h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have served this to carnivores (I'm a carnivore myself) with green beans and french bread on the side and icecream after and no one has even begun to think that they are missing out. It is very simple to make but very classy and tastes amazing. And is rich and filling.

Tomates a la Creme (with many thanks to Edouard de Pomiane and Elizabeth David)

Ingredients:
Nice red round tomatoes - three per person, less if big, more if small.
Double cream - about two ounces per person (I think that's 60 grams) (I use goat cream because I'm allergic to cow cream, but cow cream is the official version).
Salt.
Pepper.
A knob of butter, about a teaspoonfull (more if you're feeling oh to heck with the diet).

Cut the tomatoes in half.
Melt the butter in a heavy frying-pan. The heat setting should be medium-hot, so things sizzle but don't carbonise. When it is bubbling (but before it goes brown) put in the tomatoes cut side down. Puncture the rounded skin sides here and there with a knife. Let the tomatoes sizzle away for five minutes. The cut sides should go goldeny brown in places. Flip them over and let them cook round side down for ten minutes. Then flip them over again and let all the juices run out into the pan. If they don't VERY GENTLY press the tomatoes (try not to press so hard you tear the skin or squash them) so that you do get some juice into the pan. Put the tomatoes cut side up again. Pour the cream into the pan, mix it thoroughly with the juices, add a little grind of black pepper. You may well not need any salt at all. TASTE before you add any. When the cream starts bubbling, it's done. Serve with french bread, or for genuine genuiness with pain de campagne.

It's a pretty rich dish, but amazingly scrummy, and the tomatoes taste completely different like this - sort of savory and caramelly and hearty.