0:00:02 > 0:00:05Renowned chef Raymond Blanc has inspired the world with his cooking.
0:00:05 > 0:00:12It's about celebrating that gorgeous, glorious food and sharing a special moment with your loved one.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Now he's opening his kitchen and sharing his secrets.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21I made all the mistakes which could be made, so you don't have to make them yourself.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24- Showing, with a little effort... - This is so, so beautiful.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27..anyone can bring some joy to the dinner table.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Even the most complicated dish is not impossible to make.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41On Kitchen Secrets, Raymond shares his favourite tomato recipes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- It's so simple.- With his mother's quick and easy salad.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- Voila.- A fresh and light tomato essence risotto.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51You can see that creaminess.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54A simple supper of stuffed tomatoes.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Aah-ha-ha!
0:00:56 > 0:01:01And finally, a celebration of the tomato in the most delicate of dishes.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05They are so simple to translate into wonderful cooking.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07They are amazing.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08Voila, bon appetit!
0:01:15 > 0:01:20Raymond's working kitchen in Oxfordshire is where his dishes come to life.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25S'il vous plait! Can somebody always here, OK, you guys?
0:01:25 > 0:01:27- Always here, stand up here...- Yeah.
0:01:27 > 0:01:33OK, to watch, can we have the same bowls and give me ten of those, OK, so we have plenty, voila. OK?
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I've worked with Adam for now six years. Six years, Adam?
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I found a yellow, yellow Picardy.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Every tomato has its place in a different recipe.
0:01:51 > 0:01:58This tomato is a Marmande and a very fat Marmande, the best of its kind.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03The Marmande tomato is used in one of Raymond's favourite childhood dishes.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Maman Blanc's tomato salad.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Maman Blanc would turn it out every Sunday
0:02:09 > 0:02:11or sometimes, twice or three times a week, it took her
0:02:11 > 0:02:17exactly five minutes to do, I would run in the garden, pick out the tomatoes, they were not supermarket
0:02:17 > 0:02:25tomatoes, they were all ugly, you know, in some way, all misshapen, but my God, how they tasted.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31So not too fine, OK, nice thickness, nice texture,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35doing too thin, you feel frustrated you don't bite into it.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Look at that colour, it's absolutely amazing.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Can see all that juice.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Remember that cooking, it's a simple, creative process
0:02:50 > 0:02:56which is so rewarding, and it's also an act of love, I simply look at it as an act of love.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02My family, my friends, even when I cook with my team, that's a culture we create, it's an act of love.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Dressing is so simple.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16OK, you don't need to be called Raymond Blanc to do this.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Voila. We have a bit of shallot, that's plenty. Bit of mustard.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25The way Maman does it, she puts everything together with the mustard.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31A bit of garlic, the French, we cannot help it, why not?
0:03:33 > 0:03:39Got me, oh, it got me! It really got me right in the eye. Very, very fine.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Like that.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Lovely.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51Very lovely. It's a rapeseed oil, it's a beautiful, neutral flavour,
0:03:51 > 0:03:57and then she would pour vinegar. Hot water, Adam, please.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02OK, tres bien, merci.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05To help blend your dressing, add hot water at the end.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08OK, and look,
0:04:08 > 0:04:14suddenly we are getting this wonderfully silky dressing.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23All that salt, vinegar will start almost curing the tomatoes, softening the cells.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Voila, come on, you.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39The salad is topped off with chopped parsley, red onion and basil.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Voila, bon appetit.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57There are more than 10,000 known varieties of tomatoes worldwide.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Very, very French, coeur de boeuf - ox heart - are fantastic.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Each variety of tomato has a different proportion
0:05:05 > 0:05:11of flesh to seeds, giving it a particular purpose in the kitchen.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13So let's have a look at that tomato.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18That is why this tomato is for sauce.
0:05:18 > 0:05:25Very little pips, very little juice, mostly flesh, that's perfect for tomato sauce.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- Yeah.- That's why all over the world, it is used like this in Italy,
0:05:29 > 0:05:34all the guys who know their tomato would do a sauce with this one.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Inspired by the juice of Maman's salad...
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It's so simple, and so completely lovely.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53..Raymond's next dish is risotto, made with tomato essence.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54When I became a cook,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59I wanted to extract the jus, but in a large volume.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03It took so many months of painful work,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07and eventually, I said, "That's it, bingo, done."
