Concasser, the French word for “to crush or grind,” is a very basic cooking technique often applied to vegetables.
And the tomato concasse is an easy, useful technique to have in your back pocket; the procedure involves boiling scored tomatoes in water before being peeled, seeded and then roughly chopped, with a simple end result that can be served alone or applied to a variety of dishes.
Tomato concasse can be used as the base for tomato sauce, served atop crusty bread for bruschetta, or added to the decadent Béarnaise sauce for a sauce Choron.
Eric Ripert, chef/owner of the three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin in New York City, beefs up his tomato compote by adding tomato concasse for his elevated take on a crab cake.
Below, Ripert’s recipe that can easily be made at home:
And the tomato concasse is an easy, useful technique to have in your back pocket; the procedure involves boiling scored tomatoes in water before being peeled, seeded and then roughly chopped, with a simple end result that can be served alone or applied to a variety of dishes.
Tomato concasse can be used as the base for tomato sauce, served atop crusty bread for bruschetta, or added to the decadent Béarnaise sauce for a sauce Choron.
Eric Ripert, chef/owner of the three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin in New York City, beefs up his tomato compote by adding tomato concasse for his elevated take on a crab cake.
Below, Ripert’s recipe that can easily be made at home:
Beefsteak tomatoes are big and meaty, perfect for concasse.
Tomato Concasse
Recipe courtesy of Eric Ripert, chef/co-owner of Le Bernardin, NYC
Ingredients
2 beefsteak tomatoes
Method
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Score the tomatoes, blanch them for 30 seconds to loosen the skin and immediately shock in cold water; peel off the skin with a paring knife, slice through the equator and remove the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into an even dice.
Recipe courtesy of Eric Ripert, chef/co-owner of Le Bernardin, NYC
Ingredients
2 beefsteak tomatoes
Method
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Score the tomatoes, blanch them for 30 seconds to loosen the skin and immediately shock in cold water; peel off the skin with a paring knife, slice through the equator and remove the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into an even dice.
This article first appeared on the Michelin Guide New York City, click here to see the original story.
