Tomato Compote

Information

Notes

A kitchen staple, this essence can be incorporated into many dishes or used on its own as a garnish. The more you have it around, the more uses you’ll find for it. It works as well with fish and pasta as with meat and gives a lively accent to a sauce or a vinaigrette. Freeze the compote in small batches so you’ll always have some on hand.

Directions

Using your fingers, remove the tomatoes from the can one by one and crush them, letting the juice and seeds run back into the can. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and strain the juice over them.

In a 2-quart saucepan, lightly brown the shallots and garlic in the olive oil. Make an herb sachet by tying together the basil, tarragon and thyme in a double layer of cheesecloth. Add the tomatoes and the sachet, bring to a boil, and reduce the mixture over medium heat until it is dry. Put the mixture through the fine blade of a food grinder or through a food mill. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.