Yellow Cherry Tomato Sorbet

When an unexpected bumper crop of yellow tomatoes appeared this year:

I could think of no better use than tomato sorbet.

Wait!  What?!

Tomato sorbet for dessert? Yes.

Tomato sorbet is not a new concept as it’s been featured in Johnny Iuzzini’s cookbook, Dessert Fourplay, and has been a mainstay in the Jean George bag o’ tricks for years. This is not a dessert that I would think of as comfort food. It is however, the kind of dessert I would relish after a carnivorous dinner of foie gras and steak: simple, clean, and refreshing.

I’ve been working towards making desserts that require minimal cooking, where the effort goes more into sourcing the ingredients and less into transforming them, particularly during the summer months when fresh fruit is at its peak but dessert sales slump. One concept that I’ve been experimenting with is: dessert “salads”. I keep traditional elements of a salad–such as vinaigrettes, croutons, salad greens–but rework them using traditional elements of the pastry kitchen–such as brioche croutons, fruit, anglaise, emulsions, sponge cake, and streusel. Here is an example:

Recipe for Yellow Tomato Sorbet

10 ounces yellow cherry tomatoes

4-5 ounces simple syrup

1/2 ounce apple cider vinegar

Combine ingredients and puree until smooth. Chill overnight. (If desired, strain sorbet base.) Process in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.