Daniel Boulud's Tomates Farcies

Directions

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 275° F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set them aside.
2. Cut the top of each tomato to create a 2-inch cap. With a small spoon, carefully scoop out and discard the seeds and pulp, leaving the shell intact. Place the tomato shells upside down on the prepared baking sheet with their caps on the side and refrigerate.
3. Heat up one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the mushrooms, onions, and shallots then cook until they are tender. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and let them cool to room temperature
4. Combine the bread crumbs and cream together. Mix together the ground pork, soaked bread crumbs, sautéed mushroom mixture, parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Season the inside of each tomato with salt and pepper, then stuff each tomato with enough pork filling to makes a slight mount above the rim of the tomato shell. Wrap each tomato with a piece of aluminum foil folded into the same height as the tomatoes. This helps the tomato to maintain their shape in the oven.
5. Scatter the roasting herbs, garlic, and water over the bottom of a baking pan. Place the tomato farci on top of the herbs and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. After 25 minutes rotate the pan and if the pan is too dry a small amount of additional water to the bottom of the pan. When finished, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the tomatoes to a warm serving platter. Top the tomatoes with their caps, strain the pan juices through a fine mesh sieve and then drizzle the tomatoes with the pan juices. Serve with rice, or summer beans.