Heirloom tomatoes pass the taste test
Flavourful volatiles are the essential ingredient missing from store-bought out-of-season varieties
I first tasted heirloom tomatoes in the mid-1990s. They came from the limestone-laced soils at Stoney Paradise, an organic Kelowna farm owned by the legendary Milan Djordjevich. (These days you can find Djordjevich, a.k.a. The Tomato Man, at the western entrance of the Saturday Trout Lake farmer’s market and at the Kitsilano farmer’s market in September.)
I had stopped buying bland supermarket tomatoes, and Djordjevich’s luscious, vine-ripened beauties were a revelation. Now I know why. In an article in The New York Times, University of Florida horticultural scientist Harry Klee says: “Think of the tomato flavour as a symphony with lots of notes. Over the last 50 years, they’ve removed one instrument at a time.”
Some two dozen genes are critical to producing flavourful volatiles, according to a study by Klee and his colleagues, and the genes in commercial varieties produce smaller amounts of volatiles than heirloom varieties. The solution, the scientists say, is to create a hybrid tomato (by traditional crossbreeding, not genetic engineering) that restores that full-fledged tomato flavour.
In the meantime, we have heirloom varieties from growers like Djordjevich, who supplies the popular CinCin Restaurant. Executive chef Andrew Richardson uses his cherry and Sungold tomatoes in a show-stopping salmon dish I’ve adapted here. Full-sized heirlooms are the ticket in my favourite “pizza,” a tomato galette.
Pacific Salmon with Olive Oil-Poached Cherry and Sungold Tomatoes
I buy Ocean Wise wild salmon from the Fish Counter at 3825 Main St. Leftover poached tomatoes make a fast appetizer on their own or spooned on toast. (Adapted from CinCin: Wood-Fired Cucina by Andrew Richardson, Figure 1 Publishing, 2016) Serves: 4 Four 5 oz (150 g) pieces wild salmon fillet, skin on Sea salt 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter Fresh lemon juice (optional) 1/2 lb (250 g) warm Olive OilPoached Cherry and Sungold Tomatoes (see recipe below)
Let the salmon come to room temperature (allow about 20 minutes). Season on both sides with salt.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Pat the salmon skin dry with a paper towel. When the oil is almost smoking, slide the fish into the pan, skin side down.
Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin becomes golden brown and crisp. Flip the fillets over and cook 2 more minutes.
Add the butter to the pan and swirl it around. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes, allowing the fish to cook in the residual heat.
Drizzle with lemon juice if desired and serve alongside warm Olive Oil-Poached Cherry and Sungold Tomatoes
Olive Oil-Poached Cherry and Sungold Tomatoes
Makes: 1 pound (450 g) 1/2 cup (125 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 3 medium shallots, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 lb (450 g) mixed cherry and Sungold tomatoes
1 tbsp (15 mL) each chopped fresh chives, basil, tarragon and flatleaf parsley
Sea salt Heat the oil over medium-low in a medium saucepan.
Add the shallots and garlic and cook slowly until soft and almost translucent, being careful not to brown.
Add the tomatoes and cook gently. When the skins start to split and the tomatoes begin to wilt and release their juice, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
They will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks, especially if you keep them covered in olive oil.
Just before using, reheat gently to just above room temperature, mix in the herbs and season to taste with salt.
Tomato Galette
This thin, flat pie, adapted from Joanne Weir’s You Say Tomato (Broadway Books, 1998) is a breeze to prepare. The key is keeping the dough ice cold.
Serves: 4 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (60 mL) yellow cornmeal Coarse salt 8 tbsp (120 g) butter, cut into ½-inch pieces, frozen for 1 hour 3 tbsp (45 mL) sour cream 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice 3/4 cup (180 mL) coarsely grated mozzarella
3/4 cup (180 mL) coarsely grated fontina
1/4 cup (60 mL) basil leaves, cut into thin strips
3 ripe but firm medium tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper
Measure the flour, cornmeal and ½ teaspoon (2 mL) salt into the bowl of a food processor and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse several times, until the mixture has the texture of peas and oatmeal.
Measure 1/3 cup (75 mL) ice water into a chilled cup and beat in the sour cream and lemon juice with a fork. Add the liquid to the food processor a tablespoon at a time and pulse until the dough holds together. (If needed, add more ice water a teaspoon at a time.) Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or over overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Working on a large sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, roll the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle, trimming the edges as needed. Slide parchment onto a baking sheet.
Toss the cheeses with the basil and sprinkle evenly over the dough, leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) border. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese, overlapping slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the uncovered edges of the pastry over the cheese, pleating to fit.
Bake until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool on pan for 5 minutes before sliding the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.