From Hannibal · 2013-2015 · Reconstructed
Tomato "Brain" Barquettes
Serve when
Pair this with the prosciutto roses on the same buffet — the visual joke only lands if both are on the table together.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E7 · 00:42:14 Part of the buffet spread at Hannibal's trophy dinner party, laid out alongside the prosciutto roses and a headcheese centerpiece
In the series
The show's food stylist built this dish specifically to read as a visual pun — plum tomato "brains" set into pastry boats, sitting on the same table as roses of cured ham. It's one of the plainest examples of how the series' most elaborate spreads are staged: technically a garnish course, thematically a dare to the guests eating it.
Ingredients
Method
- Bake the puff pastry shells according to the package directions until golden and crisp, then let them cool.
- Slice the stem end off each tomato and gently work a small spoon around the inside to loosen the seed clusters without tearing the flesh.
- Ease each seed cluster out in one piece — this is the part that visually stands in for "brain," so keep it intact rather than scooping it apart.
- Spread a thin layer of mustard or tapenade in the bottom of each cooled pastry shell.
- Nestle one tomato seed cluster into each shell, finish with a pinch of flaky salt, and serve at room temperature.
Substitutions
- Puff pastry shells: Mini phyllo cups are a faster, lighter substitute if puff pastry shells aren't available.
- Tapenade: Finely chopped olives mixed with a little olive oil work if tapenade isn't on hand.