It's prime tomato time

article from Chef Colin Moody

The Happy Palate

We are in the prime harvest season for heirloom tomatoes on the Central Coast (California), and you will find the best prices all year on your favorite vined fruit. There are more than 3,000 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, with many new hybrids coming into the market every year. These tomatoes come from a time before commercial farms and grocery stores; when they were grown for flavor, not shelf life. We are so fortunate right now. There has been such an exponential increase in these wonderfully flavorful tomatoes available to us. Over the last 20 years, with strong public support, we have seen the largest increase in heirloom varieties ever — not only in tomatoes, but in almost every fruit and vegetable. This biodiversity is important for the produce world, just as it is for our world. Diversity keeps us strong and resilient to disease. Brandywine, purple Cherokee, banana legs, Caspian pink, dingwall Scotty, druzba, zebra stripe and just plain "delicious" are just a few of the eclectic names you will find as you discover the wonderful world of heirlooms. There are tiny ones of an inch in diameter and huge ones as big as 5 pounds! Some that are pineapple scented, some that look like bell peppers (both inside and out), some with stripes, and every color you can think of. It is a constant learning process for us as chefs. We get educated by the organic farmers and, in turn, try to educate the guests we serve. We get so inspired by the farmers, and that enthusiasm then translates into the dishes we prepare.

Dina, my main organic farm supplier from ALBA organics in Salinas, will call me up bursting with energy and excitement from her morning walk in the fields. Bubbling with joy, she tells me of the sweet smells and flavors, "fresh off the vine!" And the wonderful rustic dishes they would create quickly from the day's offerings.

These tomatoes, rich in flavor, at the peak of ripeness, make a chef's job easy. The trick is not to get in the way of the already abundant flavor; rather, one needs to only highlight and accentuate what nature has already given you. Find flavors that naturally build on each other to make your whole tongue happy. For example, tarragon and tomato; the slight acid in the tomato blends beautifully with the sweet nosey aroma of the tarragon. Add a slight hint of orange to bring out fruity flavor of the tomato, and you have yourself a full-palate experience. Then serve with a roasted garlic-brie baguette for some crispy-creamy textures.

The following recipe (Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup) does just that. The second recipe (Avocado Faux Gras, Heirloom Tomato Chutney and Crab Toast) is a little more daring. You can check out at the NatureSweet Carmel TomatoFest at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley this Sunday between noon and 4 p.m. I will be there, along with 50 other chefs making the most from nature's bounty. |Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup| |with Roasted Garlic-Brie Baguette| |(Makes 6-8 servings)| For the soup 3 lbs. of your favorite heirloom tomatoes (6-8, depending on size) 2 tsp. champagne vinegar, 1 tsp. wildflower honey, or other honey 3 T. fresh orange juice 1 T. fresh tarragon, finely minced Sea salt and white pepper to taste For the toast 1 bulb of garlic, with top third cut off 3 T. olive oil 1 baguette (sourdough or sweet), sliced ¼- to ½-inch thick 6-8 oz. brie, sliced to fit on baguette slice Sea salt and white pepper to taste For soup: Chop tomatoes and, in a food processor, purée with vinegar, honey and orange juice, until smooth. Pour purée through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on solids. Discard solids (compost). Stir in minced tarragon and season to taste with the sea salt and white pepper. Soup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled and covered. Re-season soup before serving. For toast: Preheat oven to 380 degrees. Place garlic bulb (cut side down) in a small roasting dish with 3 T. olive oil. Cover with foil. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until garlic is tender and cut side is a deep golden brown. Remove garlic from pan and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bring the oil, from the roasted garlic, to the sliced baguette. Lay the sliced baguette on a cookie sheet and brush with leftover garlic oil. Place in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until light brown. Let cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb. Place one slice of brie and one garlic clove on each slice of baguette. Serve with the chilled heirloom tomato soup. |Avocado Faux Gras with| |Heirloom Tomato Chutney|

|and Dungeness Crab Brioche Toast|

|(Makes 6 appetizer portions)|photo

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Avocado Faux Gras:

2 ripe Hass avocados, pitted and skin removed 1 T. lime juice 2 tsp. dijon mustard 1 sheet of gelatin, dissolved in warm water ½ tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped ½ tsp. fresh chives, finely sliced 2 cloves of roasted garlic Pinch of white pepper 1 cup shell-off pistachios, chopped 1 tsp. Hawaiian salt (pink) or sea salt For the chutney 2 cups mixed-color heirloom tomatoes, peeled seeded and medium diced 2 tsp. passionfruit purée, or flesh of two passionfruit 1 T. champagne vinegar 2 tsp. vanilla sugar (or 2 tsp. sugar, plus 1 drop of vanilla extract) Sea salt to taste For the crab toast 6 thick sliced brioche bread, or substitute your favorite bread 1/3 cup melted butter 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan, or asiago cheese ¾ cup Dungeness crab meat (shells removed) For the avocado: In a food processor, place avocado, lime juice, mustard, gelatin, garlic and pepper. Purée until mixed well. Add tarragon and chives; pulse until just incorporated. Lay down a 12-inch by 12-inch piece of wax, or parchment paper. With a rubber spatula, scrap out the avocado mixture onto the wax paper along one edge so that you can roll it into a "log" shape. Carefully roll into 1-inch-thick roll. Gently pick up from both ends and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Lay down chopped pistachios and spread out evenly on a clean surface. Take out the avocado roll and unwrap the wax, or parchment. Place the avocado roll on the pistachios and roll back and forth to coat the roll evenly. Wrap this in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Reserve the salt for garnish. For the chutney: In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, place the chopped tomatoes, passionfruit, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until it begins to thicken, about 30 minutes (it should have an oatmeal-like consistency). Add salt to taste, and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use. For the toast: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each slice of brioche into two triangle pieces of bread and place on a cookie sheet. Brush the melted butter evenly on each piece of bread. Place equal amounts of crab on each piece, then sprinkle the shaved Parmesan over the crab. Place in the oven and bake until edges of bread turn brown and the cheese is melted. To plate, slice the avocado log into six equal pieces (1½ inches to 2 inches wide), and stand each piece on end on every plate. Then place two pieces of crab toast on each plate next to the avocado. Then put two spoonfuls of chutney on each plate. Sprinkle the Hawaiian salt or sea salt on top of every avocado section. Make sure to eat a little of each component in every bite. Enjoy! Colin Moody is executive chef at Asilomar Conference Grounds and president of the American Culinary Federation, Monterey Bay. He is passionate about local and sustainable foods. Contact Moody at chefcmoody@sbcglobal.net.