
Quantity
8 (about 2 lb / 900 g)
mild olive oil or neutral cooking oil
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 55 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| small ripe round tomatoes | 8 (about 2 lb / 900 g) |
| mild olive oil or neutral cooking oil | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 55 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Covered outdoor grill with two heat zones, or a 12-inch ridged cast-iron grill pan with a large lid
- •Soft-tipped grilling tongs
- •Wide shallow bowl for oiling
Instructions
- 1
Set gentle heat
Prepare a two-zone barbecue with modest coals banked to one side, or light one gas burner, and stabilize the covered grill at 325 to 350°F (160 to 175°C). Leave a genuinely cool area beside the heat. For indoor cooking, warm a 12-inch ridged cast-iron grill pan over medium-low heat, then lower it once the ridges are hot; the oil should shimmer on contact but never smoke.
- 2
Oil the tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes and dry them completely, removing any loose leaves without coring or piercing the fruit. Pour the oil into a wide shallow bowl and roll each tomato through it until the entire skin is thickly glossy. Copiously means the oil drips back into the bowl, not a timid brush across the shoulders. Keep the tomatoes whole, because the skin holds their juices while the centers soften.
Don't prick the skins. A vent may seem prudent, but it gives the juice an escape route before the flesh has finished cooking. - 3
Grill without hurry
Set the tomatoes on the cooler side of the barbecue, close the lid, and grill them for 18 to 25 minutes. Turn each one by a quarter turn every 4 to 5 minutes with gentle tongs, keeping it near the heat but never directly over a fierce flame. On a grill pan, cover the tomatoes with a large lid or inverted metal bowl and rotate them in the same way. The skins should blister lightly and take a few bronze stripes while the fruit slowly grows yielding.
- 4
Rescue a split
If a skin sticks when you try to turn it, stop and give it another minute; forcing it will tear the tomato. If one bursts before its center is soft, the heat is too strong. Ça se rattrape: move it to the farthest cool edge, turn the split upward so its juices remain inside, and finish it under the closed lid. Lower the heat beneath a grill pan and leave that tomato split-side up without further turning.
- 5
Serve them whole
Lift each tomato to a shallow platter when its skin is lightly wrinkled and the flesh gives beneath the tongs without collapsing. Spoon over any oil remaining in the coating bowl and let the tomatoes settle for 3 minutes so their juices calm inside the skins. Serve them whole, with no seasoning added. Tomato, oil, gentle heat. That is the dish. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose smooth, small-to-medium tomatoes that smell ripe at the stem but still hold their shape in your hand. Large beefsteak tomatoes soften unevenly and tend to collapse before their centers are ready.
- •This dish truly needs the season. Canned tomatoes are an honest answer for sauces and braises, but they cannot stand whole on a grill; if the fresh tomatoes are pale, hard, and scentless, choose another vegetable tonight.
- •A mild olive oil suits a southern French grill table, while sunflower or grapeseed oil lets the tomato lead more completely. Don't season by reflex. The source's severity is deliberate, and adding garlic, herbs, or salt turns it into another preparation.
- •Serve the tomatoes beside grilled sausages, lamb chops, or a whole fish. Leftovers keep chilled for 2 days, but bring them to room temperature instead of grilling them again; a second heating usually splits the softened skins.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash and dry the tomatoes up to 8 hours ahead. Keep them cool, then bring them toward room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling so their centers cook evenly.
- •Don't oil the tomatoes until the grill is ready, or most of the oil will drain away. Once cooked, they may wait for 10 to 15 minutes on the platter and remain splendid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
145 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
10 mg
Total Carbohydrates
9 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
2 g
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