Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

I just made this recipe. I have to say it was very easy to follow. The end result... DELICIOUS. I keep them in the oven for 4.5 hrs, they came out very moist and tender.

It had a authentic italian taste to it, I much prefer sun-dried yet and either are perfect.

How different is this to sun dried tomatoes?

These tomatoes are different than sun-dried tomatoes as they are not dried as long, leaving them a bit "meaty" and juicy inside. You could cook these tomatoes longer and this will dry them out and concentrate their flavor, making them more like sun-dried tomatoes. It all depends what you are using them for I guess.The great thing about this particular method is the tomatoes can be served as is. Unlike sun-dried tomatoes, these tomatoes are great served as a side with grilled chicken, steak, pork...and like sun-dried tomatoes they are even good tossed in pasta.

I've made these tomatoes twice now and each time they disappear very quickly. I've also passed the recipe on to a friend who was very pleased with the results. I'm making them again today for Christmas dinner. Thanks for the great (and very easy) recipe.

I made these tomatoes and the flavor was intense and delicious! I served them with a nice pan seared Arctic Char and my guests went nuts over them! I stored them as suggested and after a day or two I sliced them up and tossed them with some capellini for an easy and yummy dinner during the week. Thanks for a super recipe and easy to prepare as the previous poster mentioned.

It is amazing that a simple tomato can turn out to be an extra ordinary treat. I haven't decided what to do with them yet except to eat them for now.

I've just put two more trays of these delicious tomatoes in the oven. They are amazingly easy to make and deliver an incredible flavor. My husband insists on having them at least once a month and swears they are addicting. The only difficulty is having to wait the 4.5 to 5 hours for them to slow roast. Thank you for all the memorable recipes and meals!

I use a similar marinade for lamb and veal roast. Increase the volume; add 1/3 to 1/2 cup dry white wine; fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 or 3 lemons depending on quanitity) and 2 tablespoons good Dijon mustard. For a zippy switch use lime juice instead of lemon. Place marinade and roast in a plastic bag. Marinade for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator or overnight in the refrigerator. The meat roasting will most certainly bring people to the table before it's done. I add the bag juices to the roasting pan or clay baker and let them cook with the roast. Use the cooked juices and suc to make a light or thicker sauce to drizzle over roasted potatoes and the slices of roast. Of course handle the juices with care to ensure health safety.

Sounds delicious Tony - will have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks. Cheers!

We used large Roma tomatoes and baked them for only 4 hours. Because of their size they were still a bit moist. Larger tomatoes need at least 5 to 6 hours. However, they were still delicious on our homemade Foccacia bread.

I bet these would make a great light brunch with some fresh mozzarella. I will be making these soon. Thanks Dawn.

I sliced my tomatoes before I reviewed the recipe, but it was not a total failure. I had sliced each roma tomato into ~3/8 inch slices (about 5 slices per tomato). I seasoned with oil, herbs and salt and baked them for an hour at 275 - 300. They were actually pretty good and ended up great in sandwiches and garnishing the top of a chile corn chowder. I cut the tomatoes in half and formed a nice scalloped circle in the bowl and put fresh chopped chives in the center. My question is this: With the slender slices of tomatoes roasted in oil, dare I say I could call my blunder a 'tomato confit'? Would that be correct? 2nd question: do these freeze well? As soon as tomato prices drop, I am making a ton of these (both sizes!!) Thanks!!

Regarding your first question about whether or not you could call what you made tomato confit or not, to this I would say, that if you like you can say they are tomato confit; however technically the true definition of "confit" is a meat cooked and then stored in it's own fat. Unfortunately, the word confit is quite misused just to make things sound fancier, even Thomas Keller has a recipe for tomato confit in his Bouchon cookbook. I have to admit that tomato confit does sound a bit sexier than tomatoes cooked in olive oil but really that is all they are (sorry tomatoes). For a bit of a funny read about this you may want to read this article I found a while back called "What does "Confit" mean?" As for freezing these tomatoes, I am not sure as I have not done it myself. I simply cover them with olive oil and store them in the refrigerator (they last for several weeks like that). Due to tomatoes high moisture, I am not sure that they will freeze that well but you could always take a small bit of your last batch and try to freezing them to see if you are happy with the results. Hope this helps. Cheers!

