Tomato Fondue

Nearly two months into the Classic Culinary Arts program at the FCI and I've become quite familiar with tomato fondue. No, it isn't a throwback to bell bottoms and mutton chops, but rather a rich, concentrated tomato sauce that is used as an addition to sauces or alone, as a condiment. Being somewhat of a tomato product junkie (it is not rare that I use an entire jar of sauce on my pasta or munch on tomatoes straight from the can), I imagined tomato fondue to make a fantastic pasta sauce. With a few alterations on the original FCI recipe, I was able to do just that.

Step one: peel the tomatoes (I used fresh plum tomatoes). Remove the stem end with the tip of a paring knife and make an X at the bottom of the tomato. Drop into boiling water and remove just as the skin starts to separate from the flesh. Plunge into an ice water bath to halt the cooking process. Once cool enough to handle, use your paring knife to peel the skin off of the tomatoes.

Step two: deseed. Half the tomatoes horizontally and gently squeeze to remove the seeds. You don't have to go crazy, here. Get most of them out without driving yourself nuts.

Step three: roughly chop the tomatoes. Doesn't have to be pretty, just uniform.

Step four: sweat minced shallots in olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Toss in a few crushed garlic cloves and gently cook until it becomes fragrant.

Step five: add the tomatoes to the pan. Season gently with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a large stem of fresh basil and partially cover the pan. Cook the tomato fondue over medium heat, stirring occasionally. It's done once most of the liquid has evaporated.

Step six: remove the garlic cloves and basil. Finish the sauce by adding a bit of butter. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve atop pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and you're golden.