I was recently in Provence for a few September days and experienced one of those happy instants when we appreciate a moment and register the memory so we can enjoy it for months. My “moment” was savoring the last fruit of the season, the end of the tomato season when the fruit is no longer quite at its peak. Cooking it with sugar helps release that wonderful flavor. I made that fruit as dessert as opposed to the way we tend to eat it as a vegetable, in salads or side dish with main course. A mixture of tomatoes and the last strawberries of the season can make a delectable cold dessert, too.

Ingredients

Recipe

Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. From the skin side, slice off just enough to create a flat surface on which each half can rest upright. Warm a non-stick pan. Pour half of the sugar on one side of the four tomato halves and the rest of the sugar on the other side and cook a few minutes until sugar is caramelized and tomatoes are soft but not mushy. Serve warm with a drizzle of a good balsamic vinegar. If you want to splurge, top each half with a tablespoon of vanilla ice cream. Decorate with the mint.