Quartered Tomatoes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 to 2 quart saucepan
• •Medium bowl for an ice bath
• •Sharp paring knife
• •Small spoon or melon baller
• •Medium whisk and nonreactive bowl
• •Thin, very sharp slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the tomatoes

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Cut a very shallow cross in the blossom end of each tomato, lower them into the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, then transfer them directly to the ice water. Peel from the scored end without bruising the flesh. If a patch of skin resists, return that tomato to the boiling water for five seconds; do not tug, because torn flesh will split when quartered.

   The water loosens only the skin. A tomato left in long enough to soften has already lost the firmness this preparation needs.
2. 2

   Empty and dry

   Cut a thin lid from the stem end of each peeled tomato. With a small spoon or melon baller, remove the seeds, loose pulp, and hard core without piercing the walls. Set the hollow tomatoes upside down on a clean towel for 20 minutes, then blot the cavities carefully. This drying is not decorative fuss: water inside the tomato loosens the mayonnaise collée and spoils the clean cut.

3. 3

   Cook the Macédoine

   Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil with half the salt. Add the diced carrot and turnip and cook for two minutes, add the green beans for two minutes more, then add the peas for the final minute. The vegetables should be tender under the tooth but still hold sharp edges. Drain immediately, cool in fresh ice water, and spread them on a towel until thoroughly dry; wet vegetables dilute an emulsion.

4. 4

   Prepare the jelly

   Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over half the cold vegetable stock and leave it for five minutes to bloom. Warm the remaining stock until hot but not boiling, then stir it into the bloomed gelatin until perfectly clear. Let the mixture cool until barely warm while keeping it fluid. If it sets before the mayonnaise is ready, ça se rattrape: stand the cup briefly in warm water and stir until liquid again.

5. 5

   Build the mayonnaise

   Whisk the egg yolk with the Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of lemon juice, one quarter of the salt, and the white pepper. Add the oil first drop by drop, then in a thin thread once the emulsion becomes thick and glossy. Whisk in the fluid gelatin mixture gradually. If the mayonnaise breaks, stop. Ça se rattrape: put the reserved lemon juice in a clean bowl and whisk in the broken mayonnaise one teaspoon at a time until smooth, then continue slowly.

6. 6

   Fill and chill

   Fold the dry Macédoine into the mayonnaise collée and taste, adding the remaining salt only if needed. The filling should mound softly rather than run. If it looks loose, chill it for five to ten minutes before filling; if it becomes too firm, set the bowl over warm water for a few seconds and fold once. Pack the tomatoes completely with a small spoon, pressing gently to remove hidden air pockets. Stand them upright, cover without touching their surfaces, and chill for 45 to 60 minutes. The original half-hour on crushed ice cools more fiercely than a home refrigerator, so the extra time replaces the ice, not the technique.

7. 7

   Quarter cleanly

   Test one tomato with a gentle press at the centre; the filling should feel set. With a very sharp, thin knife, cut each tomato from top to bottom into four regular quarters, wiping the blade after every cut. If the filling smears or pulls free, stop and chill the remaining tomatoes for fifteen minutes. Arrange the quarters cut-side up and serve properly cold. À table!

   Do not saw through the tomatoes. One deliberate downward cut preserves the smooth peeled surface and the patterned filling.

Chef Tips

• •Choose round tomatoes that feel heavy and firm, with unblemished, smooth skins. This dish truly needs the season because the tomato must be peeled, hollowed, and cut while holding its shape; a woolly winter tomato has no honest rescue here.
• •Keep the vegetable dice close to 1/4 inch. Macédoine is not a vague heap of chopped vegetables. The regular cut lets every quarter show carrot, turnip, bean, and pea while keeping the filling compact.
• •The source also permits a cold fish purée set with jelly. Use a finished, well-seasoned fish purée firm enough to hold a clean cut when chilled; the tomato preparation and chilling remain exactly the same.
• •For the source's compound-butter variation, quarter the peeled and emptied tomatoes before filling, then pipe softened compound butter through a grooved nozzle and chill until firm. That piping bag earns its place with smooth butter, not with diced Macédoine.
• •Use a pasteurized yolk because the mayonnaise remains uncooked and the tomatoes are intended for entertaining and make-ahead service. Keep the finished quarters properly chilled until they go to the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The Macédoine can be cooked, dried thoroughly, and chilled up to one day ahead. Keep the vegetables covered separately so they do not take on moisture.
• •The tomatoes can be peeled, emptied, and drained up to six hours ahead. Store them upside down on a towel in a covered container, then blot the cavities again before filling.
• •Fill and chill the tomatoes up to four hours before serving, but quarter them as close to service as practical. Once cut, they begin to release juice.
• •Do not freeze the tomatoes or the mayonnaise collée. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and eat them within one day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)