While she’s now based in London, England, French-recipe developer (and former Great British Bake Off contestant) Manon Lagrève grew up on a farm in Brittany. There, eating seasonally wasn’t a discussion but a simple way of life.
“It made the experience of eating more meaningful, and it makes you even more grateful for what nature offers us,” she says via email. “I want people to see the beauty in waiting for things, like that first juicy peach [of the summer] or green-as-green asparagus.”
That desire is found throughout Lagrève’s latest cookbook, La Saison. It was released on May 12 and features 80 seasonal recipes across the seasons. But in particular, we’re obsessed with her sunshine-y recipes highlighting the joys of summer tomatoes in a way we often forget to consider: cooked. With that in mind, we asked Lagrève to share her best tomato tips.
Manon Lagrève’s Top Tomato Tips
- Mix and match tomatoes in raw salads
- Especially using tomatoes of different colours will make your dish more aesthetic.
- Which type of tomato should I use in a dish that requires structure?
- Use beefsteak tomatoes in dishes that require structure— think tomato tatin or a focaccia sandwich— because they hold together well.
- What is an easy summer tomato side dish?
- Roast cherry tomatoes while still on the stem for an aesthetically pleasing and delicious side dish.
- Does the quality of the tomato really impact the overall dish?
- “Buy the best-quality tomatoes you can,” Lagrève says. “You can have the best olive oil, the best salt, the best basil, but the only thing that will make a difference in your tomato [dishes] are flavoursome, seasonal tomatoes.”
Manon Lagrève’s Summer Tomato Recipes
Warm Tomato Salad
Cherry tomatoes cooked in olive oil and garlic become the dressing to slices of firmer beefsteak tomato. A ball of burrata makes an indulgent centrepiece. Serve with fresh bread to soak up all the goodness.
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Summer Vegetable Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a summer dish that is usually sweet, but this savoury version works so well. Equally delicious served warm or chilled, it makes ideal picnic fare.
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Deep-filled Ratatouille Quiche
With the help of prepared puff pastry dough, quiche is a relatively effortless way of making dinner seem special while using up bits and bobs in the crisper. In this recipe from cookbook author Manon Lagrève, she fills the pastry with the vegetable queen of the season: ratatouille.
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