Caramelized Green Tomato Crisp

Photo by Rachel Amiralian

This surprising dessert shows off the “fruitiness” of tomatoes even in their unripe state—green tomatoes are cooked down into a caramelized glaze and layered with buttery oats, brown sugar and winter spices. A nice alternative to apple crisp, especially with vanilla ice cream.  

Serves 2–4

For the filling:
1 pound small green tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 cup Green Tomato Glaze
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
juice of half a lemon
sea salt to taste

For the crumble:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup rolled oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup cold butter, diced and returned to the fridge
1­–3 pinches ground cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

In a small saucepan combine green tomatoes, ground cinnamon and glaze. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar. Cook over medium high heat until tomatoes have begun to break down and have released their liquids. They will turn slightly pale and feel soft when ready. Strain out tomatoes, pressing gently to release juices and return the liquid to the sauce pot. 

Add the butter and heavy cream to the strained liquid, and reduce over low to medium heat to form a caramel. This process takes about 20 minutes. Don’t worry if the cream appears to curdle, this is caused by residual acid from the tomatoes (some may be more acidic than others, depending on the variety and ripeness of the tomato); the caramel will form even though the dairy has curdled, and will have a subtle tartness that makes this dessert so interesting and unique.

Stir constantly as the mixture reduces to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Look for lots of small, slow moving bubbles. If using a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 245°F before it is ready. Season with a pinch of salt and let cool. Once cooked, add the lemon juice and stir. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble. 

Add oats, brown sugar and flour to a large mixing bowl. Mix together with the cinnamon until evenly distributed. Add the cold butter, and either with a whisk or two forks, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles the texture of clumpy sand. Set aside and begin building the tart. 

Add the cooked green tomatoes to the caramel, folding together gently so the tomatoes hold their structure. Grease a small 7-inch baking dish with cold butter. Press about ⅓ of the crumble in the bottom and around the sides of the pan. This won’t bake into a crust, but will absorb the juices from the tomatoes and caramelize on the bottom. Add the tomato and caramel mixture, distributing evenly in the pan. Top with the remaining crumble mixture and place in middle rack of oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top of the crisp is golden brown and firm to the touch. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

This recipe appeared as an online exclusive in October 2019 as part of a larger story on Green Tomatoes.