Tomato Gratin with Cream and Parmesan Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (*see Note 1 below)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated recommended)
• 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (35% b.f. *see Note 2 below)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (*see Note 3 below)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes (a variety of colours and sizes is best *see Note 4 below)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 400F (regular bake setting - adjust for convection or fan-assisted as needed), with the rack in the centre of the oven.

2. 2

   Make the breadcrumb topping: Add torn fresh bread pieces to a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Measure out 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs and add to a medium bowl. Add the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and stir together. Drizzle with 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and stir together, adding enough to just moisten the breadcrumbs. Set aside.

3. 3

   Make the infused cream: Add the 1 cup heavy whipping cream to a medium saucepan. Add the 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 3 cloves garlic and 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs. Season with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Heat over medium-low heat, just until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Don't let it come to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand to infuse the flavours while you prepare the tomatoes.

4. 4

   Set out a 9-10 inch shallow round baking dish, with sides at least 1 1/2 inches or ideally 2-inch high (or a dish large enough to hold the tomatoes in a single layer.) Shown here is a 9-inch round baking dish with 2-inch high sides.

5. 5

   Prepare the tomatoes: Cut the largest tomatoes in half and cut out and discard the green stem ends. Place the larger tomato halves into the casserole dish first, cut-side up. You can leave smaller tomatoes whole, placing them in the spaces between the larger tomatoes. The tomatoes should be in a single layer in the dish. Once placed, season the tomatoes with salt and freshly ground pepper.

6. 6

   Pour the infused cream mixture over the tomatoes in the dish. Scatter the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the entire top of the dish.

7. 7

   Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubble-overs during baking. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, assuming the breadcrumbs are sufficiently golden brown, loosely lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the dish to prevent further browning. Continue baking 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and bursting and the sauce is bubbly.

8. 8

   Remove from the oven. The sauce may look thickened and reduced or slightly thinner, if you used a lot of larger tomatoes that cooked off more liquid. The sauce will thicken as it stands. Let the dish cool for 20-30 minutes before serving, as the flavours are best enjoyed warm rather than hot from the oven. After tasting, if you feel it needs a touch more salt, sprinkle with a bit of coarse finishing salt, such as Maldon's.

9. 9

   Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil, for 8-12 minutes, removing the foil for the last couple of minutes to recrisp the topping slightly.