Cherry Bombs
from Valereee
3 pints firm bite-sized red cherry tomatoes (about sixty)
1/2 cup vodka
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons fleur de sel or kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly-ground coarse black pepper
Cut a small X in skin of blossom end of each tomato. Blanch tomatoes, 5 at a time, in a saucepan of boiling water 3 seconds and immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. (Very important not to let the toms =cook=, as the texture will suffer.)
Drain and peel, transferring to a large shallow dish. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead, then covered and chilled.)
Stir together vodka, vinegar, sugar, and zest until sugar is dissolved. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead then covered and chilled.)
Pour marinade over tomatoes, gently tossing to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Stir together salt and pepper and serve with tomatoes for dipping.
For an extra flavor kick, use lemon vodka or pepper vodka. Gin also works well for those who prefer the flavor of gin to that of vodka, but I've found that while you can use cheap vodka, you can't use cheap gin.
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