Name: Tomatoes à l’Américaine
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 medium firm ripe tomatoes (about 1½ pounds / 680 g); 1 small white onion (about 3 ounces / 85 g), cut into very fine rings; 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 27 g) mild olive oil; 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), fully chilled; ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 2.5 g) white wine vinegar; ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4.5 g) fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g) freshly ground black pepper

Question 1

What tomatoes are best for Tomates à l’Américaine?

Accepted Answer

Choose four medium tomatoes that smell ripe at the stem but remain firm enough to slice cleanly. The tomatoes should weigh about 1½ pounds, or 680 grams, altogether. Fresh seasonal tomatoes are essential because canned tomatoes cannot provide the intact, thin rounds required for Tomates à l’Américaine.

Question 2

How thin should I slice the tomatoes and onion?

Accepted Answer

Slice the firm ripe tomatoes crosswise into even 3-millimeter rounds with a sharp serrated tomato knife. Cut the small white onion across its equator into rings no thicker than 1 to 2 millimeters. Almost translucent onion rings provide crispness without overpowering the delicate tomato slices.

Question 3

How long should tomatoes marinate for Tomates à l’Américaine?

Accepted Answer

Marinate the seasoned tomato slices for exactly 20 minutes at cool room temperature. After 10 minutes, spoon the collected juices over the tomato slices without stirring them. Keeping the macération brief preserves the tomatoes’ shape while allowing the salt, pepper, mild olive oil, chilled cooked marinade, and vinegar to season them.

Question 4

How do I keep thin marinated tomato slices from becoming soggy?

Accepted Answer

Arrange the 3-millimeter tomato slices in one or two loose layers in a shallow nonreactive dish, and never heap them. Distribute every seasoning across the dish, then tilt it gently instead of stirring. After 20 minutes, lift the slices with a small offset spatula so they remain intact.

Question 5

What should I do with excess liquid from the marinated tomatoes?

Accepted Answer

Do not pour the entire pool of marinating liquid onto the composed tomato salad. Briefly whisk the tomato juices, seasoning, and mild olive oil until cloudy, then spoon back only enough to gloss every slice. Spoon any remainder over bread or use it to dress another plain salad the same day.

Question 6

Can I make Tomates à l’Américaine ahead of time?

Accepted Answer

Cut, cover, and refrigerate the white onion rings up to four hours ahead, but slice and season the tomatoes only 20 minutes before arranging them. For a picnic, compose Tomates à l’Américaine no more than one hour before departure, transport it cold, and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Culinary Explorer

Tomatoes à l’Américaine

Ingredients

firm ripe tomatoes

white onion

mild olive oil

Where cooking meets culture.

Ingredient	Quantity
firm ripe tomatoes	4 medium (about 1½ pounds / 680 g)
white onioncut into very fine rings	1 small (about 3 ounces / 85 g)
mild olive oil	2 tablespoons (30 ml / 27 g)