Pan & tomato sandwich by Carmen Rueda

Carmen Rueda feels happy at the Brix Desserts restaurant in Dubai where she has been executive pastry chef since 2021. She is happy and excited because “I finally found a place where I can express myself through my creations. When I create a pastry, the first thing that comes to my mind is emotion. That is what I want my customers to experience and that is how I come up with my creations”.

The Spanish chef does not like to alter flavors, “the flavor has to taste like the main ingredient of the dish”. Among her sweet proposals we find this trompe l’oeil of Pan & tomato sandwich, made with brown bread dry meringue, olive oil parfait, and tomato jam.

Pan & tomato sandwich

Brown bread dry meringue

70 g egg whites
30 g sugar
60 g isomalt
30 g icing sugar
2 g yeast
40 g brown bread crumbs toasted and grounded

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl with a whisk attachment. Start to whip on medium speed. When the egg whites are semi whipped, start adding in the sugar, isomalt, and icing sugar in 3 parts on low speed, making sure that they are incorporated in the egg whites. When a stiff meringue is obtained, add in the breadcrumbs along with the yeast on slow speed. Spread flat out in the tray and bake at 110ºC for 20 minutes or till dry to cut. Once cut, transfer out onto another silpat, and bake to dry completely. If the sides are not clean, use a zester to even them out.

Olive oil parfait

110 g cream
60 g white chocolate
50 g yolks
20 g whites
38 g sugar
100 g olive oil

Place the yolks and egg whites in the mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. Add in the sugar slowly and whisk till a stiff meringue is obtained. Add in the olive oil slowly to the meringue. Temper in the white chocolate with the meringue mixture. Make sure the white chocolate is warm (at around 30ºC). Fold in the semi whipped cream at the end. For 1 silver tray, apply butter paper at the bottom. Level out 400 g of parfait mixture, let it set completely in the blast freezer before adding in a layer of tomato jam.

Tomato jam

2.100 g tomatoes
300 g icing sugar
100 g olive oil
60 g white vinegar
5 g soya sauce

Take a pot with boiling water. Make small cuts at the base of the tomatoes and blanch them for 20 secs, then stop the cooking by transferring them to ice cold water. Remove the skin. Separate the pulp and the outer firm part of the tomato. Add in the icing sugar to the pulp and place in the chiller for eight hours. Strain the pulp with the icing sugar, reserve the water. Brunoise the outer firm part of the tomato, mix it with the olive oil and saute at low heat till the excess water is gone. Add in the strained pulp and cook till it coats the back of a spoon. Add in the vinegar and soya sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Reserve for layering the parfait.

Montage

Spread a thin layer of tomato jam over the olive oil parfait. Cut the triangles and assemble them as if they were a sandwich with the slices of Bread dry meringue on the outside.