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Creating, instead of using a chicken stock or other,
0:06:10 > 0:06:16you are using the essence to create the whitest tomato essence risotto.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I'm going to break down, crush my tomatoes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:27Every year, Raymond grows and trials up to 40 varieties of tomato.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31He's using a variety of cherry tomato to make his essence.
0:06:31 > 0:06:39Lovely balance of flesh, sweetness, acidity, but it's all flavourful, it's the most perfumed, you know?
0:06:44 > 0:06:48I want to crush them, OK, but not puree them.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53After pulsing the tomatoes, make a marinade.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Chopping celery...
0:06:55 > 0:06:58A bit of celery, that much, no more.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01..garlic...
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- ..shallot...- They never end!
0:07:04 > 0:07:06..and fennel.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11So that's plenty, OK.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14This is added to the crushed tomatoes along with some herbs.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16A little basil.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Where is my thyme? Thyme, where are you hiding?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Here we are, voila, that's plenty.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29It's just layers and layers and layers of flavours.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32First I want to have my tomato experience,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35then, "Oh, what was that? Oh, I feel a celery.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38"And then I feel a bit of Worcestershire,
0:07:38 > 0:07:43"a nice little bit of spicing, and then at the end when I finish, a little touch of bitterness."
0:07:43 > 0:07:47A dash of Angostura. Voila.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Very little of... a little Tabasco.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Mix well.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Then put it in the fridge to let the flavours infuse.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Trust me, you can make this essence.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It may seem very complicated,
0:08:05 > 0:08:10but it's well worth doing, because the flavours are absolutely amazing.
0:08:13 > 0:08:19And this one, we have marinated it six hours ago, and it is ready now.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Smell, looks...
0:08:25 > 0:08:27lovely smell.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Next, take a clean sheet.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34It's the flag of surrender! Maybe.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Just wet it, voila, now it's drained, and I place it in here.
0:08:39 > 0:08:46It will become a perfectly gold liquid, and will capture the heart of that tomato.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Raymond has been producing tomato essence in this way for 20 years.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56- Adam, can you give me a quick hand, please?- It's the basis of many of his most famous recipes.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Tres bien. See, all that jus,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04all the pigmentation wonderfully golden.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Aah-ha-ha!
0:09:06 > 0:09:07We're going to lose...
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Yeah, that's... perfect.
0:09:14 > 0:09:20It's a very funny contraception in a way... Contraception? No! No, contraption.
0:09:20 > 0:09:26No, as a cook you always, you know, sometimes have to get on with it and find some solution.
0:09:26 > 0:09:32To capture as much essence as possible, Raymond hangs the tomatoes overnight.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37You mustn't press the bag, I know you would feel very... to go faster, OK,
0:09:37 > 0:09:43you feel very tempted to take it by the throat and press, but you don't want that,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47because you will get all the reddish colour, that's quite bitter.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The jus here is so clear, it's so distilled, so pure.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55You see, drip, drip, drip, drip, that's why you've got to be a bit patient,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59you have to wait a little bit, but it's worth it.
