Monday, July 20, 2009

Savory Tomato Parfaits




I remember the excitment I felt as a child when I would open the freezer and see my mom's parfait glasses lined up in a neat row. "Yessssssss." I'd say to myself, knowing my favorite dessert was just around the corner. Something about that tall frosted glass, filled with an assortment of colorful sorbets always put me in a very happy place. Maybe it was those long skinny spoons that were just the perfect length to reach the bottom. Isn't it strange that some of our favorite desserts from our childhood were often the most simple? Today if its not bruleed or tirami sued I'm not even interested. As a child four flavors of sorbet tightly packed into a tall frosted glass made me feel like a complete princess. As an adult its the type of dessert I would pass on.

On the other hand, serve up a savory tomato parfait made with pureed heirloom tomatoes...I'm in. I recently discovered this recipe which was created by Norwegian chef Andreas Viestad. A savory parfait made with pureed heirloom tomatoes, summer time in a glass...brilliant.

  • 1/2 pound medium dark heirloom tomatoes, cored and chopped

  • Kosher salt

  • 1/2 pound yellow tomatoes, cored and chopped

  • 1/2 ts chopped parsley

  • 1 ts basil

  • a few drops of vinegar

  • 1/2 pound red cherry tomatoes, halved

In a blender puree the dark tomatoes till smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and carefully pour into 4 glasses, place in fridge for 30 minutes so puree can firm up a bit. Now rinse and dry the blender. Repeat blending process with yellow tomatoes, adding basil, parsley, vinegar and salt. Carefully spoon the yellow puree on top of the dark tomato puree. Place back in fridge for 15 minutes. Finally rinse and dry blender, process cherry tomatoes to make top layer, adding salt to taste. Place back and fridge. Garnish with basil leaf and serve.

21 comments:

  1. This Parfait looks delicious. Never tried Savory Parfait, will try out. Thanks for visiting our blog and leaving your comments.

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  2. This looks wonderfully refreshing! I am such a fan of tomatoes! They are one of my favorite foods on earth! What a neat way to enjoy them!

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  3. What a fantastic idea! They look pretty and tasty.

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  4. Very cool, my friend. You come up with the best ideas. Thanks for sharing. :) Tien

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  5. This is a great idea for summer entertaining!

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  6. Well, isn't that a lovely idea -- and perfect for a hot day! These have got to be spectacular with heirloom tomatoes.

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  7. tomato parfait? That's amazing! So cool and seasonal and refreshing! I love the blend of colors there!

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  8. Ummm, I too am always looking for refreshing ideas to making new tomato dishes...when I was young I always looked forward to the smell when I entered the house after school; then we knew exactly if she was making our favorite dishes or experimenting again, lol! Desserts were in plain sight, as she was a true baker...

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  9. great site and beautiful food. i will be back...thank you for coming to my site so I can find your site.

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  10. Oh this is such a great idea for a party appetizer. Perfect for the season also. Nicely done!

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  11. ooh, super easy and fancy at the same time!

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  12. These look so delicious and refreshing!

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  13. wow, that looks so interesting and creative.

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  14. Tomato parfait? I don't know if I would ever choose that myself, though I would definitely try anything once! Plans are coming along, 18 days until the big move!

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  15. With home grown tomatoes, these would be so tasty- You have lots of delicious looking creations here!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  16. Sounds and looks absolutely lovely.
    LL

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  17. This is interesting but having an aversion to vinegar, I guess I'll use lime juice or something instead. :)

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  18. wow that is a seriously fantastic idea. Its simple and innovative at the same time.

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  19. This looks so elegant and delicious! Perfect for a summer dinner party :D

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