Every winter, I find myself eagerly awaiting tomato season, imagining the first bite of a perfectly ripe tomato on a burger, tossed with feta and herbs in a fresh salad, or layered with avocado on toast. Embarrassingly, getting spoiled with a glut of tomatoes makes me get bored of them quickly and my poor tomatoes get lost in the fridge, along with the courgettes and iceburg lettuce.
This year, I’ve been taking inspiration from chefs who push tomatoes beyond their usual confines.
As a fruit (which they technically are), tomatoes lend themselves surprisingly well to unexpected pairings and creative dishes. Think tomato-strawberry jam, tomato sorbet, tomato kimchi or fermented tomato soda. Try them paired with watermelon for a summer salad or infuse them into spirits and enjoy a smoky tomato margarita.
The two recipes I’m sharing this month — tomato clafoutis and a tomato galette — reimagine this beloved but humble ingredient. These savoury takes on classic sweet dishes bring out the best in tomatoes, offering fresh and exciting ways to enjoy them at their peak.
Tomato clafoutis
This dish is part clafoutis, part Yorkshire pudding, part Dutch baby pancake — and all parts delicious. I could eat this every day, and I’m sure it will become a staple for you, too. If you prefer a more traditional custardy clafoutis, simply reduce the oven temperature slightly and extend the cooking time. In this version, I’ve opted for a higher temperature, which creates a puffed-up, burnished dish with crispy edges and a soft, custard-like centre. It’s just the best. Feel free to customise by adding ingredients like chorizo, pickled vegetables, or grilled zucchini and eggplant. For serving, top it with thinly sliced prosciutto, a ball of fresh mozzarella or burrata, a handful of rocket, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For a classic sweet version of clafoutis, you can’t go wrong with cherries.
Ingredients
50g flour
100ml milk
60ml cream
3 eggs
Pinch of salt and pepper
75g Parmesan or aged cheddar, cut into 1cm cubes
1–2 punnets cherry tomatoes
Fresh herbs (to serve)
Olive oil
Method
1. Heat your oven to 200°C (fan, if available).
2. In a blender, combine the flour, milk, cream, eggs, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, then let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. While the batter is resting, pour about 2 Tbsp of olive oil into a cast iron skillet or round cake pan, ensuring the oil coats the sides. Place the pan in the oven to heat.
4. Once the olive oil is hot, carefully pour the batter into the pan, working quickly. Top with cherry tomatoes and cubes of cheese, then return the pan to the oven.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, keeping an eye on it. You’re looking for puffed, golden edges with a few almost-blackened spots, but avoid letting it burn.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh herbs and your choice of toppings.
Tomato, basil and Parmesan galette tomatoes
A lovely thing about this rustic galette is how you layer the basil and Parmesan throughout — first in the pastry, then in the cottage cheese filling, and again on top of the galette. The basil and parmesan complement the tomatoes beautifully, balancing their acidity. While this pastry can be quickly made in a food processor, I prefer to make it by hand. It takes only a little longer, and there’s just one bowl to clean (somehow cleaning a food processor during dinner prep tends to push me over the edge!). I’ve offered both methods here, so you can choose whichever works best for you.
This egg-based pastry is so beautiful, you’ll be tempted to try it with all sorts of different fillings.
Make this free-form galette with savoury leftovers like stew, cold meats, vegetables, cheese, bacon and eggs or even leftover dal or curry. It also makes an excellent base for a sweet tart — just omit the Parmesan and basil, add a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar, then fill it with ricotta cheese and slices of fresh juicy peaches or nectarines. Top with toasted slivered almonds, drizzle with honey and serve with vanilla ice cream for a very summery dessert.
Ingredients
For the pastry
225g flour
100g very cold butter
2 eggs, beaten (reserve about a tablespoon for glazing)
30g finely grated Parmesan
Small handful of basil, finely chopped
2 good pinches of salt
For the filling
1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta
½ cup Greek yoghurt
30g Parmesan, grated
Small handful of basil, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
An assortment of fresh tomatoes (I used 2 large tomatoes, sliced, plus a packet of tri-coloured cherry tomatoes — some halved, some sliced, some left whole)
Salt and pepper
To top
Olive oil
Grated Parmesan
Torn basil
Pastry method 1 — food processor
1. Cut the cold butter into cubes, then place it in the food processor with the flour. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg (remember to leave a little aside for glazing), Parmesan, salt, and basil. Pulse until the dough comes together into a smooth ball, adding just a tiny splash of iced water if needed.
3. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in brown paper or plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Pastry method 2 — hand made
1. Place the flour in a bowl and grate the cold butter into it (it helps to have kept the butter in the freezer for an hour or so).
2. Rub the flour and butter together with your hands until it resembles sand.
3. Add the egg (remembering to reserve a little for glazing), salt, Parmesan, and basil, then mix everything together, kneading slightly until you form a smooth ball. If the dough feels too dry, add a small amount of iced water.
4. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it, and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
To assemble
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
2. Mix the cottage cheese, yoghurt, Parmesan, basil, and garlic in a bowl.
3. Roll out your chilled pastry to about 3mm thick, aiming for a rustic shape — don’t worry if it’s a little uneven.
4. Leaving a 4cm border, spread the cottage cheese mixture over the pastry, then layer on your tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling to form a rustic crust. Brush the pastry edges with the reserved beaten egg.
6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, placing the galette on the bottom rack of the oven, until the pastry is golden, the base is crisp and some of the tomato juices have evaporated.
7. Top with torn basil, freshly grated parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with a bitter leaf salad and a glass of something lovely.