0:10:08 > 0:10:16The most extraordinary extraction of the tomato is the essence, OK,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20and that will be the best stock for the risotto.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31Adam, please, I don't like to do that with a... Please, a proper spoon, give me a spoon, mon petit.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33OK. Oh, God.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38We start very much the traditional way, of course, sweeten our onion.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I'm going to put a tiny bit of garlic. Smell, smell, all the time,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47these wonderful things taking over your cuisine, that's what it's all about.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50OK, tres bien. Now I've got my rice,
0:10:50 > 0:10:57Carnaroli rice, and I've got 200 grams here and I'm pouring it in here, OK.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Carnaroli is a widely available risotto rice which gives a creamy finish.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Don't forget to season your risotto! One... two.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Raymond adds butternut squash,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15but instead of meat stock, he uses the tomato essence and hot water.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20This creates a light, clean flavour and a clear, white risotto.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25Now we're going to really depart from tradition, because I've found a little technique which I'm sure
0:11:25 > 0:11:31my Italian friends will not like, but which works extremely well, because I'm not going to stir it.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Normally risotto is stirred continually to prevent the rice
0:11:35 > 0:11:40from sticking and to release starch, but Raymond leaves his rice to cook untouched.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44And I bring it exactly to the temperature I want,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and the temperature I want, you can actually see,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51it's one tiny little bubble, rising on the side of that pan,
0:11:51 > 0:11:58and then the water will not boil and the rice will start absorbing all this wonderful essence of tomato.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It will take about 15 minutes.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Have a stroll in the garden, you know, nice glass of wine,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09and just relax a little bit, rather than sweating at the stove, stirring your risotto.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21And now we're going to work the starch.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We're going to stir it away, we're going to extract all of the starches
0:12:25 > 0:12:28which are going to give that wonderful creaminess, OK.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30So I add my courgettes,
0:12:30 > 0:12:35bit of fennel, my coriander seeds.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40The rice still is... some of it is still uncooked, OK, nearly,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42that takes exactly five minutes to finish off.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46So instead of sweating 20 minutes, you only sweat five minutes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Tres bien.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Look at that beautiful white rice, full of tomato fragrance,
0:13:08 > 0:13:16now your rice is fluffing up, the starch is leaking out beautifully, you can see that creaminess.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Voila, that's nearly ready.
0:13:18 > 0:13:25- To finish, add mascarpone cheese, peas and parmesan.- Voila.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Lovely.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32A beautifully creamy risotto, falling off the spoon perfectly.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42- Dress the dish with roasted tomatoes, a drop more essence... - Voila, bon appetit.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46..and a sprig of fresh herbs.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The tomato season in Great Britain runs from March to November.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59When you go to the supermarket,
0:13:59 > 0:14:06that's what you get, OK, and they are all red, they're already formed and they're all perfect.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12To meet all-year-round demand, tomatoes are imported and grown hydroponically,
0:14:12 > 0:14:18where plants are fed nutrient solutions instead of getting them from soil.
0:14:19 > 0:14:25So all these tomatoes are grown in huge, huge spaces
0:14:25 > 0:14:30where the air is controlled, the humidity's controlled, the heat is controlled, OK.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34No disease, but very cleverly done.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37So is it good, is it bad? It certainly works.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44The heart of tomato growing country.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Preston, Lancashire.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52At one of the UK's largest hydroponic tomato nurseries,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Raymond's meeting development executive Bernard Sparks,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59who has worked in the tomato industry for over 30 years.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Nice to see your tomato kingdom here, and my God, what a kingdom!
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Thousands and thousands and thousands of tomato plants.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15The nursery produces 150 million fruits a year from 15 varieties.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17You may treat me as an old-fashioned boy,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22I can assure you, to me, still, I love the idea of a fruit,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25of a vegetable or a herb, growing into earth.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30My father made me taste earth at the age of seven,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33not just smell it, look at it, I tasted it,
0:15:33 > 0:15:38so are you telling me that your system is actually better than growing them on earth?
0:15:38 > 0:15:44I'm going to prove to you that our hydroponically grown tomatoes are as good
0:15:44 > 0:15:48across the whole year as tomatoes grown in the soil,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52and consistency and continuity is hugely important to us.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- I stand to be counted.- Let's have a look, let's have a look.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59These vines are so beautifully arranged.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04- At the end of the season, we are talking about a 12 to 14 metre long length of stem...- Wow, wow.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10..and that will have something like 28 to 30 trusses of tomatoes on the plant.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15I've read in your book, Raymond, that your mother used to ripen tomatoes on the windowsill.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- On the windowsill, yeah. - Outrageous!
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- Really?- Out.. out..- I didn't expect you to say that to my mum!
0:16:21 > 0:16:24You'll be in trouble now, you tell her yourself.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I need her telephone number, I must come and visit.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- But you've not eaten one yet? Come on.- I'm going to now.- You must.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38OK, I'll take that top here.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46It's a very, very good tomato, and I will not say it
0:16:46 > 0:16:50if it wasn't, OK, to please you, that's a very good tomato.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- I didn't say it was the best tomato! - I noticed.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55But it's a very good tomato.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59What we're doing is exactly the same as in the soil except we haven't got
0:16:59 > 0:17:01the worms, we haven't got all the microbes.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- We can argue about this till the cows come home... - We can and I would!
