Tomato toast with tofu cream

Method

Toasted bread with tomato is no new invention, but the way the Italians do it, soaking bread in oily, garlicky tomatoes, is especially delicious. This combination is an homage to wonderful Italian toasted bread, but it’s dressed with a garlic tofu cream and topped with slightly charred tomatoes and plenty of herbs. For the tofu cream 1. Put the tofu in a cloth and squeeze out the water. Put the tofu in a blender with vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and Dijon mustard, and mix well. Add the vegetable oil and confit garlic oil in a steady stream until you have a loose, mayonnaise-like texture. The amount of oil may vary depending on the amount of water and protein in the tofu. If you don’t reach a thick texture, simply add more oil to thicken the mixture. To assemble 2. Wash the tomatoes and score them on the tops. Remove the core where the stalk was attached with a small knife. 3. Take a kitchen torch and burn the tomatoes until they turn black; this should not take more than 30 seconds. It’s important that you don’t burn them for too long, as the point is to have enough heat to remove the skin and add a scent of charred taste to the tomato. 4. Remove the skin using a knife. Don’t worry if there are small, charred spots on the tomato. 5. Cut each tomato into 8–10 slices and lay the slices on a plate. 6. Fry the pieces of bread in olive oil until they are golden brown, then lay them out on a paper towel. 7. Spread the tofu cream on the bread and place one sliced tomato on top, fanning out the slices. Dress with confit garlic oil, salt, pepper, and the herbs. 8. To finish, use a microplane to grate the lemon zest on top. You can also sprinkle on some piment d’Espelette. 9. Serve immediately.