Chef Thomas
A British BLT
Back bacon crisped in a hot pan, a ripe tomato that actually tastes of something, crisp lettuce and real butter on proper toast. A sandwich that earns its place in the notebook.
Culinary Explorer
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Tomatoes on Toast
Created by Chef Thomas
Ripe tomatoes cooked in butter until they go sweet and jammy and collapse onto thick toast, the kind of meal that only makes sense in late summer when tomatoes actually taste of something.
Sandwiches & Wraps
British
Quick Meal
Weeknight
5 min
Active Time
10 min cook•15 min total
Yield2 servings
There are two weeks in August, sometimes three if the weather holds, when the tomatoes at the market smell the way tomatoes are supposed to smell. You pick one up and the scent hits you before you've even turned it over. Sweet, warm, slightly sharp, like summer itself concentrating into a single piece of fruit. That's when you make this. Not before.
It isn't a recipe, really. It's tomatoes, butter, toast, pepper. The kind of thing you throw together at the end of a long, warm day when the kitchen is still bright at eight o'clock and you can't be bothered with anything more than this. But the thing is, when the tomatoes are right, you don't need anything more than this. The butter goes sweet and orange from the juices. The toast soaks it up. The pepper cuts through. It tastes like exactly what it is, and that's enough.
I've written it in the notebook more than once. The entry is always the same: tomatoes, butter, toast, Tuesday. Sometimes I add the weather. It's the kind of meal that only works if you don't overthink it. We're only making dinner.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
4-5
halved or thickly sliced depending on size
unsalted butter
Quantity
a generous knob
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
peeled and left whole
good bread
Quantity
2 thick slices
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
basil leaves (optional)
Quantity
a few
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| ripe tomatoeshalved or thickly sliced depending on size | 4-5 |
| unsalted butter | a generous knob |
| garlicpeeled and left whole | 1 small clove |
| good bread | 2 thick slices |
| flaky sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| basil leaves (optional) | a few |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide frying pan or skillet
- •Good bread knife
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the tomatoes
Cut the tomatoes in half across their equator, or into thick slices if they're large. The shape doesn't matter much. What matters is that they're ripe enough to smell like a tomato from three feet away. If they don't, wait a week or roast them slowly instead. A cold, hard tomato won't give you what this dish needs.
Room temperature tomatoes cook better and taste of more. Take them out of the fridge an hour before you start, or better still, never put them in the fridge at all. - 2
Cook in butter
Put a wide pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Let it melt and foam. Drop in the whole garlic clove and let it sit there, gently perfuming the butter for thirty seconds or so. Now lay the tomatoes in, cut side down. Don't touch them. You want them to catch the heat and start to caramelise, going sticky and golden on the underside. Two or three minutes. You'll hear them start to hiss and spit as the juices hit the hot butter. When the edges soften and the cut side has gone burnished and jammy, turn them gently. Season with a good pinch of flaky salt.
Resist the urge to move the tomatoes. They need proper contact with the hot pan to caramelise rather than stew. Patience here is the whole recipe. - 3
Toast the bread
While the tomatoes cook, toast the bread. Properly. You want it golden and firm enough to hold what's coming without going soggy in the middle. A thick slice of sourdough or a good white bloomer is what you're after. Nothing too delicate. Rub the hot toast lightly with the garlic clove from the pan if you like that sort of thing. I do.
- 4
Collapse and spoon
Let the tomatoes cook for another minute or two on the second side. They should be soft now, collapsing at the edges, the juices running into the butter and turning it a pale, sweet orange. Press them gently with the back of a spoon to help them along. Some will hold their shape. Others will surrender completely. Both are right. Fish out the garlic clove. Spoon the tomatoes and all their buttery juices over the toast. Grind black pepper over the top, more than you think. Tear the basil over if you have it. Eat immediately.
Chef Tips
- •The tomatoes are the recipe. Everything else is a frame. If you can't find ripe ones that smell like a garden in August, don't bother. Wait until you can, or roast tinned plum tomatoes slowly with olive oil and garlic instead. A different dish, but an honest one.
- •Use real butter, not oil. The butter does something particular here: it catches the tomato juices as they cook and turns into a sauce you didn't have to make. Oil won't give you the same thing. This is one of those places where butter earns its keep.
- •The bread needs to be thick enough to hold up. A thin slice will go limp and sad under the weight of the tomatoes and their juices. Cut it yourself from a proper loaf. Toast it well. You want structure underneath all that softness.
Advance Preparation
- •There is no advance preparation. This is a ten-minute meal that exists in the present tense. The tomatoes should be at room temperature and the bread should be fresh. That's as far ahead as you need to think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 310g)
Calories
270 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
22 mg
Sodium
680 mg
Total Carbohydrates
39 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
11 g
Protein
8 g
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