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- Who's going to have the last one? - Not me.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14You're a typical Englishman, you're a typical Englishman, never the last one... no problem.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18To match the taste benefits soil brings to the fruit,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23new growing methods are being developed by chief tomato grower Andy Rowe.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28- I'd like to show you the woodchip. - Oh, yes, that eco, what do you call it?- Eco fibre.
0:17:28 > 0:17:34Andy's developed a pioneering system using the by-product from sawmills as a soil replacement.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Oh, yes, that's much better,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40oh, yes. Look at that.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44That smells of lime, you can... you can smell it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Lovely, it's not rotten, it's alive, it's earth which is alive.
0:17:48 > 0:17:56So you are telling me that that earth which you have created, effectively, is as good as my mum's earth,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00where the tomato gets its nutrients deep in the soil?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Yes, I am, I am. It's as good as.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Let's taste it, that's a perfect tomato,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11and the balance will be just right, you can actually see how it tastes.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Thank you very much.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- Have one on me.- Thank you.
0:18:19 > 0:18:26I cannot disassociate food from the soil, I can't, I simply can't, but to see that earth, that fabric
0:18:26 > 0:18:30of earth where you have fungi with organism, you got all those
0:18:30 > 0:18:33things moving around, that is exciting.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Have you got a recipe for the tomato sauce?
0:18:43 > 0:18:48A quick family meal using beef tomatoes is Raymond's next dish.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53We are going to do a very simple dish, stuffed tomato which is really part of very much of the
0:18:53 > 0:18:57French repertoire because it's so delicious and it's so simple.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01They're ready to be stuffed, begging to be stuffed.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05I'm going to sit them up very nicely just so they don't wobble and
0:19:05 > 0:19:08roll over like little Humpty Dumpties.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13So just nicely scoop it out.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17So I'm going to leave as much flesh as possible inside.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Tres bien.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I've got my ingredients here, minced pork,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I've got fresh breadcrumbs - not dried, fresh breadcrumbs -
0:19:25 > 0:19:28to help the meat not to be so tough.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Add egg yolk, parsley, tarragon,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36garlic and shallot.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43It's a very French thing, garlic, shallots, parsley, hint of tarragon, cos that's a classic.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Olive oil...
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Voila.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49..and grated cheese.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52A bit of Comte cheese, because I can't help it, I come from that region.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And season.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Can you give me, the next time, a big giant mill pepper, please?
0:19:58 > 0:20:03Always taste, even raw pork, well, the chef of the house,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06it's a duty, OK, I cook at home, I do not do that.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Your stuffing just inside.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Tres bien. So it's very much simple family meal, could do
0:20:21 > 0:20:26wonderful hamburgers as well, goes back to years, I mean, many years.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Just slide them into the oven,
0:20:29 > 0:20:36180 pre-heated for about 20 minutes, 25 minutes, according how big they are.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45- Adam?- Yes? - Can you bring me some basil, please? Couple of leaves.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47- Can you get me some basil leaves? - Yes.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49To accompany the dish,
0:20:49 > 0:20:55tomato sauce made from stewed plum tomatoes, onions, garlic...
0:20:55 > 0:20:57- Voila.- ..and a handful of basil.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Personally, I like a lot.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08That has cooked beautifully...
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Oh-oh, come on,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13oops, it's stuck away, come on, come on. Good.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- Add the sauce...- Parsley, please.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20..and roughly chopped parsley.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Of course, you can use chive,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27if you just simply...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Simple, home cooked.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39Obviously you can change the mincemeat by fish, by risotto, any bits you have
0:21:39 > 0:21:44left in your fridge, practically, almost, you can put it inside that tomato,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and it's simple enough to make.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Raymond's kitchen garden is his pride and joy.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58It holds over a hundred varieties of herbs and spices.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Wonderful flavour, so aniseed, so wonderfully sweet.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07For his final dish, Raymond's looking for a mixture of delicate herbs, like these garlic flowers.
