makes 1 quart ice cream
for the ice cream
1 pound plum tomatoes
3 cups half and half
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
for the cherry tomato and stone fruit topping
1 medium plum, diced small (about 1 cup)
1 medium nectarine, diced small (about 1 cup)
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (preferably sweet orange)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 tablespoon sugar
for the white balsamic oregano gastrique
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 sprigs fresh oregano
preheat the oven to 300° f.
cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. arrange the halves in one layer on a sheet pan covered with a silpat or parchment paper. transfer to the oven and roast for 1 hour, until the tomatoes shrink some but don’t dry out completely.
while the tomatoes roast, make the topping and the gastrique.
for the topping, combine all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
for the gastrique, put the vinegar, sugar and oregano in a small saucepot over medium heat. stir until most of the sugar is dissolved. simmer for 7-10 minutes, until the mixure has reduced by about half and has become syrupy (it will thicken slightly when it cools). discard the oregano and cool the gastrique completely. cover until ready to serve.
whisk 1/4 cup of the half and half with tomato paste in a medium saucepot over medium heat, until the paste melts into the cream. add the rest of the half and half and the roasted tomatoes to the pot. simmer for 20 minutes. transfer the tomatoes and cream to a blender and puree until smooth. strain the liquid back into the saucepot, discarding the solids. return the saucepot to the stovetop over medium heat.
whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. slowly add about 1/4 cup of the hot tomato cream to the egg mixture, whisking quickly. continue introducing about 1/2 of the hot liquid in 1/4-cup increments until the egg mixture becomes warm. when the egg mixture is warm enough, whisk it into the rest of the tomato cream in the saucepot. let the mixture heat slowly to 170° f, or until it coats the back of a spoon and holds a line drawn by your finger. take care not to boil the liquid or the eggs and cream will curdle.
partially fill a large, wide bowl with ice and water. transfer the custard to a large bowl that will fit into the ice bath. set the custard bowl in the ice bath to cool it quickly to room temperature (will take about 20 minutes). cover the cooled custard with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
follow the manufacturers instructions for spinning the ice cream in a household machine. transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze to harden, 3 hours or overnight.
serve scoops of the ice cream with the cherry tomato and stone fruit topping and drizzled with the white balsamic oregano gastrique.