It’s probably 10 years ago that someone told me to try brown butter on tomatoes. I’m sorry I didn’t get around to it sooner. It’s terrific! Particularly so because I made it with the exceptionally lovely Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter that we serve with the bread at the Roadhouse and have ready for you to take home at the Bakeshop and the Deli.
It’s a fun and super tasty thing to do with the best of the season’s local tomatoes. As per my usual, tomato toast is super simple which means that it’s 98% about the quality of the ingredients and only like 2% about technique.
You’ll need a good-sized ripe and ready-to-eat heirloom tomato for each person. Cut them into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices and set aside.
Bring a medium-sized skillet to moderate heat. Take a good bit of the cultured butter and add it to the pan. As the butter melts, stir continuously to prevent burning. The butter will start to bubble around the edges. After the butter foams, it will turn golden, then brown, releasing a nutty aroma. The browner it gets, the more toasty and caramelly the flavor. Don’t burn the butter though—it can go quickly from perfectly fine to overcooked in a matter of a minute, so don’t be too casual! Pull it off the heat immediately when it’s ready.
When the butter is nearly ready, toast a thick slice of good bread. I’ve been using the Bakehouse’s terrific new German Challah.
When the butter is browned, pour a bit onto the toast. Place some tomato slices on the toast. Sprinkle liberally with good sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour a bunch more of the brown butter over the tomatoes. You’ll want what seems like an excess of butter so it soaks into the bread the way olive oil would on a good bruschetta.
Either eat it with your hands or grab a knife and fork if you want to be neater about it! A wonderful meal to make a late August day!
