Brown Butter Tomatoes on Toast
When tomatoes are at their best in late summer, we like to eat them as simply as possible. This open-faced toast uses only a few ingredients, but they’re of the best quality. Splurge for that nice European-style butter and a good loaf of crusty bread (we especially like one crusted in sesame seeds to up the nuttiness). When it comes to your tomatoes, use the extra-ripe ones that are bursting with juices. The toasty brown butter gives you a satisfying sizzle when it is drizzled over the top and is a deeply savory counterpoint to the acidity of the fresh tomatoes. No-recipe recipes like this one are what make summer cooking so effortless and enjoyable.
Ingredients
- Two ¾-inch thick slices of rustic bread
- Olive oil for brushing
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 large or 2 small ripe beefsteak tomatoes cut into thick slices
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Minced fresh chives and chive blossoms (optional) for sprinkling
Instructions
- Brush the bread all over with olive oil. Toast the bread in the toaster or oven and then rub all over with the garlic clove. Arrange 2 to 3 thick tomato slices on each piece of bread. Season the tomatoes with kosher salt.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderately-low heat. Simmer gently, swirling the pan every 30 seconds or so, until the butter begins to smell nutty and looks lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Using a spoon, drizzle the brown butter over the tomatoes—they should sizzle! Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and an assertive amount of black pepper, minced chives, and chive blossoms, if using. Enjoy!
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