Tomato Summer Pudding
- 4 1/2 lb tomatoes (9 medium)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
- 1 (9- by 4- by 4-inch) Pullman loaf (1 1/4 lb) or 2 (7-inch) round country loaves (1 lb each), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
- Special equipment: a 2 1/2-qt glass or ceramic souffle dish; a 3-inch round cookie cutter
- Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch tomatoes in 2 batches in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water, 1 minute per batch.
- Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel, beginning from scored end, with knife.
- While tomatoes are cooling, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt using a large heavy knife.
- Halve tomatoes crosswise, discard cores, and scoop seeds into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.
- Press on seeds to extract liquid, then discard seeds.
- Coarsely chop tomatoes, then coarsely puree in batches with strained tomato liquid in a blender or food processor.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute garlic paste, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
- Remove skillet from heat and carefully add a small amount of pureed tomatoes near side of skillet (sauce will splatter and bubble vigorously).
- When bubbling subsides, add remaining puree, 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Return skillet to heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Cool sauce to room temperature, about 1 hour, then stir in vinegar.
- Trim crusts from bread slices, reserving crusts for another use.
- If using Pullman loaf, cut 4 slices in half diagonally, then cut 1 round from 1 more slice using cookie cutter.
- If using round loaves, square off 5 slices of bread from center of loaf and cut triangles and 1 round in same manner.
- Ladle 3/4 cup sauce into souffle dish and spread to cover bottom.
- Line bottom of dish with bread in a pinwheel shape, putting round in center and fanning triangles around it, covering sauce completely (you may have 1 triangle left over).
- Ladle 1 1/4 cups sauce over bread layer, spreading evenly to cover.
- Cover sauce with more bread slices, trimming as necessary to fit in 1 layer in dish.
- Repeat layering 3 more times, using 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce each time and ending with bread.
- Cover top layer of bread with remaining sauce.
- Cover surface with plastic wrap, then top with a plate small enough to just fit inside dish.
- Weight pudding with 2 heavy cans (about 2 pounds total) and chill at least 12 hours.
- Remove weights and plate and run a thin knife around edge of dish.
- Invert a large plate over pudding and invert pudding onto plate.
- If any sauce remains in dish, spoon it over pudding.
- Cut into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
tomatoes, garlic, extravirgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, country, glass
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tomato-summer-pudding-109623 (may not work)