A Beginners Guide To Grape Tomatoes
Grape tomatoes aren't as sweet as cherry tomatoes, and their flesh is meatier than other tomatoes varieties. Since grape tomatoes last longer than cherry tomatoes, they're becoming more and more popular since they are hardier and less fragile to pack and transport. The taste too remains unique.
Grape tomatoes are fuller, earthier, and not as sweet as other varieties. Pair them with fresh herbs like basil, thyme, and rosemary, and with lemon zest and olive oil. They work perfectly as a topping for burgers and sandwiches and melted into thick sauce on top of pasta and pizza. Grape tomatoes are lovely tossed into a pan and roasted with garlic and anchovies for an easy, quick side dish.
The minimal water content in grape tomatoes means they won’t dilute the flavor of whatever you cook them into, unlike cherry tomatoes, that are best eaten raw. I love roasting grape tomatoes deeply, almost to the point of caramelization, because their texture becomes toothsome and their flavor concentrates dramatically.
Try oven-roasting them at 200 degrees for several hours until they become super-concentrated with flavor. Grape tomatoes are also lovely shaved thinly on a mandoline into perfect, tiny rounds, and shingled delicately over fish or hunks of mozzarella cheese. Grape tomatoes are durable enough to pickle whole, or preserve in a bath of herb-scented olive oil.
About the Chef
Stephanie Goldfarb is a Chicago-based chef and national food television personality specializing in seasonal, globally-inspired cuisine. Recognized as the winner of Food Network’s America’s Best Cook competition, and a celebrity chef on Kitchen Inferno and NBC’s Food Fighters, Goldfarb delivers unique and relatable culinary experiences to discriminating and casual diners alike. As the owner of the successful Seven Species Supper Club & Catering, she enjoys the challenge of building brand new menus each month that inspire both repeat clients and newcomers, and seeks opportunities to utilize new ingredients, techniques, and approaches in accessible ways.