Henry Harris’ recipe for tomatoes, creme fraiche and herbs

. UK edition

Two plates of toast topped with sliced tomatoes, creamy sauce, and fresh herbs, with cutlery and drinks nearby
‘A great favourite’: Henry Harris’ tomatoes creme fraiche and herbs. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian

Sumptuous, late-summer tomatoes cooked with cream and served on toast? Supper is served in 10 … OK, maybe 15 minutes

Forty years ago, an antiquarian bookseller recommended to me Edouard de Pomiane’s La cuisine en dix minutes, a selection of recipes that could be cooked at home in less than 10 minutes. A scientist and food lover, de Pomiane stripped back what was then viewed as a very complicated craft, and also gave the time-poor an opportunity to cook and enjoy a good meal made from good ingredients. This was the first recipe I cooked from that book, and it is still a great favourite that has punctuated my menus ever since.

Tomatoes, creme fraiche and herbs

This is a perfect end-of-summer supper that I have never quite managed to do at the speed of de Pomiane – it usually takes me about 15 minutes. Use proper creme fraiche for this, ideally a French one, because there are some very poor British-made equivalents out there that have no natural tang and tend to coagulate when heated.

Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 2

1 good tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthways

200g creme fraiche, or more if you like a lot of sauce
2 thick slices sourdough
A few basil leaves, or 1 small handful mixed soft herbs

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan until foaming. Generously season the tomatoes, then put them cut side down in the hot butter and leave to cook on a medium heat for at least five minutes, until the butter colours to a light nut brown (if at any stage it looks as if it may be going too dark and at risk of burning, turn down the heat and proceed more gently).

Spoon the creme fraiche into the pan, bring up to a low simmer and cook for another two minutes. Turn over the tomatoes, cook for a further minute or two, then taste the tomato-rich cream and adjust the seasoning as required. Meanwhile, toast the sourdough.

Put four tomato halves on each slice of toast, spoon the sauce all over the top and serve topped with torn or roughly chopped basil.