Tomatoes taste great in sweet dishes, too

“Waiter, there’s a tomato in my dessert!”

That didn’t actually happen. But such an objection isn’t all that far-fetched because tomatoes — no matter how summery sweet — always seem destined for savory dishes: salads, sauces, pizzas, you name it.

But desserts? Not usually. Well, we’re here to help break down the orthodoxy. Or rather, to let Oliveto chef Paul Canales and pastry chef Jenny Raven (and their recipes) draw you into their appreciation of tomatoes as the star of the sweet course.

Oliveto, a San Francisco restaurant, has been holding latesummer Tomato Dinners for 15 years, with about 40 items on the menu — all containing tomatoes.

But they’re not into freak show cooking, making things with tomatoes just because they can.

“Jenny and I have an agreement — they have to be really great desserts,” Canales says. “Otherwise you’re just playing with food.”

There’s really just one reason tomatoes don’t end up in cobblers, pies and ice cream toppings: umami. That’s the fifth human taste, after sweet, sour, bitter and salty, and it’s often defined as a “savory” or “meaty” flavor.

Umami comes from glutamates, and tomatoes are naturally rich in them. They’re what give tomatoes their distinctive, funky-savory tomatoness.

The trick to using them in desserts is to cook them — generally with plenty of sugar. Cooking can ruin some tomatoes, but it can bring out the best in others.

Cherry tomatoes are a good choice, Raven says, either the red or Sungold varieties, along with yellow pear or red grape tomatoes and Juliets.

Brandywines, Cherokee Purple, Flammes and Black Princes are generally good for desserts, Raven says, but they aren’t all good for every recipe. The small, dense Juliets and cherry tomatoes hold up fine if candied. (Look for heirloom and special tomatoes at farmers markets or stores that carry a lot of specialty products, such as Whole Foods, if you can’t find them at your basic supermarket.)

One of Raven’s experiments last year was a chocolate cake. Canales admits he wasn’t a believer — until he tried it.

With tomato puree in the batter, he says, “The chocolate was more chocolatey.”

MASCARPONE BUDINO WITH SUNGOLD TOMATO COMPOTE

Yield: 10-12 servings

BUDINOS:

5 ounces softened cream cheese

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

13 ounces mascarpone cheese

3 eggs

1 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 1 1/2 oranges

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

COMPOTE:

5 1/2 cups Sungold (or other variety) tomatoes, divided

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 lemon, halved, sliced paper thin and chopped, with peel

1 cup sultanas (golden raisins)

Cook’s note: You can make the compote up to 2 days ahead.

Procedure:

1. For budinos: Spray 10-12 six-ounce ramekins with oil and line bottoms with circles of parchment paper. With electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually; beat until completely blended. Add mascarpone and beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and scraping sides of bowl well. Add lemon juice and both zests. Pour into prepared ramekins.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (300 for convection oven). Place ramekins in pan large and deep enough to fit all of them, and pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until budinos are set, 30-40 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and let cool in water bath. Remove from water bath and chill thoroughly. Invert each ramekin onto a plate; discard parchment.

4. For compote: Preheat oven to 325 degrees (300 for convection oven). Set aside 1 1/2 cups tomatoes. Cut remaining 4 cups in half lengthwise. Place them with their cut sides up on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Bake 15 minutes, then sprinkle with another 2 tablespoons sugar and continue cooking until tomatoes are dry but not brittle, 1-1 1/2 hours.

5. In blender, puree reserved 1 1/2 cups tomatoes.

6. Bring 1 cup water to boil with remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Add lemon and simmer 10 minutes, then add roasted tomatoes and raisins. Cook until mixture is bubbling fiercely. Add tomato puree, and cook a few minutes more, stirring well with heatproof spatula to prevent scorching.

7. Remove compote from heat and cool to room temperature. Add more sugar to taste, and, if needed, a squeeze of lemon. Spoon generously over each budino.

Nutrition data per serving: Calories 315; fat 20 g (sat 11 g); carbohydrates 32 g; protein 6 g; fiber 2 g; cholesterol 106 mg; sodium 76 mg.

TOMATO SUGARPLUMS

Yield: About 20 servings

4 cups Juliet tomatoes (see cook’s note)

1/4 cup sugar, divided, plus about 1/4 cup for sprinkling on cutting board

2 cups almonds

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons orange zest

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Cook’s note: Sungold or Romanita tomatoes may be substituted for Juliets. These varieties of tomatoes may be hard to find; inquire at farmers markets or specialty stores such as Whole Foods.

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (300 for convection oven). Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place with cut sides up on rack set over sheet pan. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake 15 minutes, sprinkle with another 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue cooking until tomatoes are dry but not brittle, about 1 1/2 hours for cherry tomatoes, about 2 1/2 hours for larger Juliet or Romanita tomatoes. It may take less time if you use a convection oven. Cool.

2. Meanwhile, toast almonds in oven until nicely browned, about 15-20 minutes. Cool and chop finely with a knife, or pulse in batches in a food processor to a very coarse grind.

3. When tomatoes are cool, sprinkle a cutting board with 1/4 cup sugar and cover with tomatoes. Carefully chop quite finely, tossing with some sugar if they stick to knife.

4. In large bowl, combine honey, orange zest, cinnamon and ginger. Add almonds and tomatoes and mix well.

5. Roll mixture into 1/2-inch balls. Fill bowl with confectioners’ sugar and drop balls into it as you go. When you have almost covered surface of the sugar with balls, toss to coat balls well. Proceed until all balls are coated.

6. Place in airtight container and let “ripen” several days in refrigerator. Toss again in confectioners’ sugar and bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition data per Sugarplum: Calories 145; fat 7 g (sat 1 g); carbohydrates 19 g; protein 3 g; fiber 2 g; cholesterol 0 mg; sodium 3 mg.