Roasted Tomatoes: Two Ways

Can you feel it getting warmer? Yep, it's almost summertime!

In preparation for the summer and my long-awaited return to the Union Square Green Market, I picked up some grape tomatoes for some pre-summer roasting in the kitchen. Because I could.

The inspiration for this snack is the roasted tomatoes in the salad that comes with the Warm Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart at Balthazar Restaurant in NYC. Are you still with me after that explanation?

I wasn't exactly sure how to roast tomatoes since I'd never done it before, but really, how hard could it be?

Apparently there are two ways you can do this. The slow-roasted way, or the quick and dirty way. (There's no real methodology called "quick and dirty", but you get the idea.)

Since I wasn't sure which roasting method I would prefer, I picked up two pints of grape tomatoes and resolved to try both roasting methodologies.

Print Recipes

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the tomato halves on the sheet.

3) Drizzle with a thin layer of olive oil. You can also toss the tomatoes lightly in the olive oil if desired.

4) Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes.

5) Roast the tomatoes for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. (If you choose to use larger tomatoes, you will probably need to keep them in the oven longer.) The tomatoes will be shriveled when they are done, but you don't want them to be too dry and rubbery.

6) Eat right away or let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


"Quick and Dirty" Oven Roasted Tomatoes
slightly adapted from marthastewart.com

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the tomato halves on the sheet.

3) Drizzle with a thin layer of olive oil. You can also toss the tomatoes lightly in the olive oil if desired.

4) Sprinkle salt and pepper over the tomatoes.

5) Roast the tomatoes for about 15 minutes or until they begin to brown on the bottom. (If you choose to use larger tomatoes, you will probably need to keep them in the oven longer.)

6) Eat right away or let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


Tip1: You can add herbs to the tomatoes before they go in the oven as well. I've really gotten into rosemary lately, but I chose to go au natural with these tomatoes.

Tip2: I like to roast the tomatoes cut-side up so the juices will marinate in the cup while the tomatoes are roasting. But you can roast them any way you prefer.


And here are the results -- The slow roasted tomatoes were firmer and chewier. They reminded me of the texture of dried cranberries. On the other hand, the quick and dirty tomatoes were softer and juicier. They were closer to actual tomatoes than the slow roasted version.

So which one did I like better? I prefer the Slow Roasted Tomatoes. Primarily because they're chewier and I like that texture. They were also pretty close to the roasted tomatoes I had at Balthazar. Win!