Thanks Rouxbe for staying true!! I have seen the term confit used on many foods and I thought it was a meat preparation but who was I to argue? I love the article; it cracked me up... "Chefs ‘confit’ everything; tomatoes, aubergines, onions, fruits, coffee percolator, cuddly toy, kitchen sink, you name it and it’s on a menu at a restaurant near you." Thanks again for setting the record and the term'confit' straight! Keep up the great work!!

Delicious! Worked like a charm. If I make these ahead of time, what do you think is that best way to reheat them?

Place them into a baking dish, cover and reheat them in a warm oven. You could even use the microwave. Cheers!

Dawn/Kimberley: Any idea what to do with 10 pints of grape tomatoes. Just had a large gathering and have a ton left over. Any ideas of something I can do with them that would store well? Thanks,

They will be delicious roasted. You can put them in pasta or risotto, on pizza, in sandwiches, frittatas or salads...on a steak, or serve them as a side with chicken...or make a roasted cream of tomato soup out of them. The list is endless. They will store for a week or so in the refrigerator or longer if you cover them with oil (see attached drill down). Cheers!

Hi, I put these in oven for 5 hours and they ended up looking like the 2 hour photo in the video when I checked. (In the end I left them in oven from 10pm to 6am!) I also had delays with the braising recipes. I am concerned that my oven needed re-calibrating- do you have a recommendation for an oven thermometer? For my miniature underused NYC oven?? Or another way to test that the temperatures are accurate?

Indeed, it sounds like the temperature of your oven might be off. One of the best and simplest ways to test the accuracy of your oven is by using an oven thermometer. You might be surprised by how much your oven can be off. This is the oven thermometer that we use. It's not too big and not too expensive but it does the job. Cheers!

ive made these a few times now and love em! However the other day I put in a batch at 160 c (by mistake) ! When I checked, luckily, after 2 hours some of them (the smaller ones) had started going very dark- at which point I realized the temp! However i thought they were just as good and think from now on I may go with the higher temp to save time!

Yes, I often roast tomatoes as various temperatures. It really just depends on how concentrated I want the flavors, as well as, how much color and moisture I want them to have in the end. And of course, how much time I have. Cheers!

This is the first time that I have tasted roasted tomatoes. Everything went well with the roasting - they looked just like the ones in the video. I substituted Italian Herbs for the Herbes de Provence, as I was not able to obtain the Herbes de Provence. Might I ask, are roast tomatoes meant to be sweet in flavour. Mine had quite a distinct sourish taste, which was not unpleasant, but somehow I have always had a vague idea that roasted vegetables are meant to taste sweet. The ones which I roasted for five hours were very concentrated in flavour, and I have come to the conclusion that just one half of a tomato would be served per serving of food ie a small quantity going a long way flavourwise. Any comments on the above would be much appreciated. I used Roma tomatoes.

Typically, roasted tomatoes do just take on a sweeter, more concentrated tomato flavour — as you mentioned. Perhaps the "sourish taste" you are describing came from the particular tomatoes you happen to use? Or perhaps it was something in the herb blend? Perhaps someone else has something to add here? Cheers, Dawn

How do you recommend using this recipe for grape/cherry tomatoes? Should I halve them or leave them whole?

I recommend slicing them in half so that the diner is not wrestling with possible tough skin in each bite. The small size also makes it a nice garnish on canapes and other small bites.

I use a similar recipe with cherry tomatoes and I use then whole. I used lots of garlic, they can be either a side dish or can be spread over bread also.

Sounds wonderful Ana! Thank you for learning with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk

I roasted a batch of these a few days ago. I used Roma Tomatoes and roasted them for 6 hours in total. After 6 hours I found their concentration of flavor is similar to sun dried tomatoes. They made my house smell like I was baking sweets all day too! They are delicious and sweet! I think I will toss them with some pasta or serve as a side dish with a protein in the next day or so...

HI Sunnie--One of the many benefits of batch cooking--Roma are so versatile. They are also good in tacos and wraps! Or, a homemade pizza! Also, they are delicious in salads!

How many grams are the tomatoes in total?thank you char

Hi Riaz, for this assignment, the tomatoes are given in a numerical amount. You would count out the Roma or Campari tomatoes--I prefer the Campari--smaller, and to me, sweeter. Let us know how this assignment works for you. Take care, Char