Ok. I know this makes me sound old, but I am not a fan of TikTok or its “food trends”. Some things, like the fake coke, burn my biscuits. I feel like it makes cooking real food with real methods and ingredients irrelevant, but honestly a lot of it doesn’t taste great.
So why try this one? There is one reason, and one reason only. It is a Chef Thomas Keller method. I love Chef Kellers thought process on taking simple food and elevating it to a different level. I live and die by his method of roasting a whole chicken. I watched the videos and decided to give it a go. It did not disappoint.
The key is scoring the zucchini and salting it. This not only gives it an opportunity for the flavor to seep inside but it also draws out some of the water that makes zucchini steam. The salt brings the moisture out and you soak it up before searing it to the perfect shade of brown.
I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments.
Bon Appetit!
Yield: 4 servings
Oven Roasted Zucchini with Jammy Cherry Tomatoes
Pan roasted zucchini with a yummy, jammy cherry tomato mixture
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Ingredients
2 zucchini
1 tablespoon neutral oil
Kosher salt
For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes,
2 tablespoons minced shallot
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Instructions
Halve the zucchini lengthwise and score the cut side in a crosshatch pattern.
Sprinkle salt evenly onto the scored side of the zucchini. Leave the zucchini for 15-20 minutes to draw out moisture.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat the zucchini dry with paper towels.
Pour just enough oil to coat the bottom of a heavy oven proof pan and heat until it's shimmering but not quite smoking. Add the zucchini, cut side down, in the oil and adjust the heat to allow the zucchini to sear and caramelize without burning.
Cook 5-minutes, checking occasionally, until it is darkly browned. Flip zucchini and place in oven to cook 20 minutes or until zucchini are completely soft.
While zucchini are roasting, gently combine the tomatoes, shallots and olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the shallots are soft and the tomatoes start to break down. Add the vinegar to deglaze the pan, turn the heat to medium low. Stir and add herbs and salt to taste. The sauce should be a bit jammy.
Transfer zucchini to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over before serving.