Chef Juliette
Smelt (Éperlans)
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Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Tomates Farcies
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2264, Tomates Farcies, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
The classical stuffed-tomato method, scaled for eight: press out every seed and drop of juice, half-bake the shells, then add a tender pork farce that stays savory instead of turning soupy.
Appetizers & Snacks
French
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
Weeknight
35 min
Active Time
40 min cook•1 hr 25 min total
Yield4 appetizer servings (8 stuffed tomatoes)
Tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes) teach one rule before any pan comes out: water must leave before filling goes in. Press out the loose seeds and juice, season the hollow, and half-bake it empty; miss that work and the farce (seasoned stuffing) poaches in a puddle instead of settling into the tomato. The pressing looks modest, but it decides the dish.
The classical entry is a master method, not a fixed filling. It assumed a service tray of tomatoes and a separate farce already waiting according to the menu, which is the sort of quiet coordination a brigade never bothered to explain. There is no saucier, standing stockpot, or salamander hidden behind this one. For one cook, one stove, one evening, eight medium tomatoes share a simple pork-and-crumb farce, and the ordinary oven handles both bakes.
The separate filling station and service quantity are scaffolding, so they go; the pork farce is supplied because the master entry leaves its designation open. Pressing the tomatoes, seasoning their insides, setting them in an oiled dish, and half-baking before stuffing are the dish, so every one stays. Press well, and if liquid gathers after the first bake, tip it away and dry the hollows before filling. Ça se rattrape.
Tomates farcies have a particularly strong home in Provence and the Niçois kitchen, where tomatoes join courgettes, onions, and peppers under the family name petits farcis. From those southern tables the dish entered the wider cuisine bourgeoise, carrying fillings of cooked meat, sausage, rice, or vegetables according to the household. The classical master formula settles no filling at all: its defining act is to drain, season, and half-cook the tomato before the menu's chosen farce is added.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
medium ripe but firm tomatoes
Quantity
8 (about 2¼ pounds / 1 kg)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 9 g), plus more as needed
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 1.5 g), plus more as needed
divided
olive oil
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
divided
large shallot
Quantity
1 (about ⅓ cup / 60 g)
finely minced
garlic
Quantity
1 clove (about 1 teaspoon / 3 g)
minced
fresh breadcrumbs
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 75 g)
divided
whole milk
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g)
ground pork
Quantity
12 ounces (about 1½ cups / 340 g)
large egg
Quantity
1
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g)
finely chopped
fresh thyme leaves
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 1 g)
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.3 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| medium ripe but firm tomatoes | 8 (about 2¼ pounds / 1 kg) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 9 g), plus more as needed |
| freshly ground black pepperdivided | ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 1.5 g), plus more as needed |
| olive oil | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| large shallotfinely minced | 1 (about ⅓ cup / 60 g) |
| garlicminced | 1 clove (about 1 teaspoon / 3 g) |
| fresh breadcrumbsdivided | ¾ cup (180 ml / 75 g) |
| whole milk | ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
| ground pork | 12 ounces (about 1½ cups / 340 g) |
| large egg | 1 |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g) |
| fresh thyme leaves | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 1 g) |
| freshly grated nutmeg | ⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml / 0.3 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •2-quart (2-liter) shallow gratin dish
- •Small skillet
- •Teaspoon or melon baller
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Press the tomatoes
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center. Cut a lateral slice about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick from each stem end and reserve the caps. Lift out the core and loose seed pockets with a teaspoon, leaving the walls intact. Hold each tomato cut-side down and press it gently once or twice so the seeds and juice fall away; squeeze firmly enough to empty it, never hard enough to split it. Season the hollows with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, then invert them on a clean towel for 10 minutes.
Don't scrape the tomatoes into thin shells. Remove the wet center, but leave the firm flesh attached to the walls; it gives the finished tomato its shape and flavor. - 2
Half-bake the shells
Coat a shallow 2-quart (2-liter) gratin dish with the olive oil and arrange the tomatoes cut-side up without crowding them. Bake the empty shells for 12 to 15 minutes, until their flesh has begun to soften but the walls remain upright and the skins have not split. Lift out the dish and carefully tip away any liquid collected inside the tomatoes. If the hollows are still swimming, blot them and return them empty to the oven for 3 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Keep the oven on.
- 3
Mix the farce
While the tomatoes half-bake, moisten ½ cup (120 ml / 50 g) of the breadcrumbs with the milk and let them stand for 5 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds. Cool briefly. Combine the pork, soaked crumbs, shallot mixture, egg, parsley, thyme, nutmeg, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix just until the farce becomes cohesive and lightly tacky. Fry a teaspoonful in the skillet until cooked through, taste, and correct the seasoning. If the farce slumps or sheds liquid, mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of the reserved dry crumbs and wait 5 minutes; the crumbs will bind the excess without making the filling heavy.
- 4
Stuff and bake
Divide the farce among the half-baked tomatoes, filling each to the rim and making a loose mound without compressing it into a dense plug. Scatter the remaining breadcrumbs over the tops and dot them with the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. Set the reserved tomato caps in the dish beside the tomatoes so the filling can brown. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the crumb tops are deep gold, the tomato edges look relaxed, and the center of the pork reaches 160°F (71°C). If the crumbs brown before the farce is cooked, cover the dish loosely with foil and continue baking.
- 5
Rest and serve
Let the tomates farcies rest in their dish for 10 minutes. This pause lets the farce settle and the tomato juices thicken slightly instead of running across the plate. Set the caps askew on top, spoon a little of the buttery dish juice around each tomato, and serve two per person while warm. À table!
Chef Tips
- •This dish needs tomatoes that can hold their shape, so the preserving shelf cannot help. Choose medium tomatoes that smell ripe at the stem but still feel firm in the hand. Out of season, make champignons farcis instead of asking a woolly winter tomato to perform a summer job.
- •Use plain ground pork with enough fat to remain tender, not extra-lean meat. A good plain pork sausage can stand in if its casing is removed, but fry the seasoning test before adding more salt because sausage arrives seasoned.
- •Strain the extracted tomato liquid and save it for a vinaigrette or vegetable soup, but don't return it to the farce. Pressing well is the recipe, not housekeeping.
Advance Preparation
- •Hollow, season, and half-bake the tomatoes up to 8 hours ahead. Cool them completely, cover, and refrigerate them separately from the prepared farce so the salt cannot draw more liquid into the filling.
- •The farce can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 8 hours. Fill the tomatoes shortly before baking; if everything is cold from the refrigerator, allow about 5 additional minutes and rely on the center temperature rather than the clock.
- •Leftover tomates farcies keep for 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat them in a 325°F (165°C) oven until warm through so the tomatoes stay intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
440 calories
Total Fat
29 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
1050 mg
Total Carbohydrates
23 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
21 g
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