- 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 1 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 medium leek, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, quartered
- 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 TBS unflavored gelatin
- 6 (1/4 inch thick) slices medium eggplant
- 1 1/2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
- Cooking spray
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
- 1 TBS fresh thyme, chopped and divided
- 1 TBS fresh chives, finely chopped and divided
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place heirloom tomato slices on several layers of paper towels. Top with a single layer of paper towels. Let stand 15 minutes. Combine 1 cup water, garlic, leek and quartered tomato in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve over a bowl, pressing to extract liquid; discard solids. Pour liquid into pan; stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with gelatin; let stand 5 minutes. Bring gelatin mixture to a boil; boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Lightly brush eggplant slices with oil; arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with parchment paper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes; turn and bake an additional 5 minutes or until tender. Lightly coat a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line pan with plastic wrap. Arrange tomato slices in a double layer on bottom of pan; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Top tomatoes with a thin layer of cheese; sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme and 1 1/2 teaspoons chives. Arrange 3 eggplant slices over cheese. Repeat layers, ending with tomatoes. Pour gelatin mixture over terrine. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill 8 hours or overnight. Turn terrine out onto a platter. Let stand 1 hour (or until room temperature).
