Tomato Tartare

For the tomato tartar, combine the tomato confit, shallots, chives and basil in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, place a 3-inch ring...See more » For the tomato tartar, combine the tomato confit, shallots, chives and basil in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of each plate. Place about 2½ tablespoons of the tomato tartar in each ring mold and smooth with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets. Garnish the tartar with mixed greens and drizzle with some of the basil oil. Serve cold with small toasts. Makes 4 servings. For the tomato Confit 30 plum tomatoes ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic finely sliced ½ tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon sugar Thyme sprigs To peel the tomatoes, cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water to loosen the skin. About 30 to 40 seconds. As soon as the skin begins to loosen, remove the tomatoes to an ice-water bath to cool and stop the cooking. Using your hands, peel the tomatoes, cut them in half and cut out the cores. Remove the seeds and cut out any remaining ribs, rough spots, or membranes to leave a smooth tomato. Note: If you are working with large tomatoes you may need to quarter them to remove the seeds. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees F. To prepare the tomato confit, line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Drizzle the foil with some of the extra-virgin olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes on the baking sheets and drizzle with more olive oil, season with salt and pepper, sugar, and the sliced garlic. Top each piece of tomato with a small sprig of thyme. Bake for 2 hours or until the tomatoes are partially dried but still moist. Let cool. Transfer the confit with the thyme, garlic and its oil to a sealable jar. Add more extra-virgin olive oil, until the tomatoes are completely submerged. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. For the basil oil ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 10 basil leaves Combine the basil leaves and olive oil in a blender and blend.See less »