0:22:07 > 0:22:14You only use the seed part of the flowers, very powerful as well, that will go into a little jelly.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Cooking for the last 35 years, Raymond's still passionate about
0:22:18 > 0:22:21creating new dishes with his favourite ingredients.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28When you make something lovely for friends or family, it's always that little bit more effort,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and it's rewarding for them as much as it is for you.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35He's created a new recipe - a celebration of the simple tomato.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41Using tomato essence as his base ingredient, it's five dishes in one.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43A simple salad sits alongside a granita,
0:22:43 > 0:22:49tomato jelly, consomme and a sorbet.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53First, the tomato jelly.
0:22:53 > 0:22:59So with these wonderful little textures here, tomatoes and all, I'm going to make my jelly, OK.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04So I take about 200 gram,
0:23:04 > 0:23:10I'm going to add only a half leaf of gelatine, OK, into a little bit of essence of tomato.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15When the gelatine's melted, pour into cold tomato essence and leave to thicken.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Tres bien.
0:23:17 > 0:23:23Right, let's move that onto... Meanwhile, what I can do is to start
0:23:23 > 0:23:28picking up all my little flowers, harvesting my flowers.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34Bringing the tomato jelly to life, Raymond's garden herbs.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38They are so delicate, they're so beautiful.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Garlic flowers, fennel, coriander seeds and basil.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Adam is beheading the little baby basilic - guillotine!
0:23:48 > 0:23:52And the pips of colourful tomatoes.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55It is so incredibly beautiful.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Look at that. It's like a yellow strawberry.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Can you freeze that as well? Freeze it so it's nice and cold.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12Tres bien. So now, the cold is acting on the jelly, and the gelatine starts to thicken.
0:24:12 > 0:24:18I want it to acquire texture so the solids don't sink in the bottom,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but remain as exactly where I want them to be.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23I'm in charge, not them.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29Voila. Then I'm going to play with it, OK.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37When I think of tomatoes, I think of so many images,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41piled up, jumbled up, all sorts of ideas of flavours, textures...
0:24:41 > 0:24:47So sprinkle your little herby things.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52You can make it as complicated or as simple as you want to.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Please, take a tray, mon petit, take a tray.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Oh, come on!
0:24:57 > 0:25:02OK, I'll give them to you. Merci.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09The tomato and herb jelly takes an hour in the fridge to set.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Next, a tomato salad.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I've filled those tomatoes, so now I'm using
0:25:14 > 0:25:16the flesh to make a tomato salad.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21Marinated in shallots, basil, olive oil,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and a dash of white wine vinegar.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30There is nothing really clever, it just celebrate a particular produce.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34OK, so now...
0:25:37 > 0:25:41it looks absolutely beautiful, does it taste as it looks?
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Lovely.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50No, a rectangular plate which I asked to be put in the freezer so I can put the jelly on it, please.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Voila. Can we have a few more plates like that ready, please?
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Three parts of the dish are ready.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00Tomato jelly, the consomme of pure tomato essence...
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Lovely gold liquid.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10..and the tomato salad.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14A little bit of Mozzarella. Just break it up in little pieces like that.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Much nicer.
0:26:16 > 0:26:22Both of the final elements are made from tomato essence, which has been frozen.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26So we, we have the same, OK, two essences which are ready,
0:26:26 > 0:26:31one is ready to be turned into a sorbet, the other one grated into a granita, cos that's what we have.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39- And on.- To make the sorbet, you can put tomato essence into an ice cream maker.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47See, all that is powdered snow, we just need to compact
0:26:47 > 0:26:49a beautiful sorbet, look.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Come on, little one.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00And a Granita.
0:27:00 > 0:27:07We just simply grate the ice, totally different texture, you know, just like big, lovely crystal.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11A granita is a frozen dessert, popular in Italy.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16It has a crystallised texture made by scraping or shaving frozen fruit juice.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Very simple, lovely, well, complicated simplicity.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26The theme, there's five dishes within one, so of course,
0:27:26 > 0:27:33it's quite complex, quite difficult, but you can take any of those dishes, you can easily translate it into your
0:27:33 > 0:27:36own home for your friends and for your family.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44How many millions of dish have been made with a single tomato,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and there are still millions of other dishes to be discovered.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Always be curious, if you lose the curiosity, you die a little and your food dies a little.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08If you were to be told that there would be no tomatoes ever,
0:28:08 > 0:28:15I think that the whole heart of the world would beat a little bit slower. What a shame.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:35 > 0:28:38E-mail - subtitling@bbc.co.uk