Sugar Roasted Tomato Butter

Turn your abundance of garden tomatoes into a summer compound butter. You don’t necessarily need to use cherry tomatoes — any variety will do. For larger tomatoes, cut them in half (roast cut-side up), decrease the temperature of the oven, and increase the cooking time to allow the tomato juices to evaporate and the flavors to concentrate. Think: rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.

Sugar Roasted Tomato Butter
makes 1#

shopping list —

• 454 grams butter (1#), room temperature

• 30 grams sugar

• 300 grams (about 3 cups) cherry tomatoes

• 1 lemon, zested

• 30 grams red wine vinegar

• 5 grams smoked paprika

• 10 grams sea salt

equipment —

• sheet tray

• food processor

• parchment paper

steps —

1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

2. Season the cherry tomatoes with sugar, salt, and vinegar.

3. Arrange on a lined sheet tray and roast for 10 minutes, or until wrinkled and starting to look dry on the outside.

4. Allow to cool to room temperature.

5. In the food processor, add the tomatoes and blend until as smooth as you can get it. Add the butter, smoked paprika, lemon zest, and salt, and pulse until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, sugar, or red wine vinegar as needed.

6. Roll in parchment paper. The butter lasts two weeks in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer if wrapped well.

Suggested uses: on the table with bread, slather a chicken for roasting, or stir into